I have no clue yet if an open source solution exists, but I’m just getting started volunteering with a local animal rescue, and they definitely need a better solution for records management.
Thanks! Looks interesting. Might be a bit awkward to fit the data types, but I’m definitely curious to play with it and see how it compares to the other ERPs I’ve experienced, which were also clunky, even with more typical business data.
I only just discovered this problem a few days ago, so I don’t really know yet. We definitely need to be able to track a number of details about the animals including source, outcome, medical records, etc. I think having a way to keep track of “employees” (we’re 100% volunteer run), “customers” (finders and adopters), and finances is also pretty important, and hopefully in a way that doesn’t require a lot of duplicate entries due to multiple fragmented systems.
There’s quite a few (mostly proprietary) systems out there specifically designed for shelters, so I suspect something like that might be the best option for the current issue, but looking at Odoo might be relevant to my professional development in general, as I was recently laid off, and hoping to pivot a bit from the general administrative work I had previously been doing.
It’s a shame that doesn’t exist yet. I was in your position for a horse charity 25 years ago and couldn’t find anything either. I ended up writing them such a system, which grew and grew. Sadly it was owned by them and replaced a couple of years ago.
Thank you! This particular issue is something that I only started to become aware of a few days ago, so I’m still trying to learn more before pushing for any big changes. I don’t know that self hosting is even the right solution for our group, so I’m glad to see that they also offer a hosted option, although the self hosted option seems like a great way for me to test it out.
I was curious so I took a closer look at Sheltermanager and, honestly, I’m very impressed. They have a free demo on their site so you can show it off to people and see if there’s any interest.
And agree, self-hosting doesn’t sound like it would suit them or you, but you asked in an opensource thread and that is nearly always self-hosted. SM looks quite fairly priced for a hosted solution.
Oh yeah, I’m very much aware of where I asked. Haha. I see an opportunity where I can at least advocate for the FOSS options, so I’m trying to learn what those are and how they compare to other solutions before I make any suggestions to the decision makers.
I was recently laid off, and have been wanting to explore some personal self hosting projects, plus I’m hoping to make a bit of a career pivot, so my interest is coming from a variety of motivations.
That’s their decision, but it’s very unlikely. Like much bespoke software that’s evolved over a long time, it was a pretty messy codebase, and also mostly in perl and was entirely written to their exact needs. It worked because of me, which was a curse because they were unable to find another person to support it after I left.
I have no clue yet if an open source solution exists, but I’m just getting started volunteering with a local animal rescue, and they definitely need a better solution for records management.
A more general business management application like Odoo could work?
Thanks! Looks interesting. Might be a bit awkward to fit the data types, but I’m definitely curious to play with it and see how it compares to the other ERPs I’ve experienced, which were also clunky, even with more typical business data.
Don’t use Odoo, you will end up having to pay for features. What features are you after? There are dozens of alternatives.
I only just discovered this problem a few days ago, so I don’t really know yet. We definitely need to be able to track a number of details about the animals including source, outcome, medical records, etc. I think having a way to keep track of “employees” (we’re 100% volunteer run), “customers” (finders and adopters), and finances is also pretty important, and hopefully in a way that doesn’t require a lot of duplicate entries due to multiple fragmented systems.
There’s quite a few (mostly proprietary) systems out there specifically designed for shelters, so I suspect something like that might be the best option for the current issue, but looking at Odoo might be relevant to my professional development in general, as I was recently laid off, and hoping to pivot a bit from the general administrative work I had previously been doing.
It’s a shame that doesn’t exist yet. I was in your position for a horse charity 25 years ago and couldn’t find anything either. I ended up writing them such a system, which grew and grew. Sadly it was owned by them and replaced a couple of years ago.
Is sheltermanager not suitable for self hosting? They claim to be open source
Thank you! This particular issue is something that I only started to become aware of a few days ago, so I’m still trying to learn more before pushing for any big changes. I don’t know that self hosting is even the right solution for our group, so I’m glad to see that they also offer a hosted option, although the self hosted option seems like a great way for me to test it out.
I was curious so I took a closer look at Sheltermanager and, honestly, I’m very impressed. They have a free demo on their site so you can show it off to people and see if there’s any interest.
And agree, self-hosting doesn’t sound like it would suit them or you, but you asked in an opensource thread and that is nearly always self-hosted. SM looks quite fairly priced for a hosted solution.
Oh yeah, I’m very much aware of where I asked. Haha. I see an opportunity where I can at least advocate for the FOSS options, so I’m trying to learn what those are and how they compare to other solutions before I make any suggestions to the decision makers.
I was recently laid off, and have been wanting to explore some personal self hosting projects, plus I’m hoping to make a bit of a career pivot, so my interest is coming from a variety of motivations.
Of they’ve replaced it they might be open to the idea of freeing up the source code?
That’s their decision, but it’s very unlikely. Like much bespoke software that’s evolved over a long time, it was a pretty messy codebase, and also mostly in perl and was entirely written to their exact needs. It worked because of me, which was a curse because they were unable to find another person to support it after I left.
You had me at perl!