CRM CASE STUDY
A CRM for Non Profits
How RMI Streamlined HR Processes and Enhanced Candidate Experience with monday.com
Meet RMI: Scaling Operations and Enhancing Efficiency with monday.com
RMI, an independent non-profit organization founded in 1982, is dedicated to transforming global energy systems. With a mission to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all, RMI operates in critical geographies around the world. The organization engages with businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
RMI’s growth and ambitious goals necessitated the expansion of its workforce and operations. As the organization scaled, it faced significant challenges in managing processes efficiently. The adoption of a “remote-ready workforce” policy, which allowed employees to work from anywhere globally, further complicated internal alignment and operational workflows. This case study explores how RMI tackled these challenges by implementing monday.com, a versatile work operating system, to streamline processes and enhance collaboration across teams.
The Challenge
As RMI grew, its workforce expanded rapidly, and so did the complexity of its operations. The organization’s decentralized approach to tools and processes led to inefficiencies and misalignment across teams. Kevin Gauthier, RMI’s Technical Project Manager, explained the situation: “There was no standard system in place. People used whatever tool they thought was convenient. It kind of spiraled out of control.”
One of the areas most affected by this lack of standardization was RMI’s People Team, responsible for managing recruitment and onboarding. The team struggled with tracking interview processes, relying on multiple spreadsheets and email threads to coordinate hiring efforts. “We would need to check four different spreadsheets and keep creating new ones for new batches of candidates,” recalled Jafet Nieves, Senior Recruiting Specialist. This fragmented approach resulted in lost emails, manual work, and delays in hiring processes.
The inefficiencies didn’t stop there. Once a candidate was hired, the People Operations Team faced additional challenges in ensuring a smooth transition. Chris Morris, People Operations Manager, described the situation: “There was just a hope that everything would come together at the right time for this person. But obviously, that didn’t happen.”
The Solution: Implementing monday.com
RMI’s journey to streamline its operations began with the Communications and Marketing Department, which was the first to adopt monday.com. The platform’s ability to organize and manage approximately 1,000 projects annually caught the attention of Kevin Gauthier, who recognized its potential for the entire organization.
After evaluating various software options, Kevin and his team decided to implement monday.com across all departments. They started with three project management templates to help employees manage their time, optimize efforts, and delegate work more effectively. As departments began using the platform, they customized it to suit their unique needs, evolving from standard project boards to more agile and specialized workflows.
The People Team, in particular, benefited from the flexibility of monday.com, building out their processes on the platform at a critical time. With RMI’s workforce expected to reach 1,000 employees by 2024, the team needed a centralized system to manage recruitment, onboarding, and employee transitions efficiently.
Streamlining Candidate Tracking and Recruitment
One of the key improvements introduced by monday.com was the centralization of candidate information. The platform allowed the People Team to track candidates’ progress through the recruitment process, from interviews to hiring, all in one place. “monday.com has really been a huge help in retooling our candidate tracking process,” said Jafet Nieves. The transparent candidate tracker enabled teams to access live-updated information, reducing the need for back-and-forth communication and manual updates.
The recruitment process also became more efficient with the introduction of smart interview coordination requests. RMI’s HR processes now begin with a streamlined interview request experience, allowing hiring teams to submit candidate information and requests through a form on monday.com. This transparency and organization have been crucial as RMI scales its hiring efforts.
Jafet highlighted the impact of this new system: “The form has created a much more efficient process because it really decreases the back and forth. From the start, we get all the information we need.”
Enhancing Candidate Experience
In addition to improving internal processes, monday.com also enabled RMI to provide a better experience for candidates. With automated email templates and communication tracking, the People Team could send timely and accurate information to candidates, reducing the time it took to coordinate interviews and send updates.
Jafet noted the positive feedback from candidates: “We’ve definitely gotten really positive feedback from candidates about how organized our process is.”
Collaborating Across Teams
monday.com’s versatility extended beyond the People Team, allowing other departments to collaborate effectively while maintaining their own processes. The platform’s customization options made it possible for each team to tailor their workflows to their specific needs while still benefiting from the transparency and efficiency that monday.com provided.
“The one thing about monday.com that really appealed to the team is how customizable it is to each and every team,” Jafet said. This flexibility enabled teams to understand and coordinate with each other’s work better, fostering a more collaborative environment across the organization.
Seamless Onboarding and IT Collaboration
Once a candidate was hired, monday.com continued to streamline the onboarding process. The People Team used the platform to ensure that all necessary tasks were completed, from IT setup to departmental coordination. With the onboarding tracker board, teams could access up-to-date candidate information, assign tasks, and monitor progress, ensuring a smooth transition for new hires.
Chris Morris emphasized the importance of automations within monday.com, particularly in reducing human error and ensuring that tasks were completed on time. The platform also facilitated collaboration with external IT vendors, who could add necessary information, such as tracking numbers and login credentials, directly into monday.com.
“This has drastically helped our IT team,” Chris said. “It’s a lot more organized, there’s a lot more consistency, and everyone’s really enjoying the new process.”
Data-Driven Decision-Making and Reporting
RMI’s commitment to data-driven decision-making extended to its use of monday.com. The People Team utilized live-updated dashboards to track recruitment statistics, diversity metrics, and workforce representation. These dashboards allowed the team to generate reports for leadership quickly, providing valuable insights into the organization’s hiring efforts and progress toward its diversity goals.
Chris highlighted the alignment between RMI’s values and its approach to hiring: “We are a company that focuses heavily on equity, providing equitable decarbonization and electrification resources to countries like the Caribbean islands who are being affected by climate change first.”
Conclusion
By implementing monday.com, RMI successfully addressed the challenges that came with its rapid growth and remote workforce. The platform enabled the organization to streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and improve efficiency across teams. As RMI continues to scale its operations and workforce, monday.com remains a critical tool in achieving its mission of transforming global energy systems for a zero-carbon future.
“monday.com has allowed us to work a lot more efficiently, collaboratively, and transparently.” Chris Morris – People Operations Manager – RMI