Volunteer General Counsel (Pro Bono)

Volunteer General Counsel (Pro Bono)

Volunteer | Remote | 5-10 hours per month

Works directly with: Founder & Executive Director

Who We Are

At Creshendo, we believe everyone deserves the chance to belong, rebuild, and rise. In partnership with displaced communities, we co-create solutions by listening deeply, collaborating intentionally, and centering lived experience.

Driven by integrity, empathy, and curiosity, we design bold, inclusive programs that reimagine what’s possible for displaced communities. If you’re passionate about challenging the status quo and driving meaningful change, you’ll feel right at home here.

Why This Role Matters

Creshendo is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit reimagining how migrant communities access opportunities, build connections, and shape the systems that serve them. As we grow, we need strong governance, regulatory compliance, and legal infrastructure.

As our Volunteer General Counsel, you’ll help strengthen those foundations. You won’t be expected to handle every legal matter independently. Instead, you’ll help prioritize legal needs, advise leadership, and identify when specialized legal expertise is necessary.

What You’ll Be Doing

• You’ll advise on nonprofit governance and board support, including fiduciary responsibilities, bylaws, board procedures, resolutions, policies, and committee structures, helping establish clear, sustainable governance processes
• You’ll advise on federal and state nonprofit compliance, including charitable solicitation requirements, regulatory obligations, reporting deadlines, liability, and insurance, and help build a compliance calendar and risk-management procedures
• You’ll review legal considerations for our integration programs, training initiatives, and community-led activities, including safeguarding, informed consent, confidentiality, data protection, partnership agreements, MOUs, volunteer agreements, and risks around AI-assisted tools, ethical storytelling, and intellectual property
• You’ll serve as a trusted legal advisor to the Executive Director, helping prioritize legal work by urgency, risk, and available resources, and identifying matters that need specialized counsel

Your First 90 Days

1. Review outstanding legal matters and compliance deadlines
2. Assess charitable solicitation requirements and prioritize necessary actions
3. Review priority governance, contractual, and program safeguarding documentation
4. Establish a practical legal compliance calendar and risk-management framework

What You Bring

• A mindset for creative problem-solving. You enjoy trying new things.
• Openness to diverse perspectives. You know the best ideas come from collaboration.
• A J.D. or equivalent legal qualification, and an active license to practice law in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• Experience in nonprofit law, corporate governance, compliance, contracts, or related areas
• Strong judgment, communication skills, and the ability to give practical legal guidance
• Preferred, not required: experience advising 501(c)(3) organizations; familiarity with Virginia nonprofit law or multistate charitable solicitation requirements; experience supporting nonprofit boards; knowledge of safeguarding, privacy, intellectual property, or international nonprofit operations; experience with emerging or volunteer-led organizations
• Location & licensure: Attorneys licensed anywhere in the United States are encouraged to apply, including those living internationally. Creshendo is incorporated in Virginia and operates nationally. Candidates must be authorized to provide the legal services assigned to them, and jurisdiction-specific matters may be referred to appropriately licensed counsel.

What You’ll Gain

• Strategic influence, working directly with executive leadership to shape governance and legal infrastructure
• Professional growth in nonprofit governance, emerging technologies, and international partnerships
• A flexible commitment without the expectations of a full-time legal position
• A lasting contribution to legal systems that support Creshendo’s sustainability
• A collaborative, mission-aligned team that values bold ideas and kind leadership

Time Commitment & Working Relationship

Approximately 5-10 hours per month, with flexibility based on availability and mutually agreed priorities. The role is designed around clearly defined legal priorities rather than an open-ended workload. Additional support during onboarding or time-sensitive matters may be discussed separately. The General Counsel advises Creshendo as an organization and supports the Board on organizational legal matters as appropriate.

How We Work

We operate with a G.Y.S.T. mindset: clarity over chaos, consistency over perfection, action over ego. If you’re someone who follows through, communicates clearly, and cares about doing things well, you’ll feel at home here.

How to Apply

Send your resume or LinkedIn profile to hr@creshendo.org with a brief statement of interest, your jurisdiction(s) of licensure, and your approximate monthly availability.