RAICES 2026 Strategic Priorities: Endurance, Autonomy, and Evolution
Originally published: January 30, 2026
Executive Summary
We accept our reality: massive growth, leadership turnover, layoffs, funding cuts, and a hostile political landscape. However, we face this reality from a position of strength.
With a $12M fundraising budget and $40M in reserves, we are not in a crisis of survival, but we must prioritize strategy. Our 2026 vision is to leverage this financial runway to build an organization that is financially sovereign and operationally agile.
Our strategic priorities move RAICES from an organization that hopes for funding to an organization that engineers its own survival.
Our Vision: A country where everyone has the opportunity to achieve the American dream with dignity and respect — no matter where you were born.
Our Mission: To deliver legal and social services to people and families who want to put down roots in the U.S. — and cultivate welcoming communities that uphold our collective freedoms.
Our Values: Integrity, Agility, Community, Compassion, Wellness
Our North Star: We will evolve to become One RAICES: returning to our roots as a humanitarian aid organization in service to our immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking community members. RAICES will transform from a reactive agency to a permanent, self-sustaining institution that no political administration can dismantle.
Strategic Goals
Financial Sovereignty: We will replace contract and grant dependency with sustained and scaled philanthropic revenue, as well as earned revenue from shared-cost subsidized services under Removal and Community Integration Services (RCIS).
Operational Endurance: We will build the infrastructure to survive recent and prospective funding reductions.
Strategic Alliances: We will strengthen and expand strategic internal and external alliances that amplify our reach beyond our headcount, leveraging partnerships to provide holistic client support (housing, health, employment) that we cannot provide alone, while uniting with national partners to amplify our advocacy voice.
The Leadership Architecture: The Co-CEO Advantage
To execute this ambitious pivot without breaking the organization, we are deploying a Co-CEO Model. This is not a redundancy; it is a force multiplier. It allows RAICES to wage this battle on two simultaneous fronts. We are both leading the fight, but on different terrain.
Division of Labor (Specialization)
Faisal Al-Juburi (Co-CEO: Impact and Influence)
Mandate: "Leading the External Fight: Resources and Influence."
Oversight: External Affairs (Fundraising, Donor Management, Partnerships, Advocacy, Communications) and the Legal Directorate (Litigation and Asylum Access Services).
The Why: Faisal commands the external battlefield—marshaling the philanthropic capital (Pillar 1) and directing the high-impact litigation and advocacy (Pillar 3) that challenges systemic injustice. He ensures the "Intelligence" from Asylum Access Services translates directly into public pressure and policy change.
Anna L. Flores (Co-CEO: Operations and Sustainability)
Mandate: "Leading the Internal Fight: Sovereignty and Execution."
Oversight: Support Services (HR, IT, Finance, Front Office, Facilities), Removal and Community Integration Services (RCIS), and Refugee Services.
The Why: Anna commands the internal fortress. She leads the fight by ensuring RAICES is operationally unbreakable. She drives the strategy that converts legal skills into sustainable revenue (RCIS revenue growth), manages the critical transition of Refugee Services, and ensures our infrastructure is robust enough to withstand external attacks. She ensures RAICES is not just surviving, but thriving by design.
The Unified Command Protocol (Collaboration)
We reject the "Two Silos" risk. To ensure alignment, the Co-CEOs adhere to strict governance protocols:
Group Decision Making: Leadership (Co-CEOs + Refugee Services Director + RCIS Legal Director + Public Affairs Director) functions as the primary decision-making body. We debate vigorously but execute as one.
Joint Approval Mandate: Key organizational instruments require dual Co-CEO approval before execution. These include: Annual Strategic Priorities; Organization-Wide Budget; Litigation Risk Matrix decisions ("Go/No-Go" on major lawsuits); Federal Contracting Decisions (Pillar 5); Reserve Drawdown Requests.
The "Deadlock" Protocol: In the rare event Leadership cannot align on a critical strategic decision (e.g., accepting a controversial federal contract), we will employ a mediation and decision-making protocol without delay.
