WELCOME to the npogroups.org list and groupware server, a project of Electric Embers, powered entirely by open source software:

• FreeBSD OS
• Postfix mail software
• Sympa listserver/groupware
• MHonArc Web archiver
• Mailscanner, SpamAssassin, and ClamAV for virus and spam protection.

Find out about service details and pricing.

If you're interested in a custom domain for your organization, you can look at this example:

lists.ynpn.org

You can always contact us at help@electricembers.net.

Administration:
If you have an Electric Embers billing account (not just an NPOGroups login) and need help managing groups, please see the NPOGroups Administrator's Guide

Logins:
To create your own groups or access private groups to which you belong, you must first create an account and login, either at npogroups.org, or at lists.yourdomain.org if you have a Custom NPOGroups domain. We require nothing other than your email address, and if you guard that carefully you might be interested in our Privacy Policy. If you have already subscribed to a group, then you already have an account and a password, which you should have been sent when you joined; if you have no idea what it is, just click the Request password box on the login page and it will be sent to you.

Note on address changes: To change the email address that is subscribed to group, go to your Preferences page. This will change your subscribed address on all groups on this server.

Group Creation:
Those who have signed up for an NPOGroups account from Electric Embers will see the Create Group button in the top menu after signing in. If you want to create groups, you need to Sign Up for an account. If you haven't done that, you won't be able to create groups. If you're just looking to test out the system, then you will still need to fill out the Sign Up form, and we will give you an account in the testing domain, where you can create your test groups.

Once you have an account, login and click the Create Group button. That takes you to the group creation page, where you can choose the basic initial settings for the group; everything except the group name (and owner) can be changed later from the Group Settings area. After you submit the form, you will be able to fully configure and customize the group immediately, but the list will not be active until the creation request is approved by us. We generally do this quickly, and you will receive notification.

Notifications for Owners and Moderators:
Sympa can keep you informed about all kinds of activity on the group, depending on the settings you choose. It can inform you of subscribe/unsubscribe requests (with or without requiring approval), list messages requiring moderation, or too many messages bouncing from subscriber addresses. Notifications of subscription requests or list messages that require approval will include embedded links to special email addresses for approving or rejecting the request by email; you can also choose to perform these approval functions through the Web site. A group can be assigned any number of different owners (those who have the ability to change group settings) and different moderators (those who have the ability to approve or reject moderated postings), and they will all receive the proper notifications.

Email Commands:
Most list functions (for users and admins) are available by email as well as through the Web, and a few things are best done or only done via email commands. Please see the Sympa Email Command Guide.

Customization:
Almost everything about a group, including its Web page and automatically generated administrative messages, can be customized through the owner's administration page. On an entirely different level, almost everything about the entire site, from the colors to the layout to the contents of the main page, can be customized if you have us create a custom domain within your organization's domain, like lists.yourdomain.org instead of npogroups.org (or, if you prefer, yourdomain.npogroups.org). Please ask if you want details about running your groups in a custom domain.

Other Technical Questions:
Please see the NPOGroups Administrator's Guide first if you have questions about other technical issues, such as importing subscribers or accepting subscriptions through your Web site. If you don't find the answers there, please write us.

Subscriber, moderator and owner documentation

In this documentation, you will find:

• a general introduction to mailing lists;
• a user guide about the use of Sympa;
• an administrator guide about the use of Sympa.

If you want to perform a particular task, take a look at the list of all available features in the mailing list management software Sympa.
If you experience any problem, please refer to the users FAQ or to the administrators FAQ.