How to Use Facebook for Your Film Society in 68 Questions

Because it helps with three problems that every film society has, and it can do so without adding another bill:

• Telling your members what is on — Facebook lets you publish a reminder, a change of venue or a last-minute notice immediately, unlike a printed program that can be lost or go out of date.
• Finding new members — word of mouth is the most effective, inexpensive promotion a film society has, and Facebook extends it: when a member shares your post, their friends see your society even if they never knew about it before.
• Keeping the society alive between screenings — Facebook gives you somewhere to continue the conversation after the lights come up and before the next screening begins.

There is a fourth reason: a society with no online presence is difficult for a newcomer to find. Facebook will not show every post to every follower, and it should not replace your email list or printed program — it’s one part of your publicity, but a useful part.

Yes — in fact, that’s one of the strongest reasons for choosing Facebook. You should use the service your members and likely members already understand, not the service that happens to be fashionable with people you’re not trying to reach. Australian research has consistently shown Facebook remains important to older users: the eSafety Commissioner reported 65% of Australians aged over 72 used Facebook, and DataReportal figures put Facebook’s advertising reach at 82.8% of Australian adults at the end of 2025. Your members’ adult children, friends and neighbours may see the Page too, and are often the people who notice a screening announcement and pass it on.

A website waits for people to visit it. Facebook can put a reminder in front of people while they’re looking at other things:

• A post may appear in a follower’s Feed without them remembering to look for your society.
• A member can share a post with friends, send it in Messenger, or mention another person in a comment.
• People can ask a question and get an answer in the same place, or tell you a link is broken.
• You can publish a correction immediately — no waiting to edit the website or print another flyer.
• A Page can be managed by more than one committee member, with scheduling and basic statistics.
• It’s designed for phones, so most people can read it without fighting a menu built for a computer.

This does not mean Facebook is better than a website at everything — a website is better for permanent information, complete programs, membership forms and policies. If you already have a website, keep it, and use Facebook to lead people towards it.

It cannot become the whole society. Six limitations to understand before you depend on it:

• You don’t own it — Meta controls the service and can change a menu, remove a feature, restrict a Page or lock a volunteer out of their account.
• It does not deliver every post to every follower — following a Page means somebody may receive its posts, not that they will.
• It’s a poor filing cabinet — new posts push old posts down the Page.
• It does not replace email — some members do not use Facebook, and your email list is the only audience list the society controls.
• It’s not the right place to keep private society records — never put a membership list, payment details or committee passwords on the Page or in a Group.
• It does not remove the rules that apply to film societies — a public Facebook post still has to describe a members-only, non-theatrical screening correctly (see Part 2).

Treat Facebook as your loudspeaker, not your filing cabinet. Keep the permanent record somewhere you control — even if that’s only a document held by the secretary and your society’s entry on the Federation website.

Nothing, unless you choose to pay for advertising. It’s free to create a Page, publish posts, reply to comments, receive messages, create a Group and look at basic results. Facebook will offer to let you Boost a post — that’s optional advertising, and a small test of $20 to $50 for one piece of publicity is enough for a local film society (see Part 7). There are two costs that don’t appear on a bill: a volunteer’s time, and the cost of losing access because only one person knew how the Page worked. Both stay small if the society uses a routine and gives Page access to at least two committee members.

Yes, but only if Facebook is treated as a small committee job rather than an endless creative exercise. A workable routine is:

• Once a month, spend about forty-five minutes writing and scheduling next month’s posts (Facebook allows posts to be scheduled 20 minutes to 29 days ahead).
• Once or twice a week, spend ten minutes checking messages and comments.
• Before each screening, check that the date, time, venue and membership wording are correct.
• After each screening, save one suitable photograph or piece of information for a future post.

That’s less than two hours in an ordinary month. Part 6 also gives you twenty-four posts that can be adapted rather than invented from scratch. Do not let one person become the society’s only key to the Page — at least two committee members should have access (see Part 5). We suggest adding Publicity and Social Media Officer to the committee roles in our article on starting a film society.

