How a leading humanitarian organization migrated seven countries from using TaroWorks to CommCare, cutting project launch times from weeks to days
About GiveDirectly’s Mission
GiveDirectly is one of the world’s leading cash transfer organizations, pioneering unconditional cash assistance for people living in poverty. Operating across multiple countries with large field teams, GiveDirectly relies on technology that is secure, adaptable, and able to support high-volume, integrity-critical workflows.
The Challenge: Outgrowing a Lightweight System
As GiveDirectly scaled programs across communities and countries, they ran up against the limits of their previous data collection tool, TaroWorks. Without an easy way to create a reusable library of questions, teams built new forms by copying older versions. This carried forward outdated patterns rather than embedding best practices into each new build. Copying and heavily editing older forms was time-consuming, and without standardization across projects, the same questions were often asked in different ways, making downstream data analytics messy.
The Solution: A Supported Migration to a More Flexible Architecture
GiveDirectly adopted CommCare as its global standard because it could support both scale and complexity while accelerating project delivery. Success came from two key drivers; a flexible platform and a deeply collaborative migration process, delivered through four critical areas:
1. A Partnership That Reduced Migration Risk
The CommCare team worked closely with GiveDirectly to align the CommCare system to their operational model.
“We were looking for a new tool with good support from the product team. They gave us a lot of confidence that this is a very strong engineering team, and they’re available to provide support.”
“Given that we work with cash transfers, we’ve set up very granular permission structures. The onboarding calls helped us figure out how we could meet our permission standards within the CommCare ecosystem.”
— Nikhil Swaminathan, Technical Program Manager at GiveDirectly
2. From Manual Rebuilds to a Rapid Reuse
CommCare introduced a far more streamlined way for GiveDirectly to build and adapt their forms.
“One of the biggest benefits is how CommCare allows us to streamline workflows by easily copying and reusing content across forms. Previously, we had to do this more manually, which limited our ability to unlock learnings across projects.”
— Stella Luk, VP of Programs at GiveDirectly
3. Uninterrupted Workflows with Seamless Integration
With TaroWorks, a form submission error could abruptly halt work in the field. With CommCare, submissions always go through, and any issues are routed directly to the tech team, so field staff can keep working without interruption. CommCare’s robust and flexible architecture also strengthens GiveDirectly’s internal processes.
“Secure API integrations are a huge win for our tech team, allowing us to seamlessly and securely connect CommCare with our many internal systems. These capabilities make CommCare a powerful tool for scaling our impact.”
— Stella Luk, VP of Programs at GiveDirectly
4. Field Reliability and Speed
Cash transfer programs require rigorous data verification, including capturing GPS coordinates to verify enrollment locations. While this is a standard anti-fraud measure, the reliability of the tool capturing that data is where CommCare shines. GiveDirectly found that CommCare was significantly faster and more stable in remote areas, removing the friction field officers faced with their previous tool.
“Our field officers are really loving CommCare because it’s a lot more of a seamless process for them. The time it takes to sync with the server is a lot less than what it used to take.”
— Nikhil Swaminathan, Technical Program Manager at GiveDirectly
The Results: Operational Efficiency at Scale
Launch Times Cut from Weeks to Days
By replacing manual rebuilds with a reusable component library, GiveDirectly now launches new surveys in days instead of weeks. This speed is exactly why organizations outgrowing simpler tools choose CommCare – it supports more advanced workflows without increasing effort.
Impact Across Teams
- Field Teams
Faster syncs, fewer interruptions in the field, and smoother performance in low-connectivity areas. - Tech Teams
Less time rebuilding or troubleshooting. More time improving systems and integrations. - MERL Teams
Standardized question sets and logic improve consistency across evaluations and projects. - Program Teams
New interventions launch quickly with minimal operational friction.
Thinking About a Transition from TaroWorks or Similar Tools?
Many organizations using simpler tools like TaroWorks, ODK, SurveyCTO, or Kobo Toolbox eventually face the same inflection point GiveDirectly did: growing program complexity, more demanding data flows, and increasing pressure to launch faster.
Drawing on GiveDirectly’s migration experience, we’ve created a practical guide to support organizations considering a similar move. Check out the TaroWorks to CommCare Transition Guide.If your programs are expanding and your tools aren’t keeping up, it may be time to explore a platform built for scale. To understand what that transition to CommCare could look like, reach out to our team.
