Staff Roles & Permissions Explained: Who Can Do What in Sodalo

Last updated: January 2026

Understanding who can do what in Sodalo is important for keeping your organization's data secure while giving officers the access they need. This guide explains every staff role, what they can access, and how to assign the right roles to the right people.

Staff vs. Members: What's the Difference?

Members are people in your organization who have a profile in Sodalo. All members can:
- Log into the member portal (if their status is "active" or "honorary")
- View their own profile
- RSVP to events
- View the member directory (if enabled)
- Pay their own dues

Staff are officers or volunteers who help manage the organization. Staff members have access to the Staff Dashboard where they can:
- View and edit the full member roster
- Send email blasts
- Create and manage events
- Track dues and payments
- Change organization settings
- Export reports

Key point: Someone can be both a member AND staff. In fact, all staff members should first be added as regular members, then assigned a staff role.

The Six Staff Roles

Sodalo has six roles, each with different levels of access. Think of them as building blocks — higher roles can do everything lower roles can do, plus more.

From lowest to highest access:

1. Member (portal only — not staff)
2. Viewer (read-only staff access)
3. Treasurer (financial management)
4. Secretary (content and communication management)
5. Admin (full management)
6. Owner (billing and full control)

Let's break down each role:

1. Member (Portal Only)

Who this is for: All members of your organization

What they can access:
- Member portal (if their status is "active" or "honorary")
- Their own profile (view and edit basic info)
- Organization events calendar
- Member directory (if your organization enables it)
- Ability to RSVP to events
- Ability to pay their own dues online

What they CANNOT do:
- Access the Staff Dashboard
- View other members' full profiles
- Send email blasts
- Edit organization information
- See financial data

Typical use: This is every regular member of your organization.

2. Viewer

Who this is for: Board members or observers who need visibility but shouldn't make changes

What they can access:
- Everything a Member can do, PLUS:
- Staff Dashboard access
- View the full member roster
- View member contact information
- View events (staff view with full details)
- View organization settings (but can't change them)

What they CANNOT do:
- Edit members or add new members
- Send email blasts
- Create or edit events
- See financial information (dues, payments)
- Export the member roster
- Change any settings

Typical use:
- Board members who need visibility into membership
- Nominating committee members reviewing membership
- Auditors or observers

Why it's useful: Gives visibility without risk of accidental changes.

3. Treasurer

Who this is for: Your organization's treasurer or finance officer

What they can access:
- Everything a Viewer can do, PLUS:
- View and manage dues rates
- Create and send invoices
- Record payments (check, cash, Stripe)
- View payment history
- View financial dashboard (revenue collected, outstanding dues)
- Export QuickBooks-compatible reports
- Connect and manage Stripe account
- Add private notes to members (e.g., "Spoke with them about late payment")

What they CANNOT do:
- Add or edit members
- Send email blasts to members
- Create or edit events
- Export the member roster
- Change organization settings

Typical use:
- Treasurer
- Finance committee chair

Why this role exists: Keeps financial data separate. Your treasurer doesn't need to manage events or send emails — they just need to track who's paid and who hasn't.

4. Secretary

Who this is for: Your organization's secretary or communications officer

What they can access:
- Everything a Viewer can do, PLUS:
- Add new members
- Edit existing members (name, email, phone, address, status)
- Delete members (change status to "resigned" or "deceased")
- Send email blasts to members
- Create and edit events
- Manage event RSVPs and volunteer shifts
- Upload and manage meeting minutes
- Export the member roster (CSV or PDF)
- Add private notes to members

What they CANNOT do:
- View or manage financial information (dues, payments)
- Change organization settings (logo, name, colors)
- Assign staff roles
- Access billing or subscription settings

Typical use:
- Secretary
- Membership chair
- Communications officer

Why this role exists: Secretaries manage members and communication but don't need access to financial systems.

5. Admin

Who this is for: Presidents, vice presidents, or senior officers who manage the organization

What they can access:
- Everything a Secretary can do, PLUS:
- Everything a Treasurer can do, PLUS:
- Change organization settings (name, logo, colors, contact info)
- Assign staff roles to other members
- Create and manage custom fields
- Configure member directory visibility
- Enable/disable features
- Export all organization data (full backup)

What they CANNOT do:
- Manage billing or subscription (upgrade/downgrade plan)
- Delete the organization

Typical use:
- President
- Vice President
- Charter Holder (in some organizations)

Why it's the most common "high-level" role: Admins can do everything needed to run the organization day-to-day, but can't accidentally cancel the subscription or delete the org.

6. Owner

Who this is for: The person ultimately responsible for the organization's account

What they can access:
- Everything an Admin can do, PLUS:
- Manage billing and subscription (upgrade, downgrade, cancel)
- Update payment method
- View invoices and payment history
- Delete the organization (with 30-day grace period)

What makes it different from Admin:
- Owner has financial responsibility for the Sodalo subscription
- Only one person typically has this role
- Can assign other Admins who have full management access without billing access

Typical use:
- President
- Treasurer (in some organizations)
- Charter Holder
- Whoever is paying for the subscription

Important: You can have multiple Admins but typically only one Owner. If your president changes, you can transfer the Owner role to the new president.

