Shared email that survives a change of committee

A public address such as enquiries@your-co-op.example should remain useful when the person answering it changes. That does not mean everybody should sign in with the same username and password. Separate a person's identity from the address used for a function, then agree how incoming work is handled.

For a small co-op, the important outcome is straightforward: messages reach the right people, somebody owns each reply and the organisation can recover the record. The exact mailbox feature matters less than whether it supports those habits and gives each operator appropriate access.

Choose the right pattern for each address

• Named account: an individual signs in as themselves. Use it for personal responsibility, meetings and access to other services.
• Shared mailbox: authorised people work with one functional inbox through their own accounts, where the platform supports it.
• Group or distribution address: messages are distributed to members of a group. Check whether it also provides the shared history and reply handling you need.
• Alias: an additional address delivers into an existing mailbox. It is useful for simple routing, but does not create a separate team workflow.

Microsoft states that a shared mailbox account is not intended for direct sign-in and should have that sign-in blocked. Implement the equivalent supported pattern on your chosen platform rather than passing its password around. Check licensing and feature requirements with the provider for your actual arrangement.

A committee discussion list and a public enquiry inbox usually need different settings. An external person should not accidentally reach the whole membership, and confidential worker information should not enter a broadly distributed group.

Write a short working agreement

For each functional address, record who can read, who can send, who supervises it and the expected response window. Define how people indicate that they are handling a message. A shared folder, category or ticket status can work, provided everyone follows the same convention.

An illustrative agreement for a community shop might say: “The duty coordinator checks enquiries each trading day. Assign messages before replying. Use the co-op signature with the responder's first name. Put completed correspondence in the agreed archive. Escalate refund requests to the authorised worker. Do not promise a response on days when nobody is scheduled.” This is a local operating agreement, not a service promise for every co-op.

Decide where sent messages appear and test it. If replies only live in one person's sent folder, a second operator may repeat or contradict the answer. Also test replies from mobile devices, which may expose a personal address or choose the wrong sender unless configured correctly.

Test before publishing an address

1. Send an enquiry from an external account and confirm where it arrives.
2. Have the first operator assign and answer it.
3. Ask a second operator to find both the enquiry and reply.
4. Reply again as the external sender and verify the conversation remains visible.
5. Check the display name, signature and reply address.
6. Test an attachment and an ordinary message caught by any moderation rules.
7. Confirm there is a monitored route for failed delivery and unattended messages.

Keep the test fictional. There is no need to use a real member complaint to check permissions. If forwarding to personal accounts is currently necessary, document what data leaves organisational control and plan a proportionate improvement.

Plan for role changes and suspicious requests

When a volunteer treasurer leaves, transfer access to the finance address through the approved process. Review connected apps, forwarding rules and recovery details as part of offboarding. Preserve necessary records according to your retention decisions before removing or deleting an account.

Do not let an email's apparent sender override payment controls. A familiar mailbox can be compromised. The payment fraud guide explains how to verify bank-detail changes independently.

Review functional addresses periodically. Retire obsolete aliases deliberately, with a suitable response or redirection if needed. A mailbox nobody checks creates an invisible backlog and can undermine trust more quickly than a clearly stated alternative contact route.

Use the digital handover tool to record mailbox owners, access and the working agreement.