Orchestra allows companies to send shareholder communications from within the platform and notifies shareholders by email when communications are published. Once published, they will also be accessible from within the platform by both company administrators and shareholders, fulfilling the legal requirement to do so.
To create and send shareholder communications, you will need to be logged in and have access as a company administrator to make any changes. From your left side menu click 'Communications'.
To create a new communication click the 'Create communication' button.
Audience
'Audience group' is one of the most important selections you can make:
All Stakeholders & Administrators - all stakeholders and administrators are notified by email of the communication and can view the communication on Orchestra. 'Stakeholders' includes your shareholders, associates and option holders.
Administrator only - only administrators are notified by email of the communication.
Optionholders - only option holders are notified by email of the communication and can view the communication on Orchestra.
Associates - only associates are notified by email of the communication and can view the communication on Orchestra.
Shareholders or Members - only shareholders are notified by email of the communication and can view the communication on Orchestra.
If you have set up your own 'Audience groups' (under the main menu 'Administration' > 'Audience groups') then these can also be selected for communications.
The 'Audience group' that is selected when you publish your communication is applied, and email notifications are sent out to these people only.
⚠️ Note: The 'Audience group' of a communication cannot be edited after it has been published. To change your audience group you can delete your communication and create a new one. If a stakeholder tries to access the deleted communication they will see a message that the communication has been deleted.
Write your communication
Add a 'Title' to the communication. The title is included in the subject of the email notification to the audience.
For example, if your company name is Conductr Limited and your communication title is AGM recording, then the subject of the email notification will be:
New communications from Conductr Limited: AGM recording
Add the 'Description' (body text) of your communication. This is the communication text and is not included inside the email notification (it is revealed by clicking a button in the email notification to open the communication).
You can attach documents, including selecting from your Document Vault, to the communication.
⚠️ Note: The 'Audience group' permissions of your folder will need to match the audience group permissions of the communication you're creating. For example, if you're creating a communication to 'Shareholders' then you will only be able to link to folders that are viewable by 'Shareholders'.
Personalise your communication notification email
Your company's banner logo is used to brand the communication notification email and is generally added to your 'Company details' page by the Orchestra team during your onboarding.
View your company's email logo (banner logo) via the menu option for 'Administration' > 'Company details'. For best results upload a 400 x 160 pixel version of your logo.
Your communication notification email can be personalised by entering a:
'From' name (eg. your Founder or CEO's name)
'Reply-to' email (eg. your company contact email address for investors)
Message
Preview the notification email
Click the 'Preview' button to see what your email notification to stakeholders will look like. Note that Orchestra does not send the contents of your communication, only a link to the communication (and associated documents) stored safely on Orchestra.
Save your communication to work on it later
If your communication isn't ready to send yet you can click 'Save and preview' and see a preview of how your communication looks. Click the 'Continue editing' button to make changes.
If you do not want to send a communication notification email then toggle 'Send communication' off (it's on by default).
Once you have finished creating the communication, click 'Publish and send'. Orchestra will send email notifications based on the 'Audience group', to notify that a new communication can be viewed.
The Communication email notification has a link to the specific communication in Orchestra. For security purposes, the link can be used to access the communication twice before a login is required. The link only allows access to the relevant communication and any attached documents.
To view which of your shareholders has opened your communication, see: