Managing hundreds of rescued cats, dozens of volunteers, and countless moving parts daily isn’t just hard, it can be overwhelming. That’s exactly what a Los Angeles based cat rescue nonprofit organization faced before they embraced a custom-built tech solution tailored to their mission.
If you work in a nonprofit or impact-driven initiative and feel buried under repetitive tasks and unstructured communication, this story will resonate with you.
The Challenge
Kitty of Angels rescues cats off the streets of Los Angeles and places them with temporary caregivers — known as fosters — while searching for permanent homes. But coordinating 360+ active fosters and managing over 400 cats annually was becoming unsustainable.
They were relying heavily on email to share critical information: vet appointments, adoption requests, vaccination dates, and mentor contacts. During peak seasons like summer, when street cats have more kittens, the chaos intensified.
The Solution
Connex developed a dedicated portal using Airtable, Softr, and Zapier — giving Kitty of Angels a full operational upgrade. Now, each foster has a unique login where they can:
- See cats currently assigned to them.
- Schedule vet appointments via embedded Calendly links.
- Signal their availability to take new cats.
- View adoption applications and manage approvals.
- Communicate directly with mentors through comments and auto-notifications.
As Ricardo Valdivieso from Connex explained:
“The hardest part was setting conditions for different roles on Softr — but once that was done, the system became incredibly effective.”
The Results
- A drastic reduction in manual communication — no more endless email threads.
- Seamless collaboration between mentors and fosters.
- Integration (via Zapier) with Shelter Love, streamlining adoption requests.
- Scalable growth: from managing 177 cats in 2022 to over 400 in 2023 — all with a small internal team.
Conclusion
With the right tools and structure, Kitty of Angels turned an unscalable process into a high-performing operation. More than a tech solution, they gained time, clarity, and capacity to expand their impact.
👉 If you’re running a nonprofit and feeling the strain of growth, this is your sign: the right system can give you your time back — and help you serve more lives, better.
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