What Shelter Mail does for a shelter team
Shelter Mail is a communication setup for shelters that need to move quickly between case intake, roster planning, donor follow-ups and referrals to social workers or health services. It gives each user a proper email address, shared calendars for shifts and interviews, and document spaces for forms, lists and reports. The goal is simple: keep the team organised even when the day is busy and phones are ringing.
It works well for child shelters, animal rescue groups, crisis accommodation, women’s shelters, faith-based care centres and community outreach offices. A manager can approve access, support staff can share notes and the admin team can keep records in one place instead of across personal inboxes and WhatsApp threads. That matters when turnover is high and new staff need to settle in fast.
Package sizes and setup options
Shelter Mail is available in small, medium and larger team setups, so you only pay for the capacity you need. A small shelter might need a few mailboxes for reception, admissions and management. A larger operation may need separate addresses for programmes, fundraising, casework and governance. The setup can be kept lean or expanded as the shelter grows.
- Starter setup: 3 to 5 mailboxes, shared calendar, basic document space.
- Team setup: 6 to 15 mailboxes, shared calendars, folder structure and contact imports.
- Multi-site setup: more than 15 mailboxes with admin controls, security review and training.
Each setup can include domain linking, mailbox setup, calendar setup, document space setup and mobile device setup. If your shelter already has an existing address book or old mail system, contacts and folders can be moved across with care so you do not lose donor records or case history.
Where Shelter Mail suits best
This product suits shelters that depend on steady coordination between staff, volunteers and outside service providers. If your team deals with admissions after hours, transport bookings, court dates, school updates or donor collections, shared tools help everyone stay on the same page. It also suits offices that have several people working from different locations, including satellite care points and outreach centres.
Across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria and Bloemfontein, shelters often work with limited staff and changing rosters. Shared calendars help with handovers between day and night shifts. Document spaces help store intake forms, funding reports and policy documents in a controlled way. It is also useful where municipal compliance, fire safety visits or social development reporting needs to be tracked carefully.
- Admissions and intake teams
- Donor and fundraising coordinators
- Programme managers and social workers
- Volunteer supervisors and shift leads
- Small admin offices with mixed on-site and remote work
Installation, access and power considerations
Setup is usually straightforward. We handle domain linking, mailbox creation, calendar setup and the transfer of contacts if needed. Staff can then access mail on laptops, tablets and phones, which is useful when the office is short on benchtop computers or people need to work off-site. Mobile device setup can be included so users can stay connected while travelling between sites or attending meetings.
For shelters in areas affected by load-shedding, the key point is reliable internet and backup power for the router and any core office equipment. If the connection drops, staff still need to know where to pick up cases when power returns. A small UPS for the router and modem can make a big difference. In coastal areas like Cape Town, Durban and nearby towns, it also helps to keep devices dry and protected from humidity, especially in rooms without strong ventilation.
- Internet connection with enough stability for message and file access
- Backup power for router, modem and core office devices
- Admin access for the main contact person
- Clear list of users, aliases and shared addresses before go-live
Care, servicing and support after go-live
Shelter Mail is meant to be easy to manage, but a little maintenance keeps everything tidy. That includes checking mailbox access, removing users who have left, reviewing shared folders and updating passwords when staff change. Security reviews are useful for shelters because personal data, donor records and case notes must be handled carefully.
Ongoing admin help can be arranged for teams that do not have their own IT staff. Training can cover basic inbox use, calendar sharing, document permissions and handover steps for shift changes. If a volunteer or new hire is unfamiliar with shared folders, one short session usually saves a lot of back-and-forth later on, and it reduces mistakes.
- Regular access checks for current staff only
- Folder and calendar clean-up after staffing changes
- Password updates and permission reviews
- Refresher training for new team members
What to review before you choose Board Mail
Before ordering Shelter Mail, confirm how many people need mailboxes, who should share calendars and which documents need shared access. It helps to list all active addresses, any old mail system you use now, and whether you need contact imports from spreadsheets or a previous account. Also decide who will manage admin tasks day to day, because one clear owner makes support much easier.
Check whether you need separate addresses for shelter programmes, fundraising, reception and management. If the team works across branches or outreach points, say that upfront so the structure can be planned properly. You should also think about how staff use phones in the field, whether they need training, and if there are any internal rules around donor data or client confidentiality. A proper handover saves time, and avoids confusion once the team starts using it.
Key facts
| Primary use | Message, shared calendars and document collaboration for shelter operations |
|---|---|
| Team size | 3 to 15+ users, with scalable mailbox options |
| Included setup | Domain linking, mailbox setup, calendar setup and document space setup |
| Migration support | Mail migration, contact imports and admin handover available |
| Access | Benchtop, laptop and mobile device access |
| Support areas | Observatory, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria and Bloemfontein |
