This cheat sheet has three different parts: (1) Foster Application Screening; (2) Assigning a Dog/Cat to a Foster using the Foster’s Page; and (3) Assigning a Dog/Cat to a Foster using the Dog/Cat’s Page. Just scroll to the section you need! All of the foster module sections are designed to save you time, stress and a few trees by automating everything. We all need extra time and less stress, and saving a few trees along the way is a good thing too, right?

So, let’s get started! It may look complex, but really it’s so simple my foster dog could do it – if only he could learn to use the keyboard!

I. Foster Application Processing

We can’t rescue without fosters, right! And, lucky for you, someone has filed an application to foster! Now comes the process of approving/denying the application (paws crossed it is approval!). Here’s the process for tracking the stages of the application and staying connected with your applicant along the way!

1. Log into the back end of your website and, when your Dashboard come up, select Dog (or Cat) Fosters on the left side:
2. On the Submitted page (which it just so happens comes up first!), find the application you are wanting to review, then click on it.That will bring you up the application.

   But where’s the rest of it, you ask? See that little half-circle with an arrow conveniently located below the Address and Preference boxes? Click on it, and voila, the rest of the application magically appears!

   You can then click on the arrows on the right of each row to access the information in that section of the contract.

3. Once you’ve reviewed it, you need to decide what to do with it. If you scroll down a bit, under the Timeline you will see various choices, all you need to do is decide which way to go.
   NOTE: Approval DOES NOT mean you are approving the application, just that you’ve determined in the Initial Review the applicant is not a loser and it might be worth exploring further. Of course, if the applicant is a horse’s patootie, then you can pick Deny. There also is a Reason section so you can note why you’re denying it – and the nice email your admin crafted will get sent to the applicant.
4. If you click on Send Email, the email which your admin has set up to be sent to the applicant will appear (don’t worry, it doesn’t send it right away).You can either send it “as is” or make any edits you want. Just click on the Send Now button when you are ready to send it winging on its way…

   If you are not sending an email, just click on the Update Process button next to the Send Email button to wake up the techno-wizards of the website let them know it’s time to get to work.

5. The timeline now shows you have moved on to the Home Visit stage (a bit more about that stage below) with the same box as the Initial Stage when you are ready to approve at this stage.The application has now moved from Submitted to the Initial Approval Stage in the Dog Foster Roster, meaning that step has been completed:
   NOTE: As long as we’re here, when you’re trying to find an application and don’t know what stage it is in – or even if you want to see all the applications for a certain dog/cat – you can now search that way from the top if any of the dog/cat, adopter or foster screens!

   And while all the updating is being done on the website, the little sprites of the software have sent that acknowledgement email to the foster applicant (like this but with your branding and whatever your admin set up for the text):

6. The next step on the website is the Home Visit. Okay, so not all rescues do home visits – maybe they wait until they have a foster dog/cat for the applicant or don’t do them at all. Not to worry, your admin can set this up as a reference checks completed or some other stage in the process you use. Whatever you decide, once the applicant has moved on to this stage, you are going to get a similar check box to the initial approval down in the Time Line and Notes section of the applicant’s screen where you can approve, conditionally approve, etc.:Assume during the home visit or reference checks everything is good except that one little pesky item which doesn’t allow you to approve the application at this stage. Maybe it’s a hole in the fence that needs fixing, or the vet tells you that the resident dog/cat is overdue for vaccinations, that’s where the Conditional Approval comes in.

   If you select Conditional Approval, you can use the drop-down box to select why (or add a Note). When you click on the Send Email, you can craft an email that lets the applicant know what the problem is and how to fix it.

   (NOTE: As there are so many reasons for conditional approval, this email probably won’t be set up in advance by your admin – sorry.)

   When you’re done, click the Send Now button and your email will go winging through cyberspace to the applicant. Again, if you are not sending the applicant an email, don’t forget to click the Update Process button so the application will be sent to the Conditional Approval tab on the Adopter Roster and appear as a Conditional Approval on the applicant’s Time Line.

