Technical Reference

M365 Email Groups, Role Inboxes & Responsibilities
Operational reference for office staff, IT admin, and future volunteers — mailing lists, shared mailboxes, licensing, SOPs, and governance. 
 
 
 Quick Overview 
 SHHA uses two different patterns for email collaboration: 
 
 Pattern Technology Examples 
 
 
 Committee mailing lists 
 Microsoft Groups 
 shha-all@ , csc@ , acc@ 
 
 
 Role-based addresses 
 Shared mailboxes 
 president@ , cscchair@ , accchair@ 
 
 
 

 
 
 Design Principles 
 
 Role continuity over individual ownership — email addresses stay constant when people rotate in/out. 
 Least cost for volunteers — external volunteers do not require paid M365 licenses. 
 Operational traceability — group membership changes trigger Power Automate notifications. 
 Institutional archive — itadmin@ is included in all groups as a permanent archive recipient. 
 

 
 
 Microsoft Groups (Mailing Lists) 
 Each committee has a Microsoft Group that acts as its mailing list. 
 
 Group Address 
 
 All members shha-all@sandiahomeowners.org 
 CSC csc@sandiahomeowners.org 
 ACC acc@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Others One group per committee 
 
 
 Behavior: Sending to the group distributes to all members. Membership is maintained by staff (primary owner: Anna). External participants can be included. 

 
 
 Shared Mailboxes (Role Inboxes) 
 Chair and executive role addresses are shared mailboxes tied to positions, not people. 
 
 Role Address 
 
 CSC Chair cscchair@sandiahomeowners.org 
 ACC Chair accchair@sandiahomeowners.org 
 President president@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Vice President vicepresident@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Secretary secretary@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Treasurer treasurer@sandiahomeowners.org 
 
 
 Access model 
 
 People do not log in directly as the role mailbox. 
 Authorized users open the shared mailbox from their own licensed account. 
 Example: phil.krehbiel@sandiahomeowners.org can open accchair@sandiahomeowners.org . 
 
 When leadership changes 
 
 Remove predecessor access. 
 Grant successor access. 
 Keep the role mailbox address unchanged. 
 

 
 
 Archive Mailbox ( itadmin@ ) 
 
 itadmin@ is a member of all groups. 
 Purpose: permanent archive and continuity. 
 itadmin@ is not actively monitored for normal operations. 
 

 
 
 Power Automate Membership Notifications 
 A Power Automate flow sends email notifications whenever group membership changes. 
 
 Provides audit visibility. 
 Alerts staff to unexpected changes. 
 Supports handoffs and troubleshooting. 
 

 
 
 Licensing and External Volunteers 
 
 User type License needed? Capabilities 
 
 External volunteers No Group email delivery, SharePoint guest access 
 Licensed staff / admin Yes (paid M365) Group administration, shared mailbox access, full portal 
 
 

 
 
 Responsibilities Matrix 
 
 Responsibility Primary Backup Notes 
 
 Maintain committee group membership Anna (staff) IT admin Add/remove members, verify accuracy 
 Manage shared mailbox permissions Anna + IT admin IT admin Remove predecessor, add successor 
 Ensure itadmin@ in all groups IT admin Anna Required for archive continuity 
 Monitor membership-change notifications Anna IT admin Power Automate emails = operational signal 
 Troubleshoot delivery/access issues IT admin Anna Includes mailbox permissions and group settings 
 
 

 
 
 SOP: Add a Person to a Committee Mailing List 
 
 Confirm committee and target group address. 
 Verify whether person is internal staff or external volunteer. 
 Add to the correct Microsoft Group membership. 
 Confirm itadmin@ remains a member. 
 Verify Power Automate sends membership-change notification. 
 Ask requester to test delivery (or send a test message). 
 

 
 
 SOP: Remove a Person from a Committee Mailing List 
 
 Confirm removal request and effective date. 
 Remove member from the Microsoft Group. 
 Verify Power Automate notification is received. 
 If person held a role, check related shared mailbox permissions. 
 

 
 
 SOP: Leadership Transition for Role Inbox 
 
 Identify affected role mailbox (e.g., accchair@ ). 
 Remove outgoing person's mailbox permissions. 
 Grant incoming person's mailbox permissions. 
 Validate that incoming person can open the shared mailbox from their own account. 
 Keep address and historical content in place for continuity. 
 

