Free for any animal nonprofit
Everything your sanctuary runs on, in one place.
Free management software for animal sanctuaries, farm sanctuaries, rescues and shelters: animal health records, volunteers and shifts, a sign-in kiosk, facilities, grants, a shared knowledge base and a community of other sanctuaries. Built and maintained by Sweet Farm, a nonprofit sanctuary.
- Your data stays yours
- No per-user fees, ever
- Turn on only what you need
What's included
Seven apps. Use one, or all of them.
Each sanctuary switches on just the parts it needs. Everything else stays out of the way until you want it.
Animal Health Records
Every resident's health history, medications, treatments, feed, training and vet visits. Print a complete record any time.
Volunteer Management
A public application form, recurring shifts, per-area approvals, shift logs and reminder emails.
Sign-In Kiosk
Visitors and volunteers sign themselves in and sign the waiver on a tablet at your entrance. Accurate attendance, without a clipboard.
Facilities & Vehicles
Work orders with approvals, recurring maintenance, vehicle and equipment records, mileage logs and a project board.
Grants & Development
Grant research that runs overnight, a place to write proposals, awarded-grant reporting and a shared document library.
Knowledge Base
Your sanctuary's how-tos, with search, comments, version history and pages you can share with volunteers.
Sanctuary Connect
A community board and animal placement board for working with other sanctuaries and rescues.
Every kind of animal nonprofit
A home for your shelter, too.
Dog rescues, cat shelters, and other animal nonprofits are welcome here. You don't need a barn or a pasture to use Sanctuary Toolkit.
Keep care records together, coordinate the people who help, and organize the everyday work of your organization. Choose the available apps that fit your team.
Request access for your organization >
Who makes it
Built by a sanctuary, free for any animal nonprofit.
Sanctuary Toolkit is made by Sweet Farm, a 501(c)(3) animal sanctuary in Himrod, New York. We built it to run our own sanctuary, then opened it to everyone doing the same work. It's funded as part of our mission, not as a business.
That means no per-user fees, no trial, no upsell, and nobody selling your records.
Request access >- Is Sanctuary Toolkit really free?
- Yes. Sanctuary Toolkit is free for any animal sanctuary or rescue to use, with no per-user fees, no trial, and no upsell. It is built and maintained by Sweet Farm, a 501(c)(3) non-profit sanctuary, and funded as part of our mission rather than as a commercial product.
- Who is Sanctuary Toolkit for?
- Any animal nonprofit — sanctuaries, farm sanctuaries, rescues, and shelters — that wants to organize its daily work and shared records in one place. The depth of medical recordkeeping makes it especially useful for organizations with long-term residents, but the operational tools work for anyone caring for animals.
- Can I use it alongside another system?
- Yes. Choose the tools that help your team, whether that means animal care, volunteers, fundraising, facilities, or keeping shared information organized. You can keep using other services for the parts of your work they already handle well.
- Do I have to use every feature?
- No. Your admins choose which of the apps available to your sanctuary your team uses. Start with what you need and adjust those choices as your work changes.
- Can we use it for fundraising?
- Yes. Fundraising is available to every organization using Sanctuary Toolkit. Accept one-time and recurring gifts, offer animal sponsorships, run campaigns, and manage tour bookings and event tickets. Keep donor details and gift history together, send receipts, and give supporters access to their donor portal.
- Can we keep our own website and branding?
- Yes. Share a link to your giving, sponsorship, campaign, tour or event page, or embed it in your existing website. Public pages use your organization's logo and branding, with an optional Sanctuary Toolkit look. Connect your own Stripe account and complete nonprofit verification to accept online payments. Payment processing fees still apply; there is no Toolkit software subscription.
- Where does my data live and who owns it?
- Your data is yours. Sweet Farm maintains Sanctuary Toolkit and will not sell your data. You are free to download your records and change services at any time. Available exports vary by section; contact us if you need help getting a copy of records that are not covered by an export.
- How do I get started?
- Request access from the sign-up page and choose your password there. It takes about two minutes. We review every request to keep the community focused on real sanctuaries and rescues, and we'll email you once you're approved so you can sign in.
Ready to make room for the work that matters?
It takes a couple of minutes to ask. We'll email you when you're in.