   If the applicant has fixed whatever necessary under the Conditional Approval step — then click on the Approved button. Again, if you click on the Send Email button, the text which your admin has set up will come up, which you can then edit as you want (are we starting to sound like a broken record? Good! Because it is supposed to be set up for ease of use!)

   In this example, the rescue has it set up as a reference check approval:

   If everything looks okay, though, then click the Send Now button and the email will go on its way to the applicant and, if you are not sending an email, just click on the Update Process button – either way the applicant’s Time Line will now reflect the stage as approved, by whom, any reasons selected and whether the email was sent. They really are busy little techno-wizards behind the scenes, aren’t they!

7. Reference checks done? Check!
   Home visit done? Check!
   Applicant is not a horse’s patootie? Check!
   Everyone in agreement they should foster? Check!
   Now for the biggie – the Final Approval. This sets the stage for getting the applicant set up as a foster family so you can start assigning them foster dogs. (Of course, at any time you can do the Conditional Approval thing or even outright deny the application – but we’re hoping this is the perfect foster family!).The applicant’s Time Line will now have an entry for final approval. It looks and acts just like all the others but will pull in the email which your admin has set up for this final step.

   TIP: If you have forms, handouts, etc., you give your new fosters, put them on your Google Drive and put links in the Final Stage email. Example:

   • We do need you to read and agree to our Foster Home Rules, which can be found here to finalize your application. It can be downloaded, filled out and signed on your computer and then email it back to us.
   • Finally, here are some tips and tricks for fostering which may help you along the way. Just go here and download the files.

   Once the document(s) are, you can upload it to the documents section on the foster’s page:

8. You are now done with the approval process and it’s time to get this new foster a dog/cat to spoil!

II. Adding a Foster Dog from the Foster’s page

1. If the dog/cat has been selected and will be heading out the door to this foster upon Final Approval, you can assign the dog/cat directly from the Time Line on the Foster’s page. There you will see an Add Dog section where you can select the dog/cat you want to send to this foster from the drop- down box of available dogs/cats.Once selected, the dog/cat’s profile blurb will appear just to make sure you have the right dog/cat and for future reference. If you scroll down past that just a bit, you will see the Send Email button. If you click on that, it will send the email your admin has crafted.

   If all is well and good in the world, once you click the Foster Out [Name of Dog/Cat] button, the email will be sent, and the foster notified.

III. Adding a Foster Dog from the Dog/Cat’s page

Whether you have a new dog/cat come in or need to switch a dog from one foster home to another, it’s easy and two wags of a dog/cat’s tail to get that done without having to go to the foster’s page.

1. If you aren’t already there, go to the dog/cat’s page from the dog/cat roster on the backend of the website.On the right, you will see the My Pack box. Click on the row that says Select Current Foster. Duh!

   You will get a drop-down box listing all the final approval applicants and the current fosters. Select the foster from the list.

   And just to make sure you selected the right person, the website will ask you whether you want to confirm or cancel your selection.

2. This will populate the box with the foster’s name and send the nice email your admin has crafted to the foster.
   HINT: That little link icon will take you to the Foster’s page if you click on it.

IV. THE FLOW FOR EITHER METHOD

After you have matched the foster to the dog/cat, this is where the wunderkinds of the website get to work:

1. On the Dog’s Time Line, the dog/cat will show as being fostered by this person.Under “My Pack” the foster will also appear:
   HINT: That little link icon will take you to the Foster’s page if you click on it.
2. Over on the Time Line for the foster, it will show the dog/cat is now being fostered by them:And the foster application has now been moved to the Fostering tab on the Foster Roster:
3. If you want to give your fosters access to the records for the dogs/cats they are fostering, please see our instructions on “Adding Fosters As Users,” which will have to be done by your admin – they you can add them through the dog/cat’s My Pack box, by selecting their name from the drop-down box.

All that from just one or two clicks – so exhausting! Go have a beverage of your choice now that you aren’t shuffling spread sheets and other papers trying to match up dogs/cats with fosters!