 
 
 SOP: New Committee Creation 
 
 Create new Microsoft Group for the committee. 
 Add initial committee members. 
 Add itadmin@ as member for archiving. 
 Ensure membership-change notifications are active. 
 Record the group in the committee/group inventory. 
 

 
 
 Governance Rules 
 
 Every committee must have exactly one official mailing-list group. 
 Every committee group must include itadmin@ . 
 Shared mailbox addresses represent roles and must not be treated as personal identities. 
 Access to shared role inboxes must be updated promptly on leadership change. 
 Membership changes should be performed by staff owner (Anna) or IT admin only. 
 

 
 
 Recommended Recordkeeping 
 Maintain a simple inventory table (in the wiki or internal operations file) with: 
 
 Committee name 
 Group email address 
 Current chair role mailbox (if applicable) 
 Current permission holders 
 Last membership review date 
 Last updated by 
 
 This makes volunteer/staff handoff much easier. 

 
 
 Common Issues and Checks 

 Person does not receive committee emails 
 
 Member exists in correct Microsoft Group 
 Email address is correct 
 Sender used the correct group address 
 Recent change triggered notification (confirms update happened) 
 

 New chair cannot open role mailbox 
 
 Shared mailbox permission was granted to the person's licensed account 
 User is opening mailbox from their own account context 
 Predecessor access was removed (to avoid confusion) 
 

 Missing archive history 
 
 itadmin@ is still a member of the affected group 
 Group delivery settings have not been altered 
 

 
 
 Handoff Checklist (Staff / Volunteer Transition) 
 
 Review all committee group memberships for accuracy. 
 Verify all active chairs/executive roles have correct shared mailbox access. 
 Remove stale permissions from former role holders. 
 Confirm itadmin@ is in every group. 
 Confirm membership-change notification flow is working. 
 Update inventory table and date-stamp the review. 
 

 
 
 Key Contacts and Ownership 
 
 Role Contact 
 
 Group membership owner Anna (staff) 
 Technical owner / escalation IT admin 
 Archive mailbox itadmin@ (not actively monitored) 
 
 
 If ownership changes, update this section immediately. 
 
 Related Resources 
 
 M365 Email Building Blocks — understand the four email patterns (personal mailbox, shared mailbox, mailing list, alias) and when to use each 
 SOP: New Users, Mailboxes & Groups — step-by-step admin procedures for creating users, shared mailboxes, groups, and aliases

M365 Email Building Blocks
SHHA uses four distinct patterns for email addresses in Microsoft 365. Before requesting any new address, understand which pattern fits your need. This page is the reference for anyone planning new committees, roles, or special-purpose addresses. 

 The Four Patterns at a Glance 
 
 Pattern What it is Example When to use it 
 
 
 Personal mailbox first.last@sandiahomeowners.org 
 A licensed M365 account owned by one person. Has its own login, calendar, OneDrive, etc. 
 anna.smith@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Office staff and IT admins who need to log in to Microsoft 365 and perform admin tasks. Costs a license. 
 
 
 Shared mailbox role@sandiahomeowners.org 
 A mailbox tied to a position , not a person. Multiple licensed users can open it from their own account. Retains full email history across holders. 
 president@sandiahomeowners.org cscchair@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Any role where you need: (a) a stable address that survives personnel changes, (b) email history inherited by the next holder, (c) the ability for multiple people to send/receive as that address. 
 
 
 Mailing list (Microsoft Group) committee@sandiahomeowners.org 
 A distribution group. Email sent to the address is delivered to every current member — including external guests who have no M365 license. 
 csc@sandiahomeowners.org shha-all@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Any group of people who need to receive the same email. Most committees have one. No license cost for external members. 
 
 
 Alias (additional address on an existing mailbox or group) 
 An extra email address that delivers to an existing mailbox or group. Not a separate mailbox — just an alternative address for the same destination. 
 wildfire@sandiahomeowners.org → delivers to the ESC group or a specific shared mailbox 
 One-off or special-purpose addresses (task forces, events, topical inboxes) where you do not need a separate mailbox with its own history. Use when you want a memorable address that maps to something that already exists. 
 
