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Partnering for Environmental Impact

The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and its affiliated publication, the Environmental Law Reporter (ELR), are leading voices in advancing environmental law and policy. Their mission is to strengthen environmental protection through education, research, and collaboration, extending across the United States and beyond.

Cheeky Monkey Media has been a long-term digital partner to ELI, supporting their Drupal websites through ongoing maintenance, major upgrades, CRM integration, and the development of new tools that help expand access to environmental justice.

The Challenge

Over time, ELI’s web ecosystem required modernization and stability improvements to keep up with their evolving mission and audience.

They were facing:

• Aging Drupal infrastructure that needed ongoing maintenance for security and performance.
  
  
• A legacy CRM system (CiviCRM) that limited efficiency and reporting.
  
  
• A need for better internal training so their team could confidently manage content and updates.
  
  
• Requests for new functionality, such as portals and resource hubs, without compromising the site’s design or structure.
  
  
• A long-term goal of making both ELI and ELR fully mobile-responsive and compliant with accessibility standards.

The Approach

Our partnership with ELI focuses on three key areas: continuous support, modernization, and meaningful feature development.

Ongoing Support & Maintenance

We provide a steady foundation through:

• Regular Drupal core and module updates for stability, performance, and security.
  
  
• Enhancements and priority fixes to keep critical functionality running smoothly.
  
  
• Hands-on training sessions to empower staff, clerks, and interns to manage content confidently.
  
  
• Hosting assistance on Linode and direct collaboration with their internal webmaster to resolve technical challenges.
  
  

CRM Migration & Salesforce Integration

To streamline data management and future-proof internal systems, we guided ELI through a migration from CiviCRM to Salesforce. This brought membership management, donor tracking, and payment processing under one roof.

The result was a more seamless flow of data between Drupal and Salesforce, improving efficiency and reporting while reducing administrative effort.

Platform Upgrades & Accessibility

We helped ELI transition both their main and ELR sites from Drupal 8 to Drupal 10, ensuring continued support, faster performance, and a foundation ready for future growth.

As part of the process, our team refined both sites to improve mobile responsiveness and WCAG accessibility compliance, making the platforms more usable for every visitor.

Key Projects

Digital Consultation Hub

In partnership with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), we helped ELI design and develop the Digital Consultation Hub, a first-of-its-kind online repository of Tribal consultation policies and resources.

Built within the existing Drupal 9 environment, this new section:

• Enhances the capacity of Tribal, state, and local policymakers to implement effective consultation practices.
  
  
• Provides easy access to a growing library of policies, tools, and guides.
  
  
• Fosters collaboration, transparency, and knowledge sharing between governments and Indigenous communities.
  
  

The Hub demonstrates how thoughtful web design can support better governance and cultural respect.

ELI Pro Bono Clearinghouse

The Pro Bono Clearinghouse connects environmental attorneys with communities and organizations seeking free legal representation.

This project began with a clear, altruistic goal: to replace an informal, manual matchmaking process with a streamlined digital portal that expands access to environmental justice.

Our work included:

• Developing a secure, easy-to-use micro-portal within the existing ELI website.
  
  
• Creating an intuitive submission form for environmental law clinics to post matters directly.
  
  
• Designing a sophisticated landing page that fit seamlessly with the ELI brand while giving the Clearinghouse its own visual identity through layered color blocks and icons.
  
  
• Implementing controlled access that allows only vetted attorneys to view sensitive case details while maintaining public transparency.
  
  

The portal’s efficiency freed up staff time and made it easier for law clinics and attorneys to connect, turning a time-consuming process into a simple, accessible workflow.

The Impact

Our ongoing collaboration with ELI continues to strengthen their digital ecosystem. Together, we have:

• Upgraded and stabilized two major Drupal platforms (ELI and ELR).
  
  
• Integrated Salesforce to modernize data management and reporting.
  
  
• Enhanced features and site stability and security
  
  
• Launched innovative tools such as the Digital Consultation Hub and the Pro Bono Clearinghouse that extend ELI’s mission and impact.
  
  

By combining technical expertise with purpose-driven design, Cheeky Monkey Media has helped ELI build a stronger, more connected foundation for their vital environmental work.