Access and Permissions FAQ

Quick answers to common questions about access control and permissions in Boardwise.

Why can't I see a meeting or document?

Access to meetings and documents depends on several factors:

For meetings:
- You must be invited as an attendee, OR
- You must be a member of the board/committee the meeting belongs to, OR
- You must be an Admin

For documents:
- Organization-wide documents require Member or Admin access
- Committee documents require membership in that specific committee
- Meeting documents require meeting invitation with "Full Access" level

If you should have access but cannot see something, contact your organization administrator to verify your role and group memberships.

How do I give someone access to just one meeting?

When editing a meeting, add the person as an attendee. This grants them access to that specific meeting without requiring any other organization access.

For external guests (one-time presenters, advisors):

1. Open the meeting and click Edit
2. In the attendees section, enter their email address
3. Choose their access level:
   • Full Access - Can view all meeting documents and the agenda
   • Agenda Only - Can see the meeting agenda but not download documents
4. Save the meeting

The guest receives an invitation email and can access the meeting. Their access automatically expires 30 days after the meeting ends.

What's the difference between organization roles and group roles?

Boardwise uses two separate role systems that work together:

Organization Roles

These control base-level access across the entire organization:

Role	Document Library	People Directory	Schedule Meetings	Manage Organization
Admin	Full access	Full access	Yes	Yes
Member	View only	View only	No	No
Guest	No access	No access	No	No

Members and Guests can still schedule meetings or add documents for a particular board or committee if their role in that group allows it.

Group Roles (Board/Committee)

These provide additional access within specific boards or committees:

Role	Manage Meetings	Upload Documents	Create Action Items	Votes
Chair	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Senior Vice Chair	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vice Chair	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Executive Chair	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Independent Lead Director	View only	View only	View only	Yes
Secretary	Yes, except cancelling	Yes	Yes	Yes
Treasurer	View only	Yes	View only	Yes
Immediate Past Chair	View only	View only	View only	Yes
Member	View only	View only	View only	Yes
Observer	View only	View only	View only	No
Staff	View only	View only	View only	No

See Assigning Board and Committee Roles for what each role is for.

Key principle: A person can have minimal organization-level access but full access to a specific committee. This is common for external advisors who are Guests at the organization level but Members of a specific committee.

Can someone be on multiple committees?

Yes. A person can belong to any number of boards and committees simultaneously. Each membership has its own role (Chair, Member, Observer, etc.) that determines their permissions within that group.

To add someone to multiple committees:

1. Go to People and select the person
2. Click Edit
3. In the Board & Committee Memberships section, click Add Board/Committee Membership
4. Select the committee and assign a role
5. Repeat for additional committees
6. Click Save

How do I check what someone can access?

To review a person's access:

1. Go to People and select the person
2. Their profile shows:
   • Organization Access - Their base access level (Admin, Member or Guest)
   • Board & Committee Memberships - Each group they belong to and their role in each
   • Meeting Attendance - Recent meetings they have been invited to

For committee-specific access, check their group memberships. A person can only see committee documents and meetings if they have an active membership in that committee.

Why can a Guest see committee documents?

Guests by default cannot see organization-wide documents or the people directory. However, if a Guest has been added as a member of a specific committee, they gain access to that committee's meetings and documents.

This is intentional and common for external advisors:

Example: An outside legal counsel might be:
- Organization role: Guest (cannot see general documents or directory)
- Finance Committee role: Member (full access to Finance Committee materials)

This setup gives them exactly the access they need for their advisory role without exposing them to unrelated board materials.

How do I revoke someone's access immediately?

For immediate access removal, you have several options:

Block Access (Most Immediate)

This prevents login immediately while preserving all records:

1. Go to People and select the person
2. Click Edit
3. Click Block Access

Use this for security concerns when you need immediate effect.

Remove from Organization

This ends all affiliations while preserving historical records:

1. Go to People and select the person
2. Click Edit
3. Click Remove from Organization

This ends their role and all group memberships as of today. Their past meeting attendance and document views are preserved for audit purposes.

Archive

This hides the person from the directory and active lists:

1. Go to People and select the person
2. Click Edit
3. Click Archive

Archived people cannot log in but can be restored later if needed.

Who can see the people directory?

The people directory is visible to Admins and Members:

• Admin - Yes
• Member - Yes
• Guest - No

Guests cannot see the people directory. This protects board member information from external participants who only need access to specific meetings or committees.

Can I restrict document downloads?

Yes. Document downloads can be controlled at two levels:

Organization-Wide Setting

Administrators can enable or disable document downloads for the entire organization. When disabled, users can view documents online but cannot download them.

Per-Meeting Access Levels

For individual meetings, each attendee can be set to:

• Full Access - Can view and download all meeting documents
• Agenda Only - Can see the meeting agenda but cannot view or download attached documents

To set per-attendee access:

1. Open the meeting and click Edit
2. In the attendees list, click the document icon next to each attendee
3. Toggle between Full Access and Agenda Only
4. Save your changes

How do meeting invitations affect access?

Meeting invitations create a direct access grant that works independently of organization and group roles:

What an invitation grants:
- Ability to see the meeting in their calendar and meeting list
- Access to meeting documents (if "Full Access" level is set)
- Ability to RSVP and participate

What an invitation does NOT grant:
- Access to other meetings in the same board/committee
- Access to the document library
- Access to the people directory

For meeting-only guests:

When someone is invited to a meeting without any other organization affiliation:
- They can access only that specific meeting and its documents
- Their access automatically expires 30 days after the meeting ends
- They cannot see other organization content

This makes it safe to invite external presenters, auditors, or one-time guests without worrying about over-permissioning.

Related Articles

• Corporate Secretary FAQ
• Understanding Organization Roles
• Assigning Board and Committee Roles
• Adding Members to Your Organization