# Committee and Group Email Guide

This page explains what a committee/group email address is and how to use it.

If you are a participant using a personal email (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.), this page is for you.

## Short Answer

**Yes.** Use your committee/group mailing-list address as the preferred address for group-wide communication.

When you email that address, your message goes to all current participants.

## Why This Is Useful

- You send one email to everyone without typing each person's address.
- Group correspondence is archived separately for record-keeping.
- New participants can review ongoing conversations more consistently.

## What This Address Is For

- Send updates to the whole committee/group
- Ask the whole group a question
- Share meeting notes or next steps with everyone
- Keep group communication in one place

## What This Address Is Not For

- Private one-to-one conversations
- Sensitive information that should only go to staff or leadership
- File attachments that belong in SharePoint long term

For long-term files, upload to SharePoint first, then send the SharePoint link to the group.

## Which Email Address Should I Use To Send?

Use your normal email account (your personal email).

You do **not** log in directly to the group address as a mailbox.

The group address is a distribution address, not a personal account.

## Quick Decision Flow

1. Need everyone in the committee/group to see this? Use the committee/group mailing-list address.
2. Need only one person to see this? Email that person directly.
3. Sharing a document people will keep working on? Put it in SharePoint and email the link to the committee/group address.

## FAQ

### "Should we use this as the preferred email address for the committee/group?"

**Yes.** Use it for group-wide communication.

### "Can we send mail from this address?"

**No.** Participants should send from their own email account to the group address.

### "Do I need to use Teams because Microsoft mentioned Teams in invitation emails?"

**No.** External volunteers should use email and SharePoint links.

If Microsoft emails mention Teams, that is default wording and can be ignored for this workflow.

## Related Pages

- [Quick Reference](/books/shha-it-help-guide/page/quick-reference)
- [Volunteer without SHHA Email](/books/shha-it-help-guide/page/volunteer-without-shha-email)
- [FAQ](/books/shha-it-help-guide/page/faq)