How Zapier & Airtable Saved a Dog Rescue's Adoption Program

The Crisis

"I'll probably start crying... our organization, I mean, we just... we're bleeding money for the dogs right now." - Erika, Bulldog Haven

The Challenge

• Volunteers couldn't access adoption applications

• Their previous developer disappeared

• Google Sheets wasn't working: "It was a shit show. It was terrible."

• Manual processing was overwhelming: "I work 50-60 hours a week... and nobody else knows how to do this stuff."

A Simple Solution

• A searchable database volunteers could actually use

• Automated application processing

• Simple filters for finding the right homes ("Do they have dogs? Do they have cats? Do they have stairs?")

• A way to keep everyone on the same page

"I know that this is ridiculously simple, but I'm in over my head." - Erika

The Impact

• Manually downloading and emailing applications

• No way to search or filter candidates

• Overwhelmed staff and volunteers

• Automated application processing

• Easy searching and filtering

• Volunteer collaboration

• A system they could manage themselves

Why This Matters

1. Too basic (like Google Sheets) and cause data chaos

2. Too complex and depend on a single developer

3. Too expensive to maintain

• Quick to implement

• Easy for volunteers to use

• Affordable to maintain

• Built on reliable platforms like Airtable and Zapier

"Money is truly an object with us, because we are just a small rescue." - Erika

The Bottom Line