Here at PCVS it does sometimes feel as if "Mr Green did it" (with no offence meant to the real Mr Green). Keeping in touch with the many voluntary sector groups in and around Peterborough can prove a real nightmare as email addresses so often go out of date - leaving us unable to contact people. Groups and people can simply vanish overnight - whereabouts unknown.

The great sadness of all this is that we know people put huge amounts of time and effort into setting up a group and then throw it all away by allowing their communications to go out of date.

Where smaller voluntary groups often go wrong is changing email addresses and not informing their wider network that the old address is no longer used. It may be that a volunteer has left (taking their email address with them), or that a group changes the free email that often comes with their ISP (Internet Service Provider). Whatever, when an email address stops working, or is retired, it can appear as if the Group has simply vanished off the face of the earth!

 

Here are some tips on how to avoid this situation:

 

Try to avoid using the 'free' email addresses that come as part of your internet package. These are the ones that often have the name of your internet company on the end. These are ok for personal, unimportant email but not for your Group. When you change your internet provider you will lose your email address!

Think about getting an internet domain name which can then be used to set up some email addresses. For instance, if your group is called "Making Peterborough Happy" consider getting a domain name called www.makingpeterboroughhappy.org.uk. You can then use this for email (admin@makingpeterboroughhappy.org.uk).

Think about using a googlemail or yahoo email address. These are free email addresses that will allow you to keep the same email address for a long time. Choose a name you are happy with and stick to it.

Don't keep changing the email address of your group or organisation when you 'feel like a change'. Every time you change your address you are potentially losing contact with someone.

Remember to tell people if you have to change your email address! It is amazing how many people simply don't think to tell us!

Appoint a Communications Officer who can tell other groups, funding agencies or networks when your email, telephone or postal address changes.

 

Remember, if you are a Peterborough Voluntary Group and you need some advice sbout setting up email then contact us. If we can't help we may know someone who can!