EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Carrying forward our “building the plane while ying it” metaphor from 2021, 2022 was all about ensuring our fundamental parts were ready for long-term, successful ight.

* We re ned internal operations, processes and physical/technology infrastructure.

* We expanded sta and volunteer capacity as we developed new and existing programs.

* We focused on anti-racism training as well as professional development and team-building support for our sta and board.

GROWTH -- We grew by approximately 30% in 2022 as we received new funding and added sta to cover expanded eviction defense, eviction prevention and family safety work. Signi cant resources were invested in hiring, onboarding, and training the new personnel needed to e ectively sta these programs. The capacity of our volunteer program to serve more clients improved as we increased the number of volunteers participating and diversi ed clinic o erings. We worked to provide appropriate administrative support for the sta and board, engaging anti-racism trainers and working with a board development consultant. We instituted regular quarterly sta meetings and provided small stipends to sta to encourage team building.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH -- We showed up. Our Communications Team worked with community partners to sta regular legal aid pop-up events throughout Pierce County in 2022, focusing in traditionally marginalized urban and rural locations to expand access to our program. Presence within the community was ampli ed through social media o erings expanded to include video, information and educational topics presented on an increased variety of communications platforms.

We faced three main challenges in 2022:

First, settling into our new program identity as a sta ed attorney program after many years as a volunteer-based legal aid organization. We have become one of the largest law rms in Pierce County, and we are challenged to convey to funders and supporters that although our capacity to provide services has increased we still rely heavily on volunteers and community partnerships to do our best work, which requires investment in program administration.

Second, continued growth created scaling and sta ng issues. We often had to hire quickly during 2022 and did not have the luxury of lengthy interview timelines or competitive hiring. As a result, we faced turnover with new sta . Building so many programs simultaneously with new sta also made it challenging to identify and develop leaders within the o ce.

Third, the lack of funding for general program support continued to present barriers, impacting our ability to truly dedicate the time necessary to anti-racism work, equitable management structure, sta mental health, board development, IT support, and human resources. Each new program brought funding for additional legal sta but little support for proportionately expanding vital administrative functions.