Google Groups gives nonprofit organizations, community clubs, and other small groups, a perfect place to begin their online presence. The free service provides the tools to create a base for an organization, complete with threaded discussions, web page creation, and file upload areas to share media and documents with members.

If you have a look at Google Groups you’ll find heaps of Scout groups, sewing, swim clubs, car enthusiasts – you name it, there’s a group for it. Some are just public discussion groups, others are private groups set up by clubs that physically meet and operate.

The group can create discussions that are emailed out to all the members. Each member chooses how frequently they receive emailed discussions from the group. Group owners can also create pages of content related to their organization, upload files to share with their members, and control who can become a member. Lots of people use the service to communicate privately with their organization or club.

Anyone can start a Google Group, and do so for free.

Using Google Groups

As with all Google services, you first need a Google account. You can set up an account for free, and it only takes a few minutes. When you visit http://groups.google.com, click the Create Group button on the right and you will be taken to an account creation screen. From there you can begin the process of forming your own group, or joining others.

First, I’ll show you how to create your own group, update pages with your club or organization’s information, and how to manage the group. I’ll also show you how users can participate within the group.

How to Start a Group with Google Groups

Starting at the Google Groups page, click on the Create a group button.

1. Name your group, type a description, and determine the access level for you group.
   There are three access levels and they are explained well. Most non-profit groups would choose announcement only. In that way, the public can see your group, but only managers (people you assign) can change the content. But read the information on all three levels to choose the one best suited to your group.
   
   

   

2. Click Create my Group.
3. Enter the word verification.
4. Invite members by email address and craft an invitation letter. You can skip this step until a later time.
   
   

   

5. Once you finish this step, you will be taken to the main page of your Google Group.

The Dashboard for your group gives you the ability to modify all the settings about your group, create pages, invite members, and upload files. For the most part, you’ll use the dashboard to add extra pages to the group main page and to monitor members.