 
 

 Which Pattern Do I Need? 
 Walk through these questions when planning a new email address: 
 
 Does one specific person need to log in to M365 and perform admin tasks? 
 Yes → Personal mailbox (requires a license; talk to IT admin) No → continue 
 
 Does the address need its own persistent inbox that survives personnel changes? 
 Yes → Shared mailbox No → continue 
 
 Does the address need to deliver to a group of people? 
 Yes → Mailing list (Microsoft Group) No → continue 
 
 Do you just need a convenient address that routes to an existing mailbox or group? 
 Yes → Alias on the appropriate existing mailbox or group No → talk to IT admin to figure out the right approach 
 
 

 Combining Patterns 
 For a full committee setup you typically create all three : 
 
 What Pattern Example for a new "Wildfire Preparedness" task force 
 
 Committee mailing list Microsoft Group WPC@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Chair inbox Shared mailbox WPCChair@sandiahomeowners.org 
 Friendly alias (optional) Alias on the group wildfire@sandiahomeowners.org → delivers to WPC@ 
 
 
 You generally do not need to create personal mailboxes for the members — external volunteers receive group email at their personal addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) at no license cost. 

 Archive Rule 
 Every mailing list (Microsoft Group) must include itadmin@sandiahomeowners.org as a member. This is the archive account that preserves all committee email for continuity and records. It is not monitored for support. 

 Cost Summary 
 
 Pattern License cost 
 
 Personal mailbox Requires a paid M365 license 
 Shared mailbox Free (up to 50 GB; no license unless it exceeds the limit) 
 Mailing list (Group) Free 
 Alias Free (added to an existing mailbox or group) 
 
 

 Where to Go Next 
 
 Need to create a new user or shared mailbox? See SOP: Add a New User & Create a Shared Mailbox (next page in this chapter). 
 Need to add/remove members from an existing group? See the SOPs in M365 Email Groups, Role Inboxes & Responsibilities . 
 Not sure what you need? Email ithelp@sandiahomeowners.org with a description of the goal and IT admin will recommend the right pattern.

SOP: New Users, Mailboxes & Groups
This SOP is written for SHHA staff who are comfortable with basic Microsoft admin work and need a reliable step-by-step process for setting up new groups, shared mailboxes, and related addresses. 
 Start here every time: admin.microsoft.com 

 
 Quick Start: What Are You Trying to Set Up? 
 
 If you need... Go to this section 
 
 A new task-force or committee mailing address that sends to all members SOP A: Create a Microsoft 365 Group (Mailing List) 
 A role inbox for a chair or lead (keeps history when people rotate) SOP B: Create a Shared Mailbox 
 A friendly one-off address like wildfire@sandiahomeowners.org SOP C: Add an Alias 
 An internal staff account with first.last@sandiahomeowners.org login SOP D: Add a Licensed User 
 An external volunteer using Gmail/Yahoo/etc. SOP E: Add an External Guest 
 
 

 
 Task Force Fast Path (Most Common New Setup) 
 For a new short-term task force, the normal pattern is: 
 
 Create a Microsoft 365 Group for the task-force mailing list. 
 Add members (including external guests) and always include itadmin@sandiahomeowners.org . 
 Create a Shared Mailbox for the task-force lead/chair if they need role continuity. 
 Add an optional Alias (for example, wildfire@sandiahomeowners.org ) if a friendlier address is useful. 
 Test email delivery and update the Quick Links directory. 
 
 If you only need one address that emails the whole task force, do SOP A only. 