The "Intelligence Bridge": We operationalize the link between Internal Operations and External Advocacy via Weekly Strategic Syncs. Operations feeds Advocacy; Advocacy protects Operations.
Environmental Context: Threats and Opportunities
External Threats
Hostile Administration: Executive orders, changing policies, and aggressive enforcement (ICE at homes/workplaces) create a climate of fear that may deter clients from seeking legal relief, even if they have the funds, and necessitate RAICES’ continued agility.
Refugee Ceiling Collapse: The FY2026 refugee admissions ceiling is at historic lows (7,500), threatening the long-term viability of the federal per-capita grant model.
Enforcement Chokepoints: We must contend with delays in Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) limiting client pathways to self-sufficiency, changing timelines for completing client services, changes in law and/or the practical application of law, increased detention rates, and litigation impacting services.
Privatization of Services: The administration has awarded new contracts to for-profit entities, altering the landscape for non-profit subcontractors.
Security Risks: We must guard against the risk of cyber-attacks on client data, access to client data by and between government entities, and physical threats to staff/offices from anti-immigrant actors.
Internal Weaknesses (Areas for Fortification)
Change Fatigue: Staff have endured significant turnover and restructuring, including changed processes based upon funder and federal policy changes. New initiatives may be met with skepticism or exhaustion and mitigate success in staff retention and acquisition.
Tech Utilization: While technology exists, inconsistent adoption and enforcement of data entry protocols hamper decision-making.
Siloed Culture: Departments historically operating independently ("My Way") creates friction for integrated service delivery ("Our Way").
Internal Strengths and Opportunities
Fundraising Growth: A near-40% increase in fundraising revenue between FY2024 and FY2025 demonstrates that donors are energized by the fight for immigrant rights, and we anticipate sustained strength based upon initial FY2026 fundraising performance paired with strategic fundraising operations investments.
The "Fortress" Reserve: $40M+ in reserves provides a massive strategic buffer. We have the time to pivot without immediate shutdowns or layoffs.
Staff Stability: We do not anticipate staff reductions unless revenue decreases by more than 5%. In that event, any staffing adjustments would be grounded in financial discipline and caseload analysis, ensuring thoughtful, data-informed decision-making.
RCIS Revenue Potential: The newly launched shared-cost, subsidized services model presents a significant opportunity for unrestricted revenue growth.
Pillar 1: Financial Sovereignty and Program Sustainability
Owner: RCIS Legal Director (Revenue/Intelligence), Refugee Services Director (Sustainability), Litigation/Asylum Access Services Legal Director (Investment/Intelligence)
Objective: Create a closed-loop financial system where RCIS generates unrestricted capital thereby releasing unrestricted capital to be redirected to Refugee Services, while RCIS and Asylum Access Services provide the strategic intelligence to focus high-impact Litigation.
Core Value Integration:
Agility: We proactively adapt our revenue model to remain resilient amid a changing federal policy and funding environment.
Integrity: We track time not to micromanage staff, but to account for the cost of our services with precision.
Compassion: We implement protocols to ensure financial discipline never overrides our duty to clients in the crosshairs of federal malfeasance.
Component A: The RCIS Growth Engine (Revenue and Intelligence)
Status:Active and Operational. The RCIS department has built a new shared-coast, subsidized services program, conducted comprehensive staff training, and implemented the new fee schedule as of January 2026.
The 60/40 Future Trajectory: Target 15% year-over-year growth in revenue, aiming for 60% coverage of direct costs by fees, with 40% covered by fundraising after a period of three years.
The Intelligence Function: RCIS is not just a revenue generator; it is a sensor network.
Mandate: RCIS staff must flag "Bureaucratic Violence"—systemic delays in USCIS processing, new patterns of Request for Evidence (RFE) denials, or silent policy changes that block status adjustment. These patterns must be fed to Leadership and Litigation immediately.
Key Objectives: Execute the newly implemented payment plan policies; monitor the "Total Billable Hours" capacity against actuals.
KPIs:
Leading: Inquiry Volume, Consult-to-Retainer Conversion Rate.
Lagging: Realization Rate (Billed/Worked), Collection Rate (Collected/Billed).
