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Dolibarr conference with SomNúvol “Free software for the management of organisations and companies”, -which we held within the framework of the Mobile Social Congress 2025- served to explain how CommonsCloud/SomNúvol works and how we share tools and knowledge. It was a practical session of learning and mutual support with forty people from 12 organisations, around ERP – CRM Dolibarr Management tool. Vira, L’Escamot and Gafarrons cooperatives generously shared their experience and knowledge in its use for accounting, budgets, invoicing, management of members, customers and stock, organisation of teams and spaces, among others.
In addition to the three mentioned organisations, there were also colleagues from Tocaterra, El Rodal, Dropcampers, La Cortera, Chronojump, En bici sense edat, Projectes 4.0, technical people and the general public also participated, that is, people interested in discovering and learning better how this Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management tool works.
CommonsCloud/SomNúvol: a cloud tools service
Regarding the context in which the Conference was organized and in which the tool is provided, we saw that CommonsCloud/SomNúvol is a cooperative cloud tools service, made with free and techno-ethical software, which currently has about 80 member organisations and 90 individual members. It offers services for individuals, with a Basic Office and an email address. Women can benefit from a scholarship for women, which covers the fee for the first year of use of these tools, and anyone can use the tools for free, through “commonscloud taste” service, with a reduced storage of 250Mb. 
It offers services for organisations and companies: 
There are different ways to access the tools: Organisations that are not members of CommonsCloud/SomNúvol, self-provide their tools. They have an IT team that updates and maintains their software, resolves incidents, and provides support when necessary. It is a suitable option when the organisation has the capacity and has its own requirements. Other organisations have a provider, an organisation (in the social market) that installs, updates and maintains their programs, resolves incidents and provides support. It is a suitable option when specific, tailor-made solutions are needed. Organisations that are partners and work together with CommonsCloud/SomNúvol join forces with other organisations to jointly provide themselves their tools. They share resources and expenses. A technical team installs, updates and maintains their programs, resolves incidents and provides support. It is a good solution to reduce costs and complexity, accumulate knowledge, as well as for mutual learning and support.
The case of Dolibarr (La Doli)
Dolibarr ERP-CRM is a modular software (only the necessary functions are activated) for business management that adapts to the size of each project (large, medium and small companies, SLs, cooperatives, associations, formal, informal groups, etc.). It was developed seeking the maximum possible simplicity, with a multi-language, multi-currency and multi-company tool. 
The initial version of the Dolibarr software dates back to 2002. The initial developer was Rodolphe Quiédeville, and it is said that he named the project after Dolores Ibárruri, La Passionària, a communist politician and Spanish republican fighter, exiled after the Civil War. Today, Laurent Destailleur and Régis Houssin lead the development of the project. In 2009, the “Dolibarr Foundation” was created, an association based in Olivet, in the Loire Valley, which drives the development and promotes the Dolibarr ERP-CRM software. Dolibarr development is managed by the “Dolibarr core” team and an international community of thousands of volunteers from all over the world (companies, freelancers, professionals and amateurs) who act as developers, translators, testers or designers. The software has been on GitHub since 2011.
It is an Open Source project, with a GPL free software license, built by adding modules to a WAMP, MAMP or LAMP server (Apache, PHP, Mysql/MariaDB/PostgreSQL for all operating systems). It is in continuous development, and publishes a new version every 6 months (February/March and August/September), with updates being free.
The standard Dolibarr modules are: Third Parties, Purchases, Sales, Products/Services, Stocks, Production, Accounting, POS, Projects, Agenda, Import and Export of data, …
Some of the external modules are Multi-Company, Numbering Series, Custom Reports, Advanced Exports…
At CommonsCloud/SomNúvol, we update the software regularly, and evaluate the modules we consider most useful or necessary to achieve the functionalities that our partners require. When we consider that a module is suitable for its installation and use, we acquire it and share it among all our partner users.
We are based on learning and mutual support
CommonsCloud/SomNúvol technical team aims to facilitate learning and mutual support among the users of the project’s tools. We do this knowledge transfer in online meetings and occasionally in person and also in the Àgora de SomNúvol, where we have spaces to share doubts and solutions about each of the tools.
You can find the guides (or manuals) for each of the tools, and we will update them with the information we collect, based on the questions that arise.
We recommend the recently released “Stories of Pepa Demo”, the fictional online series to show how to use SomNuvol.coop, alternative and techno-ethical digital cloud tools.
Case studies
The cooperatives Vira, L’Escamot and Gafarrons generously shared their experience and knowledge in its use for accounting, budgets, invoicing, management of members, customers and stock, organisation of teams and spaces, among others. They presented how each project uses Dolibarr and detailed, in small groups, specific cases of their experience.
Vira Cooperativa
Cooperative dedicated to incorporating the feminist perspective into educational centers, and providing advice and consultancy to private entities and the public administration. They are 4 working partners and 2 workers. They are members of CommonsCloud/SomNúvol they have been working with Dolibarr for 2 years, which has helped them replace spreadsheets that were disconnected from each other. They use the tool as a contact database, to track projects, define and track the distribution of workloads and dedications, and record expenses; but they still don’t use it to make invoices.
Each year they have dedicated time to improving an aspect of their internal management, the next step is to include invoices and bank reconciliation.
L’Escamot
Cooperative dedicated to promoting active mobility on foot and by bike, in addition to local territorial development; they provide consultancy for administrations and organisations; training in ’use of the bicycle and have a bicycle workshop. They are based in Camp de Tarragona and are 4 partners. They are members of CommonsCloud/SomNúvol and use Dolibarr to track cash, small payments with workshop tickets; general billing of the cooperative, extract the data and send it to the management; they manage projects and control the time dedicated to each task. And they hope to also incorporate bank reconciliation.
Gafarrons Cooperative
Consumer cooperative in Premià de Mar, in Maresme, created 15 years ago, in which 16 consumer units (Baskets) currently participate. They are members of CommonsCloud/SomNúvol and began to fully use Dolibarr a year ago, with the desire to grow. Until then, it had used a complex system made with spreadsheets on Google Drive. Now all partners and members of each consumer units have an account in Dolibarr. Products change depending on the week. Each Basket places its order (for sale) before Sunday. About ten people are responsible for about 10 suppliers. On Mondays, based on sales orders, they do a replenishment to generate the purchase order which they send to each supplier. When the products arrive at the premises, are physically received and are also marked as received in Dolibarr, so that they are registered in the stock. The basket-pickers play a rotating role, on Thursdays they convert the members’ orders into invoices, the product is delivered, and the delivery is registered in Dolibarr, so that the products are removed from the stock again. When the supplier’s invoice is received, it is compared with the order, and a payment is made. They have also implemented an electronic store on the website, connected to Dolibarr, to place sales orders.