Yes, all of them. Nothing about your obligations changes because the publicity has moved from a shop window to a screen. Your society is still not-for-profit, screenings are still for members and their guests, you still cannot charge admission at the door, and the screening still has to be held in an enclosed area. Australian film societies receive non-theatrical screening rights at reduced rates because they meet these conditions — a public Facebook post must not make your screening look like an ordinary cinema session. A public Facebook post can be seen and copied by anybody, including the distributor whose film you’ve booked — write every post assuming the distributor will read it. See the five criteria for a film society and our explanation of screening rights.

Make it clear the screening is exclusively for members and their guests and that a newcomer is being invited to join the society, not buy a ticket to one film. A good screening post contains the date and time, the film title/year/country/classification/running time, a short description, the venue and doors-open time, the members-only statement, and how to become a member.

• Phrases you can use: “Exclusively for members and their guests”, “This screening is for members only”, “New members are always welcome”, “Memberships are available at screenings”, and the prices of your three/six/twelve-month memberships.
• Phrases you should not use: “Tickets $10”, “Entry by gold coin donation”, “All welcome” or “Everyone welcome”, “Book now” or “Buy tickets”, “Pay at the door”, or any wording that attaches a price to one screening.

The distinction is simple: you’re inviting somebody to join a film society that shows films, not selling them a seat at a film.

Yes, but posters/stills and trailers/clips need different treatment. Film posters and stills are normally protected by copyright — finding one through Google does not make it free to use. However, posters and stills released by a distributor as publicity materials are commonly used by film societies advertising an authorised screening.

• Look first on the Australian distributor’s website or the film’s official site (Media, Downloads, Gallery, Poster or Press Kit sections).
• If found through Google, open the original page and confirm the source — use artwork from the distributor, studio, filmmaker or official site, not a fan page or unrelated website.
• Use the official artwork without substantially altering it, following any supplied credit or usage instructions.
• If uncertain, ask the distributor when you book the film.

Trailers and clips need more caution — if the distributor has published an official trailer, share the original post or link rather than re-uploading it. Never record a scene from a DVD, Blu-ray or streaming service and post it; Facebook may identify copyrighted material and remove it or restrict the Page.

Yes, but ask before you post them, and obtain permission from both the young person and their parent or guardian if a child appears. A photograph taken at your own screening is not automatically suitable for the internet.

• Add a clear question to the membership form asking whether the member agrees to photographs being used, and make it possible to say no without explanation.
• Tell people when photographs are being taken and where they may appear.
• Keep a list of members who do not want to appear and give it to the photographer.
• Favour a wide audience shot from the back of the room, or a photograph of volunteers who agreed to take part.
• Do not identify a person by name unless they have agreed to that too.
• If somebody asks you to remove a photograph, remove it without an argument.

It depends what you got wrong. Describing a members-only screening as a public ticketed one may lead a distributor to question the society’s entitlement to the non-theatrical rate — a problem for your society and every other society relying on the same concession. Uploading copyrighted material without permission can get it removed or muted, and repeated problems can restrict the Page.

• Correct the wording immediately if Facebook allows editing; delete and republish if the image or purpose is wrong.
• Remember deleting a post cannot recall screenshots or copies already made — do not wait several days out of embarrassment.
• If a distributor has contacted you, save the message and contact the Federation before replying rather than arguing in public comments.
• If a member asks for a photograph to be removed, remove it and confirm you have done so.
• Check every other place the same wording or image appears.

The safest habit is to have another committee member check each screening announcement before it is published.

Facebook gives you four different things that do different jobs:

• A profile represents one real person — the account a committee member uses to log in.
• A Page represents an organisation — this is the society’s public face, and several people can be given access to help manage it.
• A Group is a place where members can talk to the society and each other — the society’s clubroom, which can be private.
• An Event represents one occasion with a date, time and place. For a film society, we recommend creating screening Events inside the private Group rather than public Page Events (Part 9 explains why).