Permission Matrix (Quick Reference)

Here's what each role can do:

How to Assign Staff Roles

Step 1: Make sure they're a member first

Before you can assign a staff role to someone:
1. They must have a member profile in your roster
2. Add them as a member if they're not already in the system

Step 2: Assign the role

1. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Staff tab
2. Under "Assign Roles," start typing the person's name
3. Select them from the dropdown
4. Choose their role(s):
5. Owner
6. Admin
7. Secretary
8. Treasurer
9. Viewer
10. Click "Assign Role"

They'll receive an email notification that they've been given staff access.

Step 3: They log in

The person logs in using the email address in their member profile. They'll now see the Staff Dashboard when they log in.

Can Someone Have Multiple Roles?

Yes! You can assign multiple roles to the same person.

Common combinations:

Secretary + Treasurer
- Good for small organizations where one person handles both
- They can manage members, send emails, AND track finances

Admin + Treasurer
- President who also wants access to financial reports
- Full management access plus financial visibility

Admin + Secretary
- Vice President who helps with day-to-day operations
- Can do everything except billing

Why multiple roles:
- Small organizations with few volunteers
- Officers who wear multiple hats
- Transition periods (outgoing treasurer training incoming treasurer)

How it works:
- Person gets the highest level of access from any role they hold
- Example: If someone is both Viewer and Treasurer, they have Treasurer access (which is higher)

Changing or Removing Staff Roles

To update someone's roles:

1. Go to Settings → Staff tab
2. Find them in the Staff Members list
3. Click "Update Roles"
4. Check or uncheck roles
5. Click "Save"

To remove all staff access:

1. Go to Settings → Staff tab
2. Find them in the Staff Members list
3. Click "Update Roles"
4. Uncheck all roles
5. Click "Save"

They'll lose access to the Staff Dashboard immediately but keep their member portal access (if they're active/honorary).

When to remove roles:
- Officer terms end
- Someone steps down from a position
- Restructuring leadership
- Security concerns

Transferring Ownership

If your president or owner changes, you can transfer the Owner role:

Option 1: Owner transfers directly

1. Current Owner goes to Settings → Staff
2. Assigns Owner role to the new person
3. (Optional) Removes their own Owner role

Option 2: Contact support

If the current Owner is unavailable (left the organization, lost access):
- Email [email protected] with:
- Your organization name
- Proof you're authorized to make this change
- Email address of the new owner
- We'll help transfer ownership

Common Scenarios & Recommended Roles

Small Organization (20-50 members)

President: Admin or Owner
- Full management access
- Can assign other officers as needed

Secretary/Treasurer: Admin or Secretary + Treasurer
- One person handles both roles
- Full operational access

Board Members: Viewer (optional)
- Read-only visibility for oversight

Medium Organization (50-200 members)

President: Owner or Admin
Vice President: Admin
Secretary: Secretary
Treasurer: Treasurer
Membership Chair: Secretary (or Viewer if they don't need to edit)
Board Members: Viewer

Large Organization (200+ members)

President: Owner
Vice Presidents: Admin
Secretary: Secretary
Assistant Secretary: Secretary
Treasurer: Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer: Treasurer
Committee Chairs: Viewer (read-only access for reports)
Membership Coordinator: Secretary (if they add new members)

Security Best Practices

Only assign roles to people who need them
- Don't make everyone an Admin "just in case"
- Use Viewer role for people who just need to see data
- Remove roles when terms end

Use Admin instead of Owner for most officers
- Owner can delete the organization
- Admin has full management without that risk
- Reserve Owner for the person with ultimate responsibility

Review staff access annually
- When officer elections happen, update roles
- Remove access for outgoing officers
- Add access for incoming officers

Keep your member list up to date
- Staff roles are tied to member records
- If someone's email changes, update their member profile
- Inactive members shouldn't have staff access

Don't share login credentials
- Each person should have their own account
- Don't share passwords
- If someone leaves unexpectedly, you can revoke their specific access

Troubleshooting

"I assigned a role but they can't see the Staff Dashboard"
- Verify they're logging in with the email address in their member profile
- Have them log out and log back in
- Check that the role was actually saved (go to Settings → Staff and confirm)

"I can't assign a role to someone"
- Make sure they have a member profile first
- Only Admins and Owners can assign roles
- Make sure you have Admin or Owner access yourself

"Someone has the wrong level of access"
- Check all roles assigned to them (they might have multiple)
- Their access is based on the highest role
- Remove or update roles as needed

"The Owner left the organization and we can't access billing"
- Email [email protected] with proof of authorization
- We'll help transfer ownership
- Include: org name, new owner email, documentation of authorization

"Can a member see who has staff access?"
- No, regular members cannot see who has staff roles
- Only staff members can see the staff list
- This is intentional for privacy and security

Need Help?

If you're not sure which roles to assign, or you have a unique organizational structure:

Email us: [email protected]

We're happy to recommend a setup that works for your organization.