Reporting: Cost Per Billable Staff, Billable Realization Rate.
Component B: Refugee Services Optimization (Sustainability)
The "Spend Down" Phase: Current Refugee Services spending is supported by prior allocations for clients already approved and in the U.S. We must fulfill this "spend down" by September 30, 2026, the end of the federal government fiscal year.
Potential October 2026 Funding Reduction: We anticipate a reduction in new federal funding starting October 1, 2026.
Strategic Evaluation: Refugee Services Director will assess which services, inclusive of staffing structures and core competencies, are impactful enough to warrant unrestricted funding subsidy once the federal "spend down" is complete.
KPIs:
Grant Funding Utilization Rate: Real-time tracking to ensure we fully use allocated funds before expiration.
180-Day Self-Sufficiency Rate: The "North Star" metric for program viability, indicating the number of service recipients who reach self sufficiency within six months of service initiation.
Caseload Efficiency Ratio: Active Cases per Case Manager, acknowledging the difference in caseload capacities based upon programming scope.
Component C: Asylum Access Services — Impact and Intelligence
Objective: Transform Removal Defense from a volume-based service into a strategic intelligence engine.
Strategic Trend Identification (The "Intelligence Loop"):
Mandate: Identify patterns of injustice that specifically align with the Litigation Focus (Component C). Staff must screen trends against these priorities (Access to Asylum, Detention Conditions, Language Access, Bureaucratic Obstruction, Enforcement Defense).
Execution: Asylum Access Services Leadership meets monthly with Litigation Leadership to transfer "Intel" on these specific court trends.
Effectiveness Metric (KPI): Intelligence Yield, based upon service recipient advocacy consent rates
Component D: Litigation Strategic Governance (The Investment Protocol)
Objective: Ensure unrestricted and prospective restricted funds are invested only in litigation that offers high strategic value or mission necessity.
Defining the Litigation Focus (Intake Criteria): Currently defined priorities include:
Access to Asylum: Challenging systemic barriers to asylum rights (e.g. turn-backs, courthouse arrests).
Detention Conditions: Litigation regarding inhumane treatment, medical neglect, or prolonged detention without due process.
Language Access: Ensuring clients have translation and interpretation services during critical legal proceedings.
The "Mission Loss Leader" Protocol: Our plan explicitly acknowledges that some cases are Mission Loss Leaders—high cost, low financial return, but critical to the soul of RAICES.
Constraint: These cases must be identified upfront in the Matrix. We will fund them, but we will not be surprised by their cost.
Effectiveness Metric (KPI): Liberty Rate, based upon detention releases resulting from habeas-related actions
Pillar 2: Cultural Reformation ("We > Me")
Owner: Leadership
Objective: Eradicate the "silo mentality" by operationalizing our Core Values.
Core Value Integration:
Community: Moving from "My Way" to "Our Way." Success is collective, not individual.
Integrity: Accountability isn't punitive; it's keeping our promises to our clients and each other.
Compassion: Leaders provide clear expectations ("The Professor Model") because ambiguity creates anxiety.
The "One RAICES" Knowledge Exchange (Community)
The Gap: The Legal Services Department has historically been the majority of our headcount, leading to a cultural bias where staff view RAICES as purely a "Legal Service Provider." This ignores our history and our mandate. The siloed nature of services has also limited Refugee Services’ own exposure to and understanding of RAICES’ legal services.
The Action: An organization-wide education campaign. This includes mandatory "Lunch and Learn" sessions and cross-departmental shadowing opportunities where relevant and appropriate.
Objective: Every staff member, regardless of department, must be able to articulate the specific program services we provide across departments and how they support the mission. We are a holistic human rights organization, not just a law firm.
Fortifying the Institution (Safety and Security)
The Reality: We operate in a hostile environment.
Action: We have conducted live "ICE Response Trainings" at every site and continue to harden our physical and digital infrastructure to ensure staff feel safe coming to work.
Mandate: Security is everyone's job. Adherence to safety protocols is a condition of employment.
The Shift: Moving from individualistic ("My Way") to community ("Our Way").