The Page is the notice in the window, the Group is the room out the back, and the Event is the invitation to one occasion. You don’t create a separate login for the Page — a real committee member uses their own profile to create it.

Yes. A society should not be operated as though it were a person. This creates several problems:

• A false organisational profile may be restricted or removed by Facebook, since profiles are intended for individual people.
• The society becomes tied to one person’s login — if that person leaves, becomes ill, or dies, the society may lose everything attached to the account.
• Several volunteers cannot be given proper levels of access, so the usual (unsafe) workaround is sharing one password, which makes the account less secure.
• Members have to become “friends” with what appears to be a person, which confuses people and may expose unintended information.
• You miss the tools built for Pages, including Page access levels, scheduled posts, action buttons and Insights.

A committee member may use their genuine personal profile to create and manage the Page — the public only sees the society Page. Part 5 explains making sure at least two committee members have their own access.

Start with a Page. For a small society with limited volunteers, our recommended order is:

• Create the Page and finish setting it up, giving the society a public address for membership and announcements.
• Use the Page consistently for at least a month, learning to post, answer messages and give another committee member access.
• Create a private Group when you have enough members willing to join and somebody willing to approve requests and watch the discussion.
• Create screening Events inside that Group if reminders and replies would be useful.

Do not create a Page, a Group and a year of Events on the same afternoon — an empty Group and unattended Events make the society look abandoned. One useful Page is better than three neglected things.

Not at the beginning, but eventually many societies find both useful since they serve different people. The Page is public — use it for explaining what the society is, membership and how to enquire, and announcing the program with members-only wording. The Group should be private — use it for discussion between current members, screening reminders and Group Events, lift arrangements, film suggestions, and photographs intended for members rather than the whole internet.

Do not put essential joining information only in the Group (a potential member is outside it and cannot read the posts), and do not put private member business on the public Page merely because it has more followers.

No, not in one operation. As at July 2026, Facebook does not provide a direct tool that converts a personal profile into a Page — you must create a new Page and move the audience yourself:

• Create the new Page with the society’s proper name, logo, contact details and membership information before announcing it.
• Give a second committee member access immediately.
• Publish a notice from the old profile explaining the society now has an official Page, and repeat it weekly for about a month.
• Invite the old profile’s friends to follow the Page where Facebook offers that option.
• Announce the Page at screenings and add its address to the newsletter, membership form, printed program and Federation entry.
• Stop publishing society news from the old profile once the Page is established.

Give the changeover about three months — you won’t move every person, and you don’t need to. Never send the old profile’s password to the next committee member.

They may see the public parts, but don’t rely on Facebook giving them a comfortable or complete experience — a logged-out visitor may find the Page through a search engine but be shown a request to log in, and some content may not appear at all. An ordinary film society Page should not add age or country restrictions unless there’s a genuine reason.

Facebook is useful, but membership of a film society must not require membership of Facebook — put the society’s purpose, location, meeting frequency, membership information and contact method on the Page (and website, if you have one) so a stranger can join without ever opening Facebook.

You create it from the personal Facebook profile of one committee member — Facebook needs a real person to begin, but the finished Page represents the society and visitors cannot see who created it. It’s easier to do the first setup on a computer.

• Log in to Facebook using your normal personal profile.
• Click Pages in the left menu (or See more, then Create Page), or go directly to facebook.com/pages/create.
• Enter the name of the society, choose a category and add a short description.
• Click Create Page.
• Add the profile picture, cover photo, contact details and action button. Do not invite people to follow the Page yet — finish setting it up first.

Give a second committee member access as soon as the basic setup is finished (see Part 5).

Use the full name that appears on your membership forms, program and sign at the door. If the society’s name doesn’t contain its location, add the town or suburb — “Rivertown Film Society” is more useful than “The Film Society” because somebody searching for a film society in Rivertown can find it. Keep the name plain — no slogan, current year, symbols or promotional language, and no unnecessary capitalisation, since Facebook can refuse names that break these conventions.

