Reassigning a Role-Based Email Address

Some organisations use generic or role-based email addresses — such as ceo@example.com, treasurer@example.com, chair@example.com, or info@example.com — that are passed from one person to the next when leadership changes.

When a new person takes over a role, they may find that the email address is already tied to the previous person's Our Cat Herder account. This means the old person's name still appears on the account, and the new person cannot use that email to create or update their own account.

Do Not Just Change the Name

It may be tempting to simply edit the first and last name on the existing account to match the new person. Do not do this. The account carries all of the previous person's history — meeting attendance, actions, decisions, and more. Changing the name would attribute all of that history to the new person, mixing two people's data on a single account. Instead, follow the steps below to free up the email address and assign it to the new person's own account, so each person's data stays separate.

Why This Happens

Each email address in Our Cat Herder can only belong to one account at a time. When the original person was added to the portal using the role-based email, it became permanently linked to their account — even after they leave the role or the organisation. The email does not automatically transfer to a new person.

How to Fix It

You need to free up the email address from the old account so it can be used on the new person's account. This is done by changing the email on the old account to something else.

The full steps are covered in the Free Up an Email Address section of the Duplicate Accounts guide.

In summary:

1. Go to Members and find the member entry that has the role-based email
2. Open their profile and click the pencil icon next to their email address
3. Change the email to something else — for example, add +old before the @ symbol (e.g. ceo+old@example.com)
4. Once saved, the original email address is now free
5. Update the new person's account to use the now-available email address, either by editing their profile or by having them add it via My Details

Can't See the Pencil Icon?

The pencil icon to edit a member's email is only available if the member is linked to a single portal. If the member belongs to multiple portals, contact Our Cat Herder support at support@ourcatherder.com and ask them to make the change.

Should I Remove the Old Person First?

It depends on the situation:

Situation	Recommended approach
The old person has left the organisation entirely and their account is no longer needed on any portal	Free up the email (steps above), then remove them from the portal if appropriate
The old person is staying on the portal in a different role	Free up the email and update their account to use their personal email address instead
The new person already has an account on your portal under a different email	Free up the role-based email, then update the new person's account to use it
The new person does not have an account yet	Free up the role-based email, then add the new person using the now-available email

Historical Data

Removing a member preserves their historical data (meeting attendance, actions, etc.) for audit purposes. If the old person has significant history on your portal, consider keeping their account under a different email rather than removing them.

Related

• Fixing Duplicate Accounts — the full guide to resolving duplicate accounts and freeing up email addresses
• Managing Portal Members — adding, removing, and managing members
• Update Your Email — how members change their own email address