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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 membersSOP A: Create a Microsoft 365 Group (Mailing List)
A SharePoint document site for a new committee or task forceSOP: Create a Committee SharePoint Site
A shared mailbox for one of the six officer rolesSOP B: Create a Shared Mailbox
A friendly one-off address like wildfire@sandiahomeowners.orgSOP C: Add an Alias
An internal staff account with first.last@sandiahomeowners.org loginSOP 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:

  1. Create a Microsoft 365 Group for the task-force mailing list.
  2. Add members (including external guests) and always include admin@sandiahomeowners.org.
  3. If the request is for one of the six officer roles, use SOP B for the role mailbox. Ordinary committee chairs and task-force leads do not get shared mailboxes.
  4. Add an optional Alias (for example, wildfire@sandiahomeowners.org) if a friendlier address is useful.
  5. Confirm the Microsoft 365 group-connected SharePoint site exists; do not create a duplicate.
  6. Configure document permissions using SOP: Create a Committee SharePoint Site and send members the Committee SharePoint Guide.
  7. Test email delivery, update the Quick Links directory, and send the New Committee Or Task Force email if this is a new group.

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

  1. Open admin.microsoft.com and sign in.
  2. In the left menu, click Teams & groups.
  3. Click Active teams & groups.
  4. Click Add a group.
  5. Select Microsoft 365 as the group type, then click Next.
  6. Enter:
    • Name: Full task-force name (example: Wildfire Preparedness Task Force)
    • Description: Short purpose statement
    Click Next.
  7. Add at least one Owner (usually office staff), then click Next.
  8. 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.
  9. After the group is created, open the new group and go to its Settings pane.
  10. Required: check Let people outside the organization email this team.
  11. Required: check Send copies of team emails and events to team members' inboxes.
  12. Go to Members → Add members.
  13. Add all task-force members (internal and external as available).
  14. Required: Add admin@sandiahomeowners.org as a member for archive continuity.
  15. Send a test email to the new group address and confirm delivery.
  16. Send the New Committee Or Task Force email after the group, membership, and any SharePoint site are tested.

Test after every change: whenever membership or a group setting changes, test the group again. You can add yourself temporarily, send a test message, and remove yourself afterward. If external delivery matters, you can also add a personal Gmail account temporarily, test it, and remove it when finished.

Done checklist

  • Group exists
  • Owners added
  • All members added
  • External email enabled
  • Inbox delivery enabled
  • admin@ added
  • Test email delivered after setup and after any later change

SOP B: Create a Shared Mailbox (Six Officer Roles Only)

Use this only for: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, ACC Chair, or CSC Chair. Shared mailboxes are a little fussy to administer, but officer history is important enough that SHHA keeps it this way.

Do not use this for: ordinary committee chairs, task-force leads, external volunteers, or general committee communication. Use the person's own account and the committee Microsoft Group instead.

Menu path: admin.microsoft.com → Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes → Add a shared mailbox

Step-by-step

  1. Confirm the role is one of the six officer roles above. If it is any other chair or lead, stop and use the committee mailing-list procedure.
  2. Click Add a shared mailbox.
  3. Enter the role name and address, such as president@sandiahomeowners.org.
  4. Save the mailbox, then open its details and choose Members → Edit → Add members.
  5. Add the incoming officer's licensed @sandiahomeowners.org account.
  6. Grant that account both Full Access and Send As. These are separate permissions; grant both.
  7. Send the Officer Shared Mailbox Access email with the direct role address and the wiki link.
  8. Ask the officer to sign in to Outlook with their own account and manually add the shared mailbox. It will not appear automatically in every Outlook setup.
  9. Test that the officer can open the mailbox, read an incoming test message, and send with the role address in the From field.
  10. Tell the officer to send official role correspondence from the role mailbox or copy it. The shared mailbox is the role's archive; a personal inbox is not.

Important notes

  • The officer does not log in directly to the shared mailbox. There is no separate shared-mailbox password to give them.
  • For current Outlook instructions, see Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook.
  • For a change of officer, remove the outgoing officer's permissions, grant the incoming officer both permissions, and test again.

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

  1. Decide destination first: should alias route to the group or the shared mailbox?
  2. For group destination:
    • Go to Teams & groups → Active teams & groups.
    • Select the group.
    • Open email settings and add alias address.
  3. For shared mailbox destination:
    • Go to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes.
    • Select mailbox.
    • Open email settings and add alias address.
  4. Save changes.
  5. 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

  1. Go to Users → Active users → Add a user.
  2. Enter name and username (first.last format).
  3. Generate temporary password and require password change at first sign-in.
  4. Assign correct M365 license.
  5. Finish adding user.
  6. Add user to appropriate groups/shared mailbox access as needed.
  7. Send the New Internal Staff User email after testing the account.

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

  1. Invite external user with personal email address.
  2. Ask them to accept Microsoft invitation email.
  3. After acceptance, add them to needed Microsoft Groups.
  4. Verify they receive test group email.
  5. Send the New External Volunteer email after testing access.

Send The Onboarding Email

After setup and testing are complete, choose the matching message from Office Onboarding Email Templates. Replace every placeholder and test every link before sending.

Final Validation (Do This Before You Tell the Office Contact Setup Is Complete)

  • Group email tested
  • Shared mailbox tested (if created)
  • Alias tested (if created)
  • admin@ included in group
  • Quick Links directory updated with new addresses
  • Office contact told setup is complete

Where To Go Next

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