Tracking Individuals
Asked by Fishtails Admin:

I work with an animal rescue and we are setting up our Trello account. I've seen a lot of examples of tracking animals within the rescue but not on the backend for the people helping the animals.

I wanted to know how I should set up the cards for approved foster families in a way that would allow me to run a report to access all foster emails.

For example, I'd want to sort by "approved foster" and "cats", so I only have approved fosters open to taking in cats.

How do I format fields to be able to pull this information? I have been inputting identifying information in the description, but I can tell already that won't allow me to filter correctly.


Answers:
author: Hannah Humbert - Simpla Workflows
body: [@Fishtails Admin](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5506757) I'd use labels for this use-case. You could also use custom fields, but labels are the most reliable when it comes to filtering the cards.


author: Maria
body: Hi [@Fishtails Admin](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5506757)

To effectively set up Trello for tracking approved foster families and their preferences, including being able to run reports, you can utilize custom fields, labels, and checklists. Here's a step-by-step guide:

### Step 1: Set Up Custom Fields {#toc-hId-2141103083}

Custom Fields in Trello allow you to add more structured data to your cards. You can use these fields to store specific information about the foster families.

1. **Enable Custom Fields:**

   * Go to the Trello board menu.
   * Click on "Power-Ups" and search for "Custom Fields."
   * Enable the Custom Fields Power-Up.
2. **Create Custom Fields for Foster Families:**

   * Click on the "Custom Fields" button in a card.
   * Add fields such as:
     * **Email:** Text field for the foster's email address.
     * **Approved for:** Dropdown or checklist for animal types (e.g., Cats, Dogs).
     * **Approval Status:** Dropdown with options like "Approved," "Pending," "Rejected."

### Step 2: Use Labels for Quick Identification {#toc-hId-333648620}

Labels can help you quickly identify and filter cards.

1. **Create Labels for Animal Types:**
   * Go to the board menu and click on "More" \> "Labels."
   * Create labels like "Cats," "Dogs," etc.
   * Apply these labels to the respective foster family cards.

### Step 3: Organize Cards {#toc-hId--1473805843}

Create lists or categories to further organize the cards.

1. **Create Lists:**
   * Create lists such as "Approved Fosters," "Pending Approval," "Rejected Applications."
   * Move cards to the appropriate list based on their status.

### Step 4: Filtering and Reporting {#toc-hId-1013706990}

To filter and report based on the custom fields and labels:

1. **Filter Cards:**

   * Use the "Filter Cards" feature in Trello (press 'F' on the keyboard or click the filter icon).
   * Filter by labels (e.g., "Cats") and custom fields (e.g., "Approval Status" set to "Approved").
2. **Exporting Data:**

   * Use a Power-Up like "Butler" to automate exporting data.
   * Alternatively, use a tool like "Trello Export" to export board data to a CSV file for further analysis in a spreadsheet.

### Example Card Setup {#toc-hId--793747473}

**Card Title:** Jane Doe

**Description:** (Use sparingly for additional notes not covered by custom fields)

**Custom Fields:**

* **Email:** jane.doe@example.com
* **Approved for:** Cats, Dogs
* **Approval Status:** Approved

**Labels:**

* Cats
* Dogs

**Checklist (Optional):**

* Home Check Completed
* Vaccination Records Received

### Running a Report {#toc-hId-1693765360}

Once your cards are set up with custom fields and labels, you can filter them as needed and export the filtered view with [Planyway power-up for example](https://planyway.com/trello?utm_source=atlassiancommunity&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=atlassianquestions).