IL Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights - Capacity Building Services

Founded as a member-based coalition serving immigrant and refugee communities throughout Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights  has grown to support over 100 member organizations and administer more than $100 million in state grants to over 70 organizations. ICIRR recognized that many of their members and subcontractors needed fiscal, operational, and compliance support to adequately pursue their missions.

Overview

With a grant from Progressive Multiplier, ICIRR developed the infrastructure for a referral fee-for-service program designed to provide back-office stability to partner organizations. The project involved conducting research to establish the service needs of partner organizations, creating a vetted vendor network, and determining a sustainable financial model. ICIRR projects that in its first full year of operation, this program will generate $170,000 in independent revenue for the organization.

Key Strategies & Tactics

ICIRR's approach centered on leveraging their existing relationships and deep expertise. The organization developed a comprehensive service menu including HR support systems, accounting and fiscal management, government compliance and reporting, systems support for policies and procedures, and referrals to trusted vendors. They created a sliding scale fee structure based on organizational budget size, with services priced between $400 and $6,000, or as a percentage of organizational budgets. The referral component of the program generates fees from vendors ranging from 8% to 15% of vendor agreements, creating an additional revenue stream while connecting member organizations to quality service providers.

The team distributed surveys to assess interest and identify organizational needs, conducted site visits to evaluate capacity gaps, and secured an additional $90,000 in government funding to support the program's development. They also developed marketing materials and outreach strategies to communicate the value proposition to potential clients within their network.

Lessons Learned

• Leverage Existing Expertise: ICIRR's 20 years of experience working with state relationships and consultants provided a solid foundation for the services they developed.
• Access Your Built-In Audience: Having members and subcontractors already in their internal database made targeting and outreach significantly more efficient.
• Plan for Adequate Capacity: Staff capacity emerged as the primary challenge, particularly as ICIRR was simultaneously managing a $50 million increase in state funding.
• Invest Beyond the Initial Grant: The project required additional staff capacity, ICIRR funds, and a percentage of state dollars to fully develop and launch.
• Value Structured Support: Progressive Multiplier's role in keeping tasks on track and helping think through different service offerings proved essential to the project's development.

The Multiplier Effect

Impact

ICIRR's fee-for-service program creates impact beyond revenue generation. By providing affordable access to professional fiscal, operational, and HR support, the program strengthens the capacity of smaller immigrant and refugee-serving organizations across Illinois. This infrastructure allows member organizations to maintain compliance with government grant requirements, improve their operational efficiency, and focus more resources on mission-critical work. The program also addresses a critical gap in the ecosystem by making professional services accessible through both sliding scale fees and connections to vetted vendors.

As ICIRR continues to administer over $100 million in state grants, this program ensures that subcontractor organizations have the back-office stability needed to serve their communities effectively. The revenue generated provides ICIRR with unrestricted funding that supports their broader mission while simultaneously building capacity across the immigrant rights movement in Illinois.