The "Subjective Review" Component (Integrity)
Policy: KPIs tell only half the story. We will introduce a Subjective Evaluation component to performance reviews.
Criteria: Managers will evaluate "Cultural Contribution"—how well does the employee mentor others, share knowledge, and model "We > Me"? High KPI performers who are toxic to the culture will receive the requisite performance improvement coaching and be evaluated accordingly.
Stretch Goal: The "Professor Model" (Compassion and Community)
Syllabus: Directors provide written, transparent roadmaps for the year.
Office Hours: Leaders dedicate time for coaching and strategy, not just crisis response.
Connection: This reduces anxiety and builds trust by making the "rules of the game" clear to everyone.
KPI: Employee Engagement Score (eNPS)
April 2026: +55 (scale: -100 to +100)
Pillar 3: Programmatic Synthesis and Advocacy
Owner: External Affairs
Objective: Evolve from a "legal agency" into a comprehensive U.S. humanitarian immigration advocacy power.
Core Value Integration:
Agility: We don't wait for annual reports; local case data informs national advocacy now.
Community: We break down the wall between "Direct Services" and "Advocacy."
Wellness: We invest in our staff's growth so they feel competent and supported in a changing landscape.
Micro Informs Macro (Agility): On-the-ground case learnings immediately inform External Affairs strategies.
Rapid Response Synthesis (Community): A mechanism to synthesize wins across the organization routinely.
Reporting: Individual legal files are transformed into advocacy tools by identifying systemic patterns, agency trends, and recurring humanitarian hardships, informing policy advocacy, media influence, and strategic community partnerships
Pillar 4: Talent Optimization
Owner: Leadership
Objective: Identify, elevate, and retain high-performers while building a resilient workforce.
Core Value Integration:
Agility: A Learning Organization adapts faster than its opponents.
Wellness: We operationalize rest and connection, not just productivity.
Compassion: We train managers to handle the people side of the work, not just the technical side.
Integrity: We are honest about performance gaps and transparent about promotion paths.
Becoming a Learning Organization (Agility)
Mandate: We modify behaviors to meet the moment. We are not static; we evolve based on data and outcomes.
Action: Implement regular "After Action Reviews" (AARs) for major cases/projects (wins AND losses) to institutionalize lessons learned and shift from a culture of "blame" to a culture of "curiosity."
Mandate: We will enforce the use of budgeted Professional Development allowances.
The "Return on Education": Staff must use funds to attend external conferences/CLEs and present "Key Learnings" upon return with standardized opportunities and frameworks to document these learnings. This expands the impact of RAICES’ Professional Development investments and ensures the organization stays Agile by importing outside knowledge.
Managerial Capacity Building (Compassion)
Mandate: Mandatory Management Certification Track for all supervisors.
Focus: Training on conflict resolution, workload balancing, and "compassionate accountability."
Wellness and Team Activities (Wellness and Community)
Action: Fund structured team retreats focused on connection, utilizing the "Wellness" principle.
Objective: Activities must facilitate genuine human connection, not just "forced fun," to repair the social fabric post-COVID.
Succession-Planning: Provide opportunities for highly-qualified and capable staff to inform innovation.
Pillar 5: Federal Opportunity Evaluation
Owner: Leadership
Objective: Evaluate potential federal grants and contracts (including subcontracts from for-profit entities) to determine strategic fit, ethical alignment, and litigation impact.
Core Value Integration:
Integrity: We will not compromise our ethical obligations for revenue.
Agility: We will evaluate opportunities quickly, and through a rigorous ethical framework.
Community: We protect our clients' data as if it were our own.
Evaluation Protocol (The "Go/No-Go" Framework)
Before pursuing or accepting any federal contract or subcontract, the Leadership Team must conduct an organization-wide evaluation addressing three critical questions, centering “Red Lines” for working with this administration:
Strategic Alignment: Do we want to contract with this administration?
Litigation Impact Analysis: What is the impact on existing and future litigation? (e.g., Conflicts of interest).
Data Sovereignty (Non-Negotiables): What terms are non-negotiable regarding client data?
