A gift from us to you
Petach: a calm, free CRM for shluchim
We built Petach for our own Chabad house, to keep track of every person and family we care about without the noise. Now we'd love for you to have it too, free, and fully yours.
For every shliach and shlucha, and anyone doing outreach with mitzvahs.
Why we're sharing it
Petach means "opening".
Every person who walks into a Chabad house is a whole world. Keeping track of all of them, their families, their simchas, the last time we called, is a lot to hold in your head.
So we built a simple tool for ourselves. It helped, and we realized it could help you too. It's our gift: your own copy, in your own accounts, to use and change however you like.
With love, Mitzvah House
What it does
Everything you need, nothing you don't
Petach keeps it simple on purpose. Big buttons, plain words, and it works on your phone.
People and families
Everyone you know in one calm place: households, kids, birthdays, yahrzeits, notes, and the last time you were in touch.
Your daily five
Each day it suggests a few people to reach out to, so nobody quietly falls through the cracks. Tick them off as you go.
Map and routes
See your community on a map and plan a short route for mezuzah checks, holiday deliveries or visits.
Giving and receipts
Record donations and pledges, see who gave and when, and make thank-you letters and tax receipts.
Events
Keep your programs and who came, so you can invite the right people next time.
Write to a group from the same place you keep your people. Sending needs a free email account, and the guide shows you how.
How it works
Three steps, and it's yours
Request
Fill in the short form below. It takes two minutes.
We review and email you
We read every request and email you back, usually within a few days.
Set up your own copy
Follow our step-by-step guide. About 30 minutes, no tech skills needed. Then it's yours forever.
Request access
Ask for your copy
Tell us a little about you and your work. We'll email you with the next steps.
Thank you.
We'll review your request and email you within a few days.
Want a hand?
Get Tab, a helper you text
Tab is a digital assistant that works for you over text. It can walk you through setting up Petach, and help with flyers, emails and the rest of your to-do list.
Get TabQuestions
Good to know
Is it really free?
Yes. Petach is a gift. There's no price, no subscription and no license key. It runs on the free plans of three services (GitHub, Vercel and Supabase), so for most Chabad houses it costs nothing to run.
Where does my data live?
In your own accounts, never ours. Your copy runs on your own GitHub, Vercel and Supabase accounts. Mitzvah House can't see your people, your donations or anything else you put in.
Do I need to be technical?
No. The guide is written in plain language, one small step at a time, with a picture for each step. Most people finish in about 30 minutes. If you get stuck, the guide has a section for the usual hiccups.
Will it get updates?
No updates are pushed to your copy. It's yours, exactly as you received it, and nothing changes unless you change it. If you want something different, you (or your own Tab, or a developer you trust) can change it however you like.
Why do I need to request it?
We want to know who's using it and make sure the setup goes smoothly. Fill in the short form, we'll review it and email you with the guide, usually within a few days.
Why do you ask for a GitHub username?
GitHub is where your copy of the code lives. We use your username to give you your own copy. If you don't have one yet, make a free account at github.com/signup. It takes a minute.
Who can request it?
Every shliach and shlucha, staff at a Chabad house, and other nonprofits doing outreach with mitzvahs.
Is there support?
Petach is shared as-is. The step-by-step guide is the support, and it covers the common questions. We're a Chabad house, not a software company, so we can't promise more than that, but we'd love to hear how it goes.
Can I bring my existing contacts?
Yes. You can add people one by one, or bring them in from a spreadsheet.
Support us
If Petach helps you
Petach is free and always will be. If you'd like to give back, here's how.
Partner with us
Want to sponsor Petach for other Chabad houses, or work on it together? We'd love to talk.
Email us