November 5, 2008

Dear MIRA Member,

This is a moment of tremendous changes in our interconnected world, our nation, and our communities. The financial crisis and the changes in Washington will impact all of us and our collaborative work in standing up for the rights and opportunities of immigrant families.

Here at MIRA, we are engaged not only in restructuring the organization, but also in re-examining and re-building the way we approach, design, and execute our work. As the new Executive Director, I am re-prioritizing MIRA’s work to more accurately reflect the needs of our membership and the constituents whom you represent.

To help us move towards a more member-driven organization, I respectfully ask for your time, consideration, and participation. Please take 30 minutes to share with me your organization’s needs and priorities. How can MIRA best reflect and serve your interests?

The following survey is divided into five distinct areas, each carefully designed to allow MIRA to best understand the specific concerns of your organization and your constituents. The entire survey is intended to address one central question: What priorities do we, united as a coalition, have the power to move?

I understand and appreciate the daunting demands on your time, but respectfully request that you complete this survey that will determine the course of our work for the coming year. Please know that it is important for all of us, as a coalition fighting for immigrant and refugee rights, to hear your voice, to understand your concerns and priorities, and have your full participation in establishing our legislative, administrative, and budget agenda for 2009. Please note that this survey is only the first step in our endeavor to better understand and engage our members. I am in the process of setting meetings with our members and hope to have a conversation with all of you soon. We also ask that you continually provide us with feedback so we can better serve the interests of our membership.

To serve you better, we have made this survey available to download online at: www.miracoaltion.org/your_priorities. Please email (ssekhavat@miracoalition.org), fax (617-350-5499) or mail your responses to Sarang Sekhavat by Wednesday November 19th.

Additionally, we will convene a conference call to provide another opportunity for participation in determining the coalition’s upcoming agenda. The conference call will be held on November 13th at 2:30 pm (Call in # 219-509-8222 code: 320465#). We will release the results of the survey after Thanksgiving and look forward to discussing the results with you.

I am very pleased to serve you and I appreciate your commitment to MIRA. Thank you for your active participation in the process to make MIRA a truly membership-driven coalition successful in enhancing the rights and opportunities of our immigrant communities.

Sincerely,

Eva A. Millona
Executive Director