Tracking Individuals

[Fishtails Admin]

I work with an animal rescue and we are setting up our Trello account. I've seen a lot of examples of tracking animals within the rescue but not on the backend for the people helping the animals.

I wanted to know how I should set up the cards for approved foster families in a way that would allow me to run a report to access all foster emails.

For example, I'd want to sort by "approved foster" and "cats", so I only have approved fosters open to taking in cats.

How do I format fields to be able to pull this information? I have been inputting identifying information in the description, but I can tell already that won't allow me to filter correctly. 

[Hannah Humbert - Simpla Workflows · Accepted solution]

@Fishtails Admin I'd use labels for this use-case. You could also use custom fields, but labels are the most reliable when it comes to filtering the cards. 

[Mary from Planyway]

Hi @Fishtails Admin 

To effectively set up Trello for tracking approved foster families and their preferences, including being able to run reports, you can utilize custom fields, labels, and checklists. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Set Up Custom Fields

Custom Fields in Trello allow you to add more structured data to your cards. You can use these fields to store specific information about the foster families.

1. Enable Custom Fields:

   • Go to the Trello board menu.
   • Click on "Power-Ups" and search for "Custom Fields."
   • Enable the Custom Fields Power-Up.

2. Create Custom Fields for Foster Families:

   • Click on the "Custom Fields" button in a card.
   • Add fields such as:
     • Email: Text field for the foster's email address.
     • Approved for: Dropdown or checklist for animal types (e.g., Cats, Dogs).
     • Approval Status: Dropdown with options like "Approved," "Pending," "Rejected."

Step 2: Use Labels for Quick Identification

Labels can help you quickly identify and filter cards.

1. Create Labels for Animal Types:
   • Go to the board menu and click on "More" > "Labels."
   • Create labels like "Cats," "Dogs," etc.
   • Apply these labels to the respective foster family cards.

Step 3: Organize Cards

Create lists or categories to further organize the cards.

1. Create Lists:
   • Create lists such as "Approved Fosters," "Pending Approval," "Rejected Applications."
   • Move cards to the appropriate list based on their status.

Step 4: Filtering and Reporting

To filter and report based on the custom fields and labels:

1. Filter Cards:

   • Use the "Filter Cards" feature in Trello (press 'F' on the keyboard or click the filter icon).
   • Filter by labels (e.g., "Cats") and custom fields (e.g., "Approval Status" set to "Approved").

2. Exporting Data:

   • Use a Power-Up like "Butler" to automate exporting data.
   • Alternatively, use a tool like "Trello Export" to export board data to a CSV file for further analysis in a spreadsheet.

Example Card Setup

Card Title: Jane Doe

Description: (Use sparingly for additional notes not covered by custom fields)

Custom Fields:

• Email: jane.doe@example.com
• Approved for: Cats, Dogs
• Approval Status: Approved

Labels:

• Cats
• Dogs

Checklist (Optional):

• Home Check Completed
• Vaccination Records Received

Running a Report

Once your cards are set up with custom fields and labels, you can filter them as needed and export the filtered view with Planyway power-up for example.