Scattered across LinkedIn, Facebook, and spreadsheets

Before ToucanTech, the GHHM team had no formal system for staying connected with its graduates. Alumni activity was scattered across LinkedIn, Facebook, and spreadsheets, and there was no way to track the long-term career impact of the course, which is a key measure of its mission.

The team wanted an alumni network that could:

• Keep doctors connected and learning from each other after the course ends
• Provide access to professional development resources
• Open up career mobility through a jobs and opportunities board
• Strengthen the connection between graduates and MSF, supporting recruitment
• Underpin a monitoring and evaluation framework to track long-term career outcomes

Using ToucanTech as a real CRM behind the community

When evaluating providers, the team prioritised platforms offering integrated, bespoke CRM capabilities rather than standalone community tools. ToucanTech stood out for its proactive engagement from the first conversation, including genuine enthusiasm for MSF's mission, and its flexibility in working within a charity's budget.

Winning back a decade of lost alumni

The team described a positive onboarding experience, with account managers who quickly understood the organisation's goals. The platform's design flexibility meant the network could match existing MSF and GHHM branding, giving alumni a familiar, trusted space from day one.

Re-engaging a decade's worth of graduates, many of whom had not been in contact since finishing the course, was the biggest launch challenge. Despite this, nearly 50% of the all-time cohort has signed up, with more than 600 records now held in the CRM.

Letting the data lead with careers, events, and alumni spotlights

The team uses ToucanTech's click and engagement data to help shape its content strategy. When the numbers showed alumni engaging most with career opportunities and event information, rather than general global health news, the team shifted focus accordingly.

Alumni spotlights, where graduates share their own stories, have generated some of the highest engagement and most positive feedback on the platform. Alongside the news feed, events, and jobs board, a resource library helps to support ongoing professional development.

Three time zones, 60 volunteers and one platform

The GHHM programme is run by a small paid team distributed across the UK, South Asia, and Sri Lanka, who are supported by around 60 volunteer moderators, all former students, who facilitate peer learning and keep the community active. A central platform makes this distributed model manageable, with one shared view of every alumni relationship.

What's next for GHHM

The team's plans for the network include:

• Introducing the alumni network at the start of the course, setting expectations early so students arrive as engaged alumni
• Bringing lecturer data into the CRM to keep a full history of communications with the course's small teaching faculty
• Launching mentoring and interest groups, including a potential dedicated space for women doctors to help address gender balance in course applications
• Using surveys to gather ongoing data on alumni activity and needs