Targeting recipients on a custom list

When you create a custom mailing list (Admin > Communication > Mailing Lists), the Who receives section controls who actually gets messages.

All members

Forwards to every active member of the troop. This is essentially a duplicate of the auto-managed all@ list — useful only if you want a different name or different "Who can post" rules.

Specific people

Opens a searchable picker. Type a name to filter, then check each person you want on the list.

A few useful patterns:

• Your leadership council. Combine people from several positions for a Scouts BSA plc@ list. For a single position, you don't need a custom list: leadership positions get their own automatically.
• Committee members. Make a committee@ that includes only the chartered committee, not every parent.
• Cohort lists. "Crossing-over Webelos" or "Eagle candidates" — anything that doesn't map cleanly onto a den or patrol.

What if a member's role changes?

Custom-list recipients are a static list of user IDs. If someone leaves the troop or changes role, they stay on the list until you remove them — recipient lists are not auto-pruned.

For "always the current leaders" semantics, prefer an auto-managed list (when one exists) or revisit your custom list periodically.

Lists made of other lists

Choose Other lists to build a list out of lists you already have, plus any individual people you want to add. A leadership@ list made of youth-leaders@ and adult-leaders@ stays current by itself as people change positions.

• One copy each. Someone on several of the included lists gets one copy.
• Up to three levels. A list can include a list that includes another list, and no deeper. A list can't end up including itself.
• Who can post. A list can't be more open than the strictest list inside it, and the form won't offer anything looser. To make an included list stricter, make the list that includes it stricter first.
• Deleting. A list that's included in another can't be deleted until you take it out of that list. If an auto-managed list goes away on its own, such as when a patrol is removed, it's skipped and marked in the editor so you can take it out.
• Scouts. On troops with Scout email turned on, a Scout only receives the message if both this list and the included list reach youth. Parents always get their copy.

Reply behavior

Replies to a list message go back to the list, so every recipient sees them. If you want a private reply, address it to the original sender directly.