Site Owner Training

What you're responsible for — and how to handle each part with AI

Everything you are responsible for as a charity site owner — at operator depth. You don’t need certifications; you need to understand each area and handle it safely with your AI assistant, and know when to ask FFC for help.

Operator level — no certification required
Operator level. Understand the fundamental and do it safely with your AI assistant — no certification needed.You don't need to become a Microsoft administrator or a developer — but you shouldn't miss the fundamentals either. Each area below tells you what you own and the safe way to handle it. FFC volunteers go deeper (Practitioner and Administrator levels with certifications); you can too if you ever want to.

What you're responsible for

Accounts & AccessThe logins that prove the website and email are yours.Building with AIThe one skill that powers everything above.Website ContentEverything visitors read and see on your pages.Publishing & DeployHow your changes go from “approved” to live.Domains & DNSYour web address — and the email that depends on it.Email & Microsoft 365Your charity’s email and Microsoft 365 account.Security & TrustKeeping your site and accounts safe.Governance & PrivacyStaying compliant, accessible, and trustworthy.Analytics & SEOOptionalKnowing who visits and being findable in search.

Accounts & Access

The logins that prove the website and email are yours.

Your goal: Hold secure accounts and the access you need — nothing more.

  • Create a free GitHub account and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). (github.com/signup)
  • Request access to your charity’s repository and accept the invitation (you’re added as a writer). (Before you start)
  • Sign in to Microsoft 365 and turn on MFA; store your recovery codes somewhere safe.

Building with AI

The one skill that powers everything above.

Your goal: Describe what you want, review it, and approve — let the agent do the work.

  • Describe changes in plain English; the assistant figures out the technical steps.
  • Always read the summary of what changed before you approve.
  • When you’re unsure or something looks wrong, ask the assistant to explain — or escalate to FFC. (Site Owner walkthrough)

Website Content

Everything visitors read and see on your pages.

Your goal: Make everyday content changes by describing them to your AI assistant.

  • Walk through one real change end to end (text, photo, contact info). (Make your first edit)
  • Keep the cookbook handy for the changes you’ll make most often. (Common Edits Cookbook)
  • Habit: make one change at a time and read it before approving.

Publishing & Deploy

How your changes go from “approved” to live.

Your goal: Approve changes confidently and know when they’re live.

  • Learn the publish flow: review what changed, approve, and it goes live automatically. (See your change and publish it)
  • Set expectations: checks run for a minute or two, then your live site updates within a few minutes. Refresh to see it.
  • If a check fails, nothing went live — ask your assistant to read the error and fix it.

Domains & DNS

Your web address — and the email that depends on it.

Your goal: Understand your domain and keep it healthy, without breaking anything.

  • Know your domain name and that it must be renewed (usually yearly). Confirm who renews it — FFC or your charity — so it never lapses.
  • Understand at a high level that DNS records point your web address at your site and route your charity email. Your site is mapped through Cloudflare to GitHub Pages.
  • Don’t edit DNS records yourself. If something needs changing, ask your AI assistant to explain it and have an FFC admin make the change.
  • Red flag: if your site won’t load or email suddenly stops, suspect DNS or an expired domain and escalate to FFC right away.

Email & Microsoft 365

Your charity’s email and Microsoft 365 account.

Your goal: Operate your charity email safely day to day.

  • Know that your charity email lives in Microsoft 365, and turn on MFA — this is the single most important step for protecting it.
  • Understand the difference between a mailbox (a real account someone signs into) and an alias (another address that lands in an existing mailbox).
  • Need a new mailbox, alias, or license? Request it from your FFC admin rather than guessing in the admin center.
  • Stay alert to phishing: never enter your password from an email link, and never share MFA codes. (Microsoft 365 basics)

Security & Trust

Keeping your site and accounts safe.

Your goal: Build safe habits and understand the automatic safety checks.

  • Turn on MFA/2FA everywhere — GitHub and Microsoft 365.
  • Never paste passwords or secret keys into the chat, your website, or GitHub.
  • Understand the checks: a green check means a change is safe to publish; a red one means it did not go live — ask your assistant to fix it.
  • Security alerts (Dependabot/CodeQL) may appear on your repository. Your AI assistant can read and resolve most of them — ask it to.
  • If you think an account is compromised, change the password, confirm MFA, and tell FFC immediately.

Governance & Privacy

Staying compliant, accessible, and trustworthy.

Your goal: Keep required policies current and publish responsibly.

  • Your site has a privacy policy and cookie notice. Keep them accurate when what you collect changes — ask your assistant to update them.
  • Accessibility matters: ask your assistant to add descriptive alt text to images and keep color contrast readable.
  • Remember your site is public. Only post board minutes or documents your board approved for public release. (Board minutes caveat)

Analytics & SEO

Optional

Knowing who visits and being findable in search.

Your goal: See your traffic and keep your basic search presence healthy.

  • Ask your assistant to show you how many people visit and which pages are popular.
  • Basic SEO (page titles and descriptions) is handled for you — ask your assistant to review it when you add pages.

Where to next