The Client
Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY) is a nonprofit organization that provides a home away from home for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. One of the largest Ronald McDonald Houses in the world, RMH-NY offers free or low-cost accommodations, meals, and support services to families during some of the most difficult periods of their lives, allowing them to stay close to their child throughout treatment.
The Situation
The Ronald McDonald House New York wanted to centralize its digital asset library into a single, secure repository to improve operational efficiency, governance, and compliance. By consolidating previously fragmented systems, the organization aimed to reduce time spent searching for and recreating assets, streamline collaboration, and increase overall productivity across teams.
One key goal was to implement standardized workflows for asset intake, review, approval, and distribution—shortening turnaround times, minimizing duplication of effort, and ensuring brand consistency. Equally important was strengthening security and access governance within a HIPAA-aligned environment, enabling the organization to better manage sensitive materials such as consent forms and restricted documentation through controlled workflows and permission-based access controls. Together, these improvements were designed to reduce risk, enhance compliance, and create measurable time and cost efficiencies while supporting scalable growth.
The Challenge
To achieve its objectives, the organization first had to address several significant business and technology hurdles:
- Digital assets were decentralized across shared drives, personal folders, and legacy platforms, making discovery inefficient and increasing the risk of duplication and outdated usage.
- Inconsistent naming conventions and limited metadata further reduced searchability and reporting capabilities.
- Standardized approval and consent workflows were lacking, creating bottlenecks, governance risk, and inconsistent asset distribution practices.
- Existing security controls and access permissions were insufficient to meet the required standard, particularly for sensitive materials requiring tighter oversight.
- Successful implementation required thoughtful change management to drive organization-wide adoption, aligning teams around new processes, tools, and accountability to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.
The Solution
Throughout the project, Ronald McDonald House New York leveraged Acquia teams and resources to build and implement a successful DAM. The initial stages involved a close partnership with an Acquia Implementation Consultant to build and customize the DAM for the organization's unique needs. During this time and throughout the organization-wide implementation, Ronald McDonald House New York turned to Acquia Academy as a resource for overcoming any roadblocks or hurdles.
The Results
The project delivered measurable impact across efficiency, adoption, and risk reduction. As part of the transformation, the teams successfully consolidated 37,428 assets into a centralized repository, creating a single source of truth and significantly improving searchability and version control. Within the next month, Ronald McDonald House New York plans to complete an additional asset migration of ~86,000 assets into the DAM, bringing its total consolidation to more than 123,000 assets within the first year of implementation.
To drive adoption, Ronald McDonald House New York trained 39+ staff members on the new system and standardized workflows, accelerating organization-wide alignment and usage. From a governance perspective, the organization established 11 asset groups and 8 user roles to manage access and permissions, ensuring secure, need-based visibility—particularly for sensitive materials. Additionally, it developed 23 portals, creating a pathway for those without a DAM user account to access select assets, increasing the DAM’s reach without sacrificing security.
The organization also extended controlled access to four external vendors and partners, enabling seamless collaboration while maintaining compliance standards. Critically, the project eliminated reliance on decentralized storage and risk of unsecured file-sharing methods, substantially reducing compliance risk and strengthening overall data security posture.