Decoding SharePoint Roles: What Nonprofits Should Know About Site Memberships

If you've ever clicked into the "Memberships" tab of an active site in the SharePoint Admin Center, you’ve probably seen a confusing mix of roles like:

• Owners
• Members
• Site Admins
• Site Owners
• Site Members
• Site Visitors

For many nonprofits—especially those without dedicated IT staff—it’s hard to know who should have which role, and what each one actually does.

This guide breaks it down in plain language to help your team understand what these roles mean, where they come from, and how to manage them effectively and securely.

Getting Started: How to Access and Manage Site Memberships in the SharePoint Admin Center

Before we dive deeper into roles, let’s walk through how to actually get to the screen where all these memberships appear. If your nonprofit uses Microsoft 365 and you're tasked with managing access to SharePoint sites, you'll do most of that through the SharePoint Admin Center.

Here’s how to find and manage the memberships for your active sites:

1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Visit admin.microsoft.com and sign in with your admin account credentials.
2. In the left-hand menu, select "Show All" and then click on “SharePoint” under the “Admin centers” section.
   This will open the SharePoint Admin Center in a new tab.
   
   

    

3. From the left menu in the SharePoint Admin Center, click on “Active sites.”
   This will show you a list of all SharePoint sites associated with your tenant.
   
   

    

4. Find the site you want to manage and click on its name.
   This opens the details panel for that specific site.
   
   

    

5. Click the “Membership” tab at the top of the site detail panel.
   Here, you'll see different role groups—such as Owners, Members, Site Admins, Site Owners, Site Members, and Site Visitors—depending on how the site was created.
   
   

If your site is group-connected (such as one tied to Microsoft Teams), you’ll see both Microsoft 365 Group roles and SharePoint roles listed. For standalone sites, you’ll usually only see SharePoint-specific roles.

Now that you know how to get there, let’s take a closer look at what each of those roles means—and how to assign them responsibly.

Overview: What You'll See in the SharePoint Admin Center

Not all SharePoint sites are the same, and the roles you see in the Admin Center depend on how the site was created.

• Group-connected sites (like those created from Microsoft Teams or Microsoft 365 Groups):
  You’ll see Owners, Members, Site Admins, Site Owners, Site Members, and Site Visitors.
• Standalone collaboration or communication sites (created directly in SharePoint):
  You’ll typically only see Site Admins, Site Owners, Site Members, and Site Visitors.

Understanding which roles appear—and why—can help you assign access appropriately and avoid giving people more (or less) control than intended.

Microsoft 365 Group Roles

Owners

• These are Microsoft 365 Group Owners.
• Automatically have Site Owner permissions in SharePoint.
• Can manage group membership, delete the site, configure connected Teams settings, and more.

Best for: Program managers, team leads, or IT admins who need full control over the workspace.

Members

• These are Microsoft 365 Group Members.
• Automatically have Site Member permissions in SharePoint.
• Can upload, edit, and collaborate on content, but cannot change site settings.

Best for: Staff, volunteers, or partners actively contributing to projects and documents.

SharePoint Roles (Permission Groups)

Site Owners

• Have Full Control permissions within the SharePoint site.
• Can manage site structure, pages, permissions, and lists.
• If the site is group-connected, Group Owners will appear here automatically.

Site Members

• Have Edit permissions.
• Can upload and change content in libraries and lists but cannot adjust permissions.

Best for: Users who contribute content but don’t need site-wide control.

Site Visitors

• Have Read-only permissions.
• Can view pages and documents, but cannot make any changes.

Best for: Board members, donors, evaluators, or anyone who needs access to view materials without editing.

Site Admins

This role is specific to SharePoint and appears in both standalone and group-connected sites.

• Site Admins have full control over the site.
• They may not be part of the Microsoft 365 Group and are often added manually.
• Common for IT personnel or SharePoint coordinators who manage multiple sites.

Important: Site Admins can manage everything—even if they’re not listed as Owners.

Why It’s Confusing in the Admin Center

The SharePoint Admin Center displays both Microsoft 365 group roles and SharePoint permission groups, which can create confusion. Here's a simplified breakdown:

This overlap happens because Microsoft 365 and SharePoint use different systems to manage permissions, even though they’re integrated. Understanding the distinction helps prevent mismanagement of roles.

Best Practices for Nonprofits

1. Limit Site Owners – Only assign this role to those who manage structure, settings, or permissions.
2. Use Groups for Access Control – Add users to Microsoft 365 Groups or SharePoint groups rather than assigning roles individually.
3. Regularly Audit Permissions – Check who has access, especially after program cycles or staff changes.
4. Define Roles for New Users – Clarify expectations and access levels during onboarding.
5. Secure Guest Access – Monitor and remove external users after a project or program ends.

Understanding SharePoint roles in the Admin Center isn’t just about managing access—it’s about supporting your nonprofit’s mission. With the right people in the right roles, your team can collaborate effectively, protect sensitive data, and reduce risk.