The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), founded in 1986 after the Immigration Reform and Control Act, advocates for the full and equal civic, cultural, social, and political participation of immigrants and refugees. Over the years, ICIRR has secured significant milestones, including the first permanent state funding for immigrant services and the passage of legislation improving access to education, healthcare, and legal protections. With over 100 member organizations statewide, ICIRR administers $100 million in state grants to support 70+ groups. To help members better achieve their missions, ICIRR identified a need for fiscal, operational, and compliance support.

Project Overview

ICIRR aimed to establish a referral fee-for-service program to provide operational and HR support to its member organizations. This initiative sought to create a reliable infrastructure that connected these organizations with vetted vendors, ensuring they had the back-office stability necessary to effectively pursue their missions. ICIRR helped its members access essential services through this program, allowing them to focus more on their core advocacy work.

Key Strategies and Successes

To kick off the project, ICIRR conducted an extensive survey to gauge the interests and specific needs of its member organizations. This research laid the groundwork for identifying gaps in support services. Leveraging over 20 years of experience and existing relationships with state agencies and consultants, ICIRR developed a network of vetted vendors offering high-quality operational and HR support.

The project aimed to meet immediate operational needs and generate revenue, reinforcing ICIRR’s long-term mission. By structuring a flexible financial model, which included a sliding fee scale and vendor referral fees, ICIRR generated $170,000 in revenue within the first year. 

By the numbers:

projects $740,000 in revenue over three years, with an ROI of 28.6%. Key revenue sources include $375,000 from FFS and $90,000 from government grants in year one. Total revenue is expected to grow from $170,000 to $375,000.

Lessons Learned

ICIRR gained valuable insights for organizations looking to implement similar initiatives:

• Engage stakeholders early to gather feedback and ensure services meet their needs.
• Establish a clear vendor vetting process to enhance service quality and reliability.
• Develop accurate income projections based on research and staff capacity to maintain financial sustainability.

These lessons have strengthened ICIRR’s revenue generation model, effectively supporting its members and amplifying their long-term impact.

Looking Ahead

ICIRR is set to leverage the success of its fee-for-service program to further strengthen its operations and the capacity of immigrant and refugee organizations across Illinois. ICIRR enables its member groups to focus on their missions by building strong operational infrastructures. This initiative demonstrates how strategic investments can help scale revenue programs that support the communities served by movement groups. ICIRR has laid the groundwork for driving systemic transformation in immigrant rights.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a statewide coalition of 130 organizations dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society.