Adding and inviting members
Adding members one at a time or in bulk, linking people to organisations, and what happens when an invitation is sent.
This article is for the administrators who run an organisation's Portava portal.
Getting members in cleanly is mostly a matter of getting the data right before the invitations go out.
One at a time, or in bulk
Under Members in the admin area you can add an individual member with their name, email and organisation, or bring in your existing list in bulk.
For a bulk import, clean the spreadsheet first. Check that email addresses are correct, organisation names are consistent, and only current contacts are included. Every duplicate or dead address you import becomes a support question later.
People belong to organisations
The directory is built from organisations (companies) and the people in them. Create or import the organisation records first, then attach people to them. That way three colleagues from the same firm appear together under one listing rather than as three separate entries.
The organisation record carries the public-facing details, such as description, industry, location and contact.
What an invitation does
Adding a member creates their record. Inviting them sends the email that lets them set a password and sign in. The two steps are separate on purpose.
This means you can load your whole membership quietly, check the directory reads well, and then invite in batches. A wave of invitations into a well-stocked portal lands much better than a trickle into an empty one.
After they arrive
Watch the members area in the first weeks to see who has accepted and who has not. A reminder to non-joiners after a week or two is normal and effective. A personal note from you works better than an automated nudge.