Webmaster

On this page: Website support • Domain email • Facebook tips • Local visibility • Security & continuity • Action checklist

Website support for Posts and Districts

The Department Webmaster can build an agreed Post or District website, train a designated contact, and remain available for assistance. Confirm the support arrangements before work begins.

What your website should include

• Post or District name, number, location, directions, and reliable contact details.
• Meeting dates and times, current officers, membership information, and veteran programs.
• An accurate calendar of events with clear times, location, eligibility, cost, and a contact for questions.
• Optional news, photos, forms, or donation links when included in the agreed scope.

Agree on the details in writing: pages, features, training, timeline, and who will approve the final draft. Optional features are not automatically included.

Assistance is not automatically managed maintenance. Make sure someone has accepted each ongoing responsibility. Arrange secure account handoff rather than sending passwords through ordinary email or Facebook messages.

Use email addresses tied to your Post’s domain

A domain-specific address uses your Post’s own website name, such as commander@vfw123.org or info@vfw123.org. These are examples, not active mailboxes.

• Recognizable identity: a consistent Post address makes official communication easier to recognize and gives flyers, forms, and business cards a professional appearance.
• Continuity between officers: an address tied to a role can stay the same when leadership changes, with access transferred through a documented process.
• Separation from personal email: Post correspondence and records stay with the organization rather than being scattered across an officer’s personal accounts.
• Clear routing: publish a monitored general contact and use role addresses for membership, events, or officers when appropriate.

Buying a domain does not automatically create working email. Confirm which mailboxes or aliases are included, who administers them, renewal costs, and how incoming messages will be monitored. An alias or forwarding address is not always a separate mailbox.

Ask your email provider to configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly for your domain and authorized senders. These support email authentication; a custom address alone does not prevent phishing or guarantee inbox delivery. Use named accounts and delegated mailbox access rather than shared passwords. Use multifactor authentication where available and test both sending and receiving.

Post on Facebook with a clear purpose

Use the Post’s Facebook Page for public communication and keep its website, contact details, location, and hours consistent with your website. Give authorized people their own access rather than sharing one personal account password.

• Lead with what matters: identify the event or benefit in the first line. Include date, start/end time, address, cost, who may attend, and one clear action such as “View details” or “Volunteer.”
• Do more than upload a flyer: repeat important details in the caption so people can read them on a phone and with assistive technology. Add useful alt text to photos and captions to videos.
• Create a Facebook Event when appropriate: use a clear title, correct location/time, and a link to the website’s details. Update cancellations or changes in both places.
• Show the mission: share veteran assistance, volunteer work, scholarship programs, community partnerships, and member stories, with permission. Do not make the Page only a list of meals and fundraisers.
• Use authentic images: choose a sharp, relevant photo; check permission before sharing identifiable people, especially children or veterans receiving assistance. Avoid exposing private records in backgrounds.
• Keep a realistic schedule: plan regular updates, an event reminder, and a short follow-up thank-you. Use Meta Business Suite scheduling where available and review performance to learn what your audience finds useful.
• Respond professionally: monitor comments and messages, route sensitive matters to an approved private channel, and follow a consistent moderation policy. Do not argue publicly or promise services you cannot provide.

Make your Post easier to find

Your website is the central reference point. Social media and local listings should help people reach accurate information there.

• Keep the basics consistent: use the same Post name, number, address, phone, website, and public hours across your website, Facebook, and directory listings.
• Review your Google Business Profile if eligible: claim and verify the correct listing, maintain accurate details and special hours, and avoid duplicate profiles. Follow Google’s eligibility and representation guidelines.
• Write useful page titles: include the Post number and city naturally. Describe membership, services, and events in plain text rather than only in images or PDFs.
• Make mobile visitors’ next step obvious: provide easy-to-find directions, click-to-call contact details, membership information, and upcoming events.
• Ask for honest feedback: respond courteously to reviews without exposing private details. Never buy reviews or offer incentives for them.
• Build community connections: send accurate event information to local calendars, newspapers, radio stations, and partner organizations. Get permission before sharing someone else’s contact information or story.

Protect access and plan for officer turnover

Keep domain registration, hosting, email, website, Facebook, and listing access under documented Post control. Assign appropriate individual roles and keep recovery information current.

• Use unique passwords and multifactor authentication where available. Limit full administrative access to people who need it.
• Keep a secure account inventory: service, responsible officer, renewal date, billing owner, and recovery process. Do not put passwords in the inventory’s public version.
• Before officer transitions, transfer authorized access, confirm recovery methods, and remove access no longer needed. Keep a backup authorized contact.
• Assign website software updates, backups, restore testing, and outage response. A backup is useful only if someone knows how to recover the site.
• Treat unexpected “your Page will be deleted” or payment-change messages cautiously. Verify through the official service or a known contact before clicking or paying.
• Do not publish member rosters, service records, banking details, passwords, or confidential veteran-assistance information. Collect only the information a form needs.

Your first-month digital checklist

Start with accuracy and ownership, then build a sustainable routine.

1. Week 1: name a primary and backup contact; inventory accounts; confirm domain ownership, renewals, and recovery details.
2. Week 2: correct the website’s contact details, meetings, officers, membership information, and event calendar. Test it on a phone.
3. Week 3: align Facebook and eligible local listings; plan several useful posts; test contact forms and email delivery.
4. Week 4: review inquiries and engagement, remove outdated notices, confirm backup/maintenance responsibilities, and plan next month’s updates.

Helpful official resources

Use current, authorized VFW artwork and photos you have permission to publish. Follow National guidance rather than altering VFW marks.

• VFW marks and brand guidance
• Google: improve your local visibility
• Google email sender guidelines: authentication and delivery
• CISA: multifactor authentication tip sheet (PDF)
• W3C: writing accessible web content