Case Study
CGIAR System Organization
How We Became the Email Backbone for a 50,000-Person Global Nonprofit Network
Katherine Leitzel, Head of Marketing at CGIAR
“We needed more than a new tool—we needed a system, a partner, and a way to bring our global communications together. They helped us implement Campaign Studio, migrate from our old platforms, and create a structure that works for 19 different programs and a worldwide network. Email now feels organized, consistent, and aligned with our mission.”
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Location
Paris, France
Industry
Non Profit
Result
A coherent system for 19 programs and a 50,000-person ecosystem
Overview
CGIAR System Organization is a global research partnership addressing food security, climate resilience, and sustainable development, with a network of over 50,000 people worldwide.
Their global communications team needed a modern, unified, and scalable way to:
- Communicate with internal and external stakeholders
- Align 19 different research programs under consistent branding
- Run coordinated campaigns and newsletters across a distributed network of communications professionals
Over the past year, we became CGIAR’s direct email marketing and automation partner, rebuilding their email operations around Acquia Campaign Studio (formerly Mautic), and gradually replacing a fragmented tech stack that included Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Splash.
The Challenge
Before working with us, CGIAR’s communications were powerful in content—but limited by tools and fragmentation.
Key issues included:
- Multiple tools, no single source of truth
They were using Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Splash, and other tools in parallel, which increased complexity and made global coordination difficult.
- Disjointed experience across 19 programs
Each program had its own way of creating and sending emails, which led to inconsistencies in branding, layout, and quality.
- Complex tech for a distributed team
CGIAR’s communications network spans different centers, regions, and teams. Not everyone had the same level of technical expertise, and the tools in place weren’t always intuitive or unified.
- No streamlined marketing automation system
There was no single, scalable platform to handle campaigns, newsletters, segmentation, and reporting in a coherent, repeatable way.
CGIAR needed more than a one-off setup.
They needed an email and automation backbone that could support their entire global communications function.
What We Did
We approached CGIAR’s situation as a full architecture, migration, and enablement project, centered on Acquia Campaign Studio.
1. Implemented Acquia Campaign Studio as the Core Platform
We helped CGIAR adopt Acquia Campaign Studio as the primary marketing automation platform for their global communications. This included:
-Designing a platform structure that matches CGIAR’s organizational reality
-Setting up instances, configurations, and best-practice defaults
- Ensuring the platform could scale across programs and teams
2. Migrated from Salesforce Marketing Cloud & Splash
We executed a careful migration away from parts of their existing stack:
- Ported email templates and assets from Salesforce Marketing Cloud into Campaign Studio
- Recreated essential campaigns and journeys in the new environment
- Helped phase out email work previously handled through Splash and other legacy tools
- Verified that branding, links, tracking, and compliance worked correctly post-migration
This reduced complexity and concentrated email operations into a single, more flexible system.
3. Built Templates & Branding for 19 Global Programs
We developed a full library of reusable, on-brand email templates covering:
- System-wide newsletters
- Program-specific updates
- Event and webinar communications
- Announcements and campaign launches
Each of the 19 different programs received templates aligned with:
- CGIAR’s global brand
- Their own program identity
- Accessibility and readability standards
- Consistency across languages and regions where relevant
This allowed CGIAR’s communications professionals across the world to build emails quickly without sacrificing quality or brand integrity.
4. Set Up Users, Groups, and Permissions
Given the scale and distributed structure, governance and access were critical.
We:
- Created user roles and groups that reflect real-world responsibilities (global team, program teams, regional teams, etc.)
- Structured access so users see what they need—and nothing they don’t
- Provided guidelines to prevent accidental overlap, duplication, or configuration conflicts
- Helped the global communications team maintain control while empowering local teams
5. Campaign Creation, CRM Management & Newsletter Operations
We didn’t just implement the platform.
We became an extension of CGIAR’s communications team:
- Co-created email campaigns with the global communications team
- Managed contact segmentation and CRM logic inside Campaign Studio
- Built and scheduled newsletters for different audiences and regions
- Ensured campaigns aligned with strategic priorities and timelines
In practice, we functioned as CGIAR’s dedicated email marketing team, supporting both strategic initiatives and day-to-day execution.
6. Supported the Rollout and Adoption Across the Network
Technology is only as good as its adoption.
We:
- Helped roll out Campaign Studio as CGIAR’s primary marketing tool
- Worked with internal “customers” (centers, initiatives, and programs) to adapt the platform to their needs
- Provided support and guidance to communications professionals across the network
- Helped them transition from previous tools to a new, more unified way of working
The Solution (The System We Built)
The end result was not just a platform—but a full email operations framework for a global nonprofit.
CGIAR now has:
- Acquia Campaign Studio as its marketing automation core
- A unified template system for 19 programs
- A scalable user, group, and permissions model
- A consistent brand presence across all email communication
- A migration path away from Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Splash
- An embedded partner (us) acting as their email marketing engine
All of this supports a distributed global communications team communicating on behalf of a 50,000-person network.
The Results
While CGIAR’s work is mission-driven rather than purely commercial, the operational gains from this engagement are clear.
🌍 A Unified Email Ecosystem
Instead of juggling multiple tools and fragmented processes, CGIAR’s global
communications are now anchored in one system that:
- Handles campaigns, newsletters, and automations
- Works for both global and program-level needs
- Scales with new initiatives and audiences
🎨 Consistent, Professional Branding Across 19 Programs
The new templates and branding framework ensure that every email—whether from the central team or a specific program—feels:
- On-brand
- Professional
- Accessible
Recognizable as part of a single global organization
This consistency strengthens CGIAR’s identity and credibility with stakeholders.
🧩 Streamlined Operations for a Distributed Team
With structured users, groups, and permissions, communications professionals across CGIAR’s network can:
- Work more efficiently
- Avoid duplicating efforts
- Focus on messaging and strategy instead of fighting the tools
The global communications team gains oversight without micromanaging every send.
📊 Ongoing Data, Segmentation & Dashboards
Our work did not stop after implementation:
- For over a year, we have continued to help CGIAR with data analysis,
- Segmentation strategies,
- Dashboard creation, and
- New system designs to streamline how their data flows and how results are reported.
This allows CGIAR to:
- Understand performance at a program and system-wide level
- Make better decisions about outreach and engagement
- Continuously refine their communications strategy
Conclusion
For a global nonprofit like CGIAR, email is not just a channel—it’s a lifeline across continents, programs, funders, and partners.
They needed:
- A modern, unified marketing automation platform
- A coherent system for 19 programs and a 50,000-person ecosystem
- A partner to act as their email marketing team, not just a one-time vendor
By implementing Acquia Campaign Studio, migrating from legacy tools, building a robust template and user structure, and staying on as their ongoing email and data partner, we helped CGIAR transform email from a patchwork of tools into a central, strategic asset for global communication.
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