# OpenCommunity

> OpenCommunity is purpose-built management software for neighbourhood houses, family resource centres, early years centres, and community-based organizations across Canada.

OpenCommunity replaces paper sign-in sheets, spreadsheets, and disconnected tools with browser-based kiosk check-in, program and recurring-session management, attendance and demographic reporting, payment and donation handling, and a parent self-service portal.

## Questions and answers

### What kinds of organizations is OpenCommunity built for?

Community and family centres, drop-in programs, neighbourhood hubs, and the government and non-profit organizations that fund or run them. If you welcome visitors, run programs, and share information back to your funding partners, OpenCommunity helps.

### How does the kiosk sign-in work?

Mount any tablet at reception. Visitors are looked up by phone number (or any sign-in field you choose) and confirm with a personal PIN. Attendance is recorded the moment they sign in — no paper, no manual entry.

### Can we run multiple programs at the same time?

Yes. Set up as many recurring drop-ins, groups, and specialist sessions as you need. Schedules generate their own sessions and rosters, and a single visit can be tied to whichever programs apply.

### Does OpenCommunity help with grant and funder reporting?

That's the point. Attendance summaries, demographic breakdowns, unique-family counts, and program stats are ready any time, and export in the formats funders and boards ask for.

### How is our families' data kept secure?

Every record is access-controlled by role, sign-in is PIN-protected, and data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Staff only see what their role needs.

### Where is OpenCommunity's data stored, and is it Canadian?

Data is hosted on Canadian infrastructure to keep your records within Canada and aligned with local privacy expectations.

### How does OpenCommunity handle Canadian privacy law?

OpenCommunity is built to align with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). Personal information is collected with consent, kept on Canadian infrastructure, encrypted in transit and at rest, and visible only to the staff roles that need it. Your organization stays the owner of its records.

### How does it compare to spreadsheets and paper clipboards?

No re-typing, no version conflicts, no lost sheets. Sign-ins, programs, and reporting share one live record — so the number you report is the number that actually happened.

### Can multiple centres or locations use one account?

Yes. Run several centres under one organization, each with its own programs, staff, and kiosk, while rolling reporting up across all of them.

### Do parents need to download an app?

No. Families sign in at the kiosk and use a secure web portal for visit history, contact details, and announcements — nothing to install.

## Explore OpenCommunity

- [Features](https://opencommunity.ca/features/index.md): Product capabilities for community organizations.
- [Resources and guides](https://opencommunity.ca/blog/index.md): Practical operational guidance.
- [Contact OpenCommunity](https://opencommunity.ca/contact/): Book a walkthrough.