 
 SOP A: Create a Microsoft 365 Group (Mailing List) 
 Use this for: any committee/task-force address that should email all members. 
 Menu path: admin.microsoft.com → Teams & groups → Active teams & groups → Add a group 

 Step-by-step 
 
 Open admin.microsoft.com and sign in. 
 In the left menu, click Teams & groups . 
 Click Active teams & groups . 
 Click Add a group . 
 Select Microsoft 365 as the group type, then click Next . 
 Enter:
 
 Name : Full task-force name (example: Wildfire Preparedness Task Force) 
 Description : Short purpose statement 
 
Click Next . 
 Add at least one Owner (usually office staff), then click Next . 
 Set:
 
 Group email address (example: wildfiretf → wildfiretf@sandiahomeowners.org ) 
 Privacy : usually Private 
 Leave "Create a team for this group" off unless Teams is explicitly needed 
 
Click Next then Create group . 
 Open the new group, then go to Settings . 
 Enable external email: turn on Let people outside the organization email this group . 
 Enable inbox delivery: turn on Send copies of team emails and events to team members' inboxes . 
 Go to Members → Add members . 
 Add all task-force members (internal and external as available). 
 Required: Add itadmin@sandiahomeowners.org as a member for archive continuity. 
 Send a test email to the new group address and confirm delivery. 
 

 Done checklist 
 
 Group exists 
 Owners added 
 All members added 
 External email enabled 
 Inbox delivery enabled 
 itadmin@ added 
 Test email delivered 
 

 
 SOP B: Create a Shared Mailbox (Chair/Lead Inbox) 
 Use this for: role inboxes that must persist when people rotate (chair, lead, coordinator). 
 Menu path: admin.microsoft.com → Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes → Add a shared mailbox 

 Step-by-step 
 
 In admin center, go to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes . 
 Click Add a shared mailbox . 
 Enter:
 
 Name (example: Wildfire Task Force Lead) 
 Email (example: wildfirelead → wildfirelead@sandiahomeowners.org ) 
 
 
 Click Save changes . 
 Open the mailbox details and click Members → Edit → Add members . 
 Add licensed users who should access the mailbox (usually current lead/chair and optional backup). 
 Set Send As (or delegation) permissions for the same users. 
 Ask one user to verify in outlook.com that:
 
 The mailbox appears (or can be manually added) 
 They can receive mail 
 They can send with the shared mailbox in the From field 
 
 
 

 Important notes 
 
 Shared mailboxes are role-based, not person-based. 
 Do not create separate personal accounts for each chair unless they truly need their own licensed login. 
 

 
 SOP C: Add an Alias (One-Off Friendly Address) 
 Use this for: addresses like wildfire@sandiahomeowners.org that should route to an existing group or mailbox. 
 Menu path: admin.microsoft.com → select target group/mailbox → Email aliases / Email address settings 

 Step-by-step 
 
 Decide destination first: should alias route to the group or the shared mailbox ? 
 For group destination:
 
 Go to Teams & groups → Active teams & groups . 
 Select the group. 
 Open email settings and add alias address. 
 
 
 For shared mailbox destination:
 
 Go to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes . 
 Select mailbox. 
 Open email settings and add alias address. 
 
 
 Save changes. 
 Send test email to alias and verify it arrives in the expected destination. 
 

 
 SOP D: Add a New Licensed User (Internal Staff) 
 Use this for: staff/admin accounts that need a personal Microsoft login ( first.last@sandiahomeowners.org ). 
 Menu path: admin.microsoft.com → Users → Active users → Add a user 

 Step-by-step 
 
 Go to Users → Active users → Add a user . 
 Enter name and username ( first.last format). 
 Generate temporary password and require password change at first sign-in. 
 Assign correct M365 license. 
 Finish adding user. 
 Add user to appropriate groups/shared mailbox access as needed. 
 

 
 SOP E: Add an External Guest (Volunteer) 
 Use this for: most volunteers; avoids paid license cost. 
 Menu path: admin.microsoft.com → Users → Guest users (or Entra invite flow) 

 Step-by-step 
 
 Invite external user with personal email address. 
 Ask them to accept Microsoft invitation email. 
 After acceptance, add them to needed Microsoft Groups. 
 Verify they receive test group email. 
 

 
 Final Validation (Do This Before You Close the Ticket) 
 
 Group email tested 
 Shared mailbox tested (if created) 
 Alias tested (if created) 
 itadmin@ included in group 
 Quick Links directory updated with new addresses 
 Requester notified that setup is complete 
 

 
 Where To Go Next 
 
 M365 Email Building Blocks for choosing the right pattern first 
 M365 Email Groups, Role Inboxes & Responsibilities for governance and handoff rules 
 Quick Links & Directory to keep the address list current