Project Overview
Who
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is one of the oldest and most respected environmental law and policy organizations in America. Since 1969, ELI has trained judges and legal practitioners, published original research, and helped leaders across sectors and borders turn environmental policy into practical, workable law.
Their flagship publication, the Environmental Law Reporter (ELR), has been a trusted resource in the field since 1971. Through initiatives like the Climate Judiciary Project, ELI has trained thousands of state and federal judges on climate science and law — work that shapes how environmental cases are understood and decided across the country.
What
- What Drupal 8-to-10 upgrade (two platforms)
- CRM migration: CiviCRM to Salesforce
- Ongoing Drupal maintenance and security support
- Custom portal and tool development
- Accessibility and mobile-responsiveness improvements
- Staff training and enablement
Results at a Glance
For years, Cheeky Monkey Media has partnered with the Environmental Law Institute to make sure the organization maintains a strong digital presence. We help them keep two Drupal websites secure, up to date, and genuinely useful — not just for visitors but also for the small internal team keeping everything running behind the scenes. Along the way, we’ve helped ELI move from reactive patchwork support to a modernized, more reliable digital foundation.
Stabilized ELI and ELR from Drupal 8 to Drupal 10
Migrated ELI off a legacy CRM and onto Salesforce
Built the Digital Consultation Hub, a first-of-its-kind resource
Launched the ELI Pro Bono Clearinghouse
The Challenge
Aging Infrastructure Was Starting to Show
Both of ELI's Drupal sites grew along with their mission, but the underlying infrastructure wasn’t keeping pace. Without consistent updates, security and performance risks were building in the background.
Limited Effectiveness Because of a Legacy CRM
ELI was running CiviCRM, a system that was limiting how efficiently the team could manage memberships, donors, and reporting. The data was there, but getting useful insight out of it took more manual effort than it should have.
Staff Needed to Feel Confident Managing the Site
ELI's team includes staff, clerks, and interns. Not full-time developers. They needed to be able to make everyday content updates themselves, without waiting on outside help for routine changes.
New Features Couldn't Come at the Cost of the Site's Integrity
ELI kept identifying real opportunities, including new portals, resource hubs, and tools that could extend its mission's reach. But every new feature needed to fit cleanly into the existing site, without compromising its design, structure, or day-to-day stability.
The Need for Accessibility and Mobile-Friendliness
Since more of ELI's audience accessed both sites from phones and relied on assistive technology, accessibility and mobile responsiveness became long-term priorities. These considerations needed to be integrated right from the start and couldn’t just be one-time fixes.
HOW WE WORKED
Our Process
Getting to Know ELI's Systems
We start every long-term partnership by exploring what's already there. We quickly got familiar with ELI's existing Drupal setup, hosting environment, and internal workflows. Then our experienced Drupal team collaborated with their internal webmaster so we could troubleshoot issues together instead of working in a silo.
Scoping Each New Initiative Together
As ELI's needs evolved, we worked with their team to figure out what mattered most and where to focus next, whether that meant a platform upgrade, a CRM migration, or a brand-new tool like the Digital Consultation Hub. Each initiative got scoped around ELI's real priorities and budget, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Building, Testing & Reviewing
Everything we built was done in close collaboration with ELI's team. Our approach included regular check-ins, functional testing, and accessibility and usability reviews at every stage. We made sure everything we shipped held up after it went live.
Launching & Training the Team
Once a project was ready, we didn't just hand it off. We rolled out updates and new tools carefully, then ran hands-on training sessions so that every ELI team member could confidently manage things themselves going forward.
Audit & Prioritization
We identified and prioritized key improvements across the front-end and back-end of the Drupal website, including module needs, code improvements, UX issues, and upgrade considerations.
Execution of Priorities
Get key improvements for the websites live, including fixing UI/UX issues, refining design elements, and etc.
Research & Testing
We investigated module upgrade paths, researched solutions for non-compatible upgrades, reviewed custom integrations, and completed extensive testing at each phase of the Drupal 10 upgrade process.
Ongoing Strategy
We implemented a structured monthly maintenance cycle to support proactive upkeep, ongoing security, website stability, and continuous improvements.
WHAT WE DID
From Aging Infrastructure to a Website That Works as Hard as ELI Does
Kept Two Drupal Sites Secure and Current
We handled regular Drupal core and module updates to keep both ELI and ELR websites secure, stable, and performing well. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s absolutely essential to keep a website from falling behind.
As part of these responsibilities, we migrated ELI and ELR from Drupal 8 to Drupal 10, providing both platforms with continued long-term support, faster performance, and a stronger foundation for whatever ELI builds next.
Migrated ELI to Salesforce
We guided ELI through a full migration from CiviCRM to Salesforce, unifying membership management, donor tracking, and payment processing within a single system. That meant a more seamless flow of data between Drupal and Salesforce, better reporting, and less manual administrative work for the team.
Improved Accessibility and Mobile Experience
As part of the upgrade process, we refined both sites to improve mobile-friendliness and WCAG accessibility compliance. We needed to ensure the platforms were more usable for every visitor, regardless of how they access them.
Feature Development: Digital Consultation Hub
Partnering with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), we designed and developed a new section of the ELI site dedicated to Tribal consultation policy. The Hub:
- Helps Tribal, state, and local policymakers implement more effective consultation practices
- Provides easy access to a growing library of policies, tools, and guides
- Supports collaboration, transparency, and knowledge-sharing between governments and Indigenous communities
Feature Development: Pro Bono Clearinghouse
We built a secure micro-portal within ELI’s existing website to replace a manual, informal process for connecting environmental attorneys with communities in need of legal representation. The work included:
- An intuitive submission form for environmental law clinics to post matters directly
- A custom landing page that fits ELI’s brand while giving the Clearinghouse its own distinct visual identity
- Controlled access so only vetted attorneys can view sensitive case details, while keeping the portal publicly transparent
The result freed up staff time and turned a slow, manual process into something law clinics and attorneys can navigate on their own.
Project Outcomes
What started as routine Drupal maintenance has grown into a long-term digital partnership. ELI now has a modernized, more stable web ecosystem — one that supports their day-to-day operations and extends their mission through purpose-built tools like the Digital Consultation Hub and Pro Bono Clearinghouse.
Quantitative Results
- 2 major Drupal platforms upgraded and stabilized (ELI and ELR)
- 1 CRM migration completed (CiviCRM to Salesforce)
- 2 custom tools launched (Digital Consultation Hub, Pro Bono Clearinghouse)
Quantitative Results
- WCAG accessibility compliance achieved across both sites
- More confident, self-sufficient internal team
- Reduced administrative effort through unified CRM data
- Expanded reach and impact through new digital tools
- A digital foundation built to support ELI's mission long-term
Modern Systems, Built for Mission-Driven Work
Organizations doing complex, mission-driven work need digital tools that can keep up without adding more to their plate. Through real collaboration, thoughtful upgrades, and tools built around what ELI actually needed, the team now has a digital foundation that’s secure, modern, and easier to manage. And they didn’t need to lose any of the systems, data, or day-to-day workflows their team already relied on.
Go From Constant Upkeep to Confident Growth
Maintenance rarely gets the credit it deserves. After all, nobody throws a launch party for a Drupal update or a security patch. But skip enough of the upkeep tasks, and everything else your organization has built starts to feel a little shakier.
For over 18 years, we’ve helped organizations like ELI make maintenance part of the plan, not an emergency. If your website’s support and maintenance strategy has been sitting on the back burner, we’d love to help you change that.