Beyond Facebook: what the TARA can do better
Facebook stays as our megaphone. It just shouldn't be our filing cabinet, mailing list and ticket office as well.
| What we need | Facebook only | Microsoft 365 + gvtara.org + Eventbrite + Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Reaching residents who aren't on Facebook | ✕ Weak Only reaches people with an account, and only if the feed shows them the post. |
✓ Strong Public website anyone can open, newsletter to inboxes, printable pages, phone and walk-in options. |
| Official @gvtara.org email | ✕ Weak Free @outlook.com address and Messenger, often on someone's personal profile. |
✓ Strong chair@, secretary@, treasurer@ and info@gvtara.org, plus a shared inbox. |
| Keeping records when officers change | ✕ Weak Page admin rights and messages tied to individuals; history leaves with them. |
✓ Strong Accounts belong to the TARA. Hand a mailbox and files to the new officer in minutes. |
| Shared files and minutes | ~ Partly Files buried in posts and chats. No folders, permissions or version history. |
✓ Strong SharePoint library with version history; published by link on the Documents page. |
| Online and hybrid AGMs | ~ Partly Facebook Live lets people watch, but there's no attendance record or proper voting. |
✓ Strong Teams webinars with registration, Q&A and attendance reports; Forms for votes. |
| Surveys with exportable results | ~ Partly Simple polls only. Can't export or check that respondents are residents. |
✓ Strong Microsoft Forms and Mailchimp surveys, exported to Excel for council reports. |
| Event ticketing and attendance lists | ✕ Weak "Interested" and "Going" clicks, which aren't a real headcount. |
✓ Strong Eventbrite tickets, reminders, check-in and an attendee list for safety and funders. |
| Newsletters to an owned mailing list | ✕ Weak Followers belong to the platform; the algorithm decides who sees what. |
✓ Strong Mailchimp list the TARA owns and can export, with open rates and easy unsubscribe. |
| Data protection and ownership | ✕ Weak Residents' data sits on personal accounts under Meta's terms; hard to show UK GDPR compliance. |
✓ Strong TARA is clearly the data controller, with a privacy notice, access controls and retention rules. |
| Credibility with the council and funders | ~ Partly Looks informal; documents and accounts are hard to find. |
✓ Strong Own domain, role email, published constitution, minutes and accounts. |
Eventbrite for all events?
For
- Free events cost nothing to list
- Proper attendee lists and check-in
- Automatic confirmation and reminder emails
- Events appear in Eventbrite search, reaching new people
- Embeds on gvtara.org with a "Get tickets" button or checkout
Against
- Fees apply to paid tickets
- Attendee data sits on Eventbrite's platform
- Excludes residents without email or a smartphone
- So always keep a phone booking and walk-in option
Recommendation
- Create every event in Eventbrite.
- Link or embed it on gvtara.org.
- Share it to Facebook, Instagram, X and the WhatsApp group, and include it in the Mailchimp newsletter.
- Keep a paper list at the Hub and the phone line open for everyone else.
How it fits together
Events are created in Eventbrite and newsletters in Mailchimp. Both feed the gvtara.org website. The website and Eventbrite are shared out to Facebook, Instagram, X and the WhatsApp announcements group. Microsoft 365 sits behind all of them as the back office: email, Teams, SharePoint, Forms and Bookings.