Google Voice and Gmail for an organization
April 26, 2015 4:06 PM   Subscribe

How can I set up a Google account (Gmail and Google Voice) for a community organization?

I belong to a community organization whose board of directors changes every year. Instead of using the membership chairperson's own phone number on our website, flyers, etc., we'd like to set up a Google Voice number that can be re-routed to the new chairperson each year (or to an alternate committee member if the chair is on vacation or otherwise unavailable). We also need a Gmail address.

I know I need to set up a new Google account, but the page for creating one asks for a first and last name. There doesn't seem to be an option for an organization name.

I found this page but it doesn't say how to set up a Google Voice account for an organization. Do I need to divide the organization name into the First and Last Name fields? This might be difficult as the org name consists of five words.

I read the Terms of Service and don't see anything that says that one needs to be an actual person to set up a Google account. Have you done this for an organization? If so, what procedure worked for you.

Note: The organization is located in the U.S. but is not an official non-profit (501C3?). We give our surplus funds to a charity chosen each year but have decided not to go through the hassle of requesting non-profit status.
posted by Joleta to Computers & Internet (2 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Have you considered Google Apps for Work? ($5/user/month for the basic model), but it'll give you flexibility if you want to have more than one user. This is basically what you're looking for if you want to be an organization on Google. The general account is usually for an individual, which is why you see a single name.

Otherwise, I think you should just create an account and choose a logical first and last name. If your business has an acronym, then I'd call it "ACRONYM Organization" or "ACRONYM Administrator" or "ACRONYM Manager" or "ACRONYM Communications"
posted by miasma at 4:35 PM on April 26, 2015


If your organization is a registered non-profit, Google Apps is free.
posted by zsazsa at 6:03 PM on April 26, 2015


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