Inventory

Opening Inventory

Click Inventory in the left nav (under Operations). Items are organized into four categories: Medication, Vaccine, Product, and Supply.

Adding an item

1. 1
   Click Add item.
2. 2
   Enter the item name, category, unit of measure (bags, bottles, boxes, units), current quantity, and reorder threshold.
3. 3
   For medications, add the drug name, dosage form, and expiry date.
4. 4
   Click Save. The item appears in the list.

Adjusting quantities

Open an item and click Adjust quantity. Choose whether you're adding stock (received a donation or order) or removing stock (used at a clinic, damaged, expired, etc.). Add a note to explain the change.

Every adjustment is logged with a timestamp, team member, and reason -- useful for audit trails on controlled medications.

Low-stock alerts

When an item's quantity drops below its reorder threshold, it shows a low-stock chip on the inventory list and a badge in the nav. Admins also receive a daily digest email listing all low-stock items.

Dispensing an item to an animal

Open an item and click Dispense. Select the animal it's going to and enter the quantity -- for medications, add prescription-style details like directions and refills. Fosterling automatically pulls from the earliest-expiring lot first, so you're not sitting on stock that's about to age out. This logs the dispense and decrements the stock, all without any separate setup.

Can I track inventory across multiple locations (e.g., a clinic and a warehouse)?

Multi-location inventory is on the roadmap. Currently, inventory is org-wide with location noted as a text field on each item.

How do I handle expired medications?

Open the item, click 'Adjust quantity', choose 'Remove', and enter the quantity with 'Expired -- disposal' as the reason. The adjustment is logged.

Can volunteers see inventory?

No -- inventory is visible to admins, coordinators, and vets only.

Can I import my current inventory from a spreadsheet?

Yes -- click Import on the Inventory page, download the template CSV, fill it in, and upload. The import sets starting quantities for each item.