Choose Community organisation as the first category. Facebook lets you select up to three — Nonprofit organisation and Arts and entertainment are sensible additional choices if available. Do not choose Movie theatre unless you actually operate a cinema. Selecting Nonprofit organisation does not register your society as a charity or give it any special legal status.

The permanent facts — a stranger should be able to read it and learn what the society is, where and when it meets, who can attend and how to ask about membership. Do not use this space for the next film; that information will be out of date in a month.

A model: “[SOCIETY NAME] is a not-for-profit film society in [TOWN OR SUBURB]. We screen [TYPE OF FILMS] at [VENUE] on [DAY OR FREQUENCY]. Screenings are exclusively for members and their guests. New members are always welcome. Memberships are available for three, six and twelve months. To ask about membership, send us a Facebook message or email [SOCIETY EMAIL ADDRESS].” Use a society email address, not a volunteer’s private phone number or home address.

Use the society’s logo as the profile picture (or its initials in large plain letters on a solid background if there’s no logo) — it’s shown as a small circle beside every post, so detail or tiny writing will disappear. Upload a square image at least 320×320 pixels, keeping important parts away from the corners since Facebook crops it to a circle. The cover photo (recommended 851×315px) is the wide picture across the top: a photograph of your venue, the audience from the back of the room, a simple branded image, or something connected with the town. Do not use a film poster as the permanent cover image.

Set up the following:

• A username close to the Page name (at least five characters, letters/numbers/full stops) such as @RivertownFilmSociety, giving a clean address for your printed program.
• The About information — society email, website, screening venue, meeting frequency and membership details.
• An action button — use Send Message or Contact Us, never Book Now or Buy Tickets (which give the wrong impression about a members-only society).
• Notifications, so the people running the Page are told when somebody messages or comments.
• A second person with access, done before the Page becomes important.
• A final check — look at the Page as a visitor and check every address, date, link and membership price, then have another committee member do the same.

Linking should work in both directions.

• Give the Federation the full address of your new Page so it can be added to your entry and the map of film societies, via the Update Your Membership Details page.
• If your society has a Federation entry, put its address in the website field on your Facebook Page (or, if you have your own website, use that as the main link and put the Federation link in About).
• Add a short Federation statement to the About section or a pinned introductory post: “[Society name] is a member of the Australian Film Societies Federation, which provides support and information. Visit ausfilm.org.au.”

This is useful for people who find your Page but live nowhere near your society, and a link from the Federation’s website helps search engines connect your society’s name with its location.

At least two current committee members, but not the whole committee. As at July 2026, Facebook uses Facebook access with full or partial control, and task access (the old Admin/Editor/Moderator/Advertiser/Analyst roles are retired):

• Full control allows a person to do everything, including changing settings, giving or removing access, and deleting the Page — give this only to somebody the committee trusts completely.
• Partial control allows a person to carry out most Page tasks, but not the most important access and deletion decisions.
• Task access allows a person to work on selected jobs (content, messages, advertising or statistics) through tools such as Meta Business Suite.

We recommend two committee members have full control, with the publicity volunteer on partial or task access. Every person must use their own genuine profile — never a shared profile or password. Everybody with access should use a unique password and multi-factor authentication.

Only a person who already has full control can give it to somebody else:

• Switch into the society Page, then go to Settings & privacy, Settings, Page setup, Page access.
• Under People with Facebook access, click Add New, then search for the committee member by name or email and select the correct profile (check the photo — several people may share a name).
• Leave full control turned off unless the person is one of the two trusted people who must manage access.
• Click Give Access and enter your own password to confirm.
• Ask the person to accept the invitation — sending it is not enough, so check their name no longer shows as pending.

Ask the new person to switch into the Page and confirm access works before the person handing over is removed.

Change the access immediately — a person who left five years ago shouldn’t still be able to delete the Page. Use this handover:

• Add the incoming committee member and wait for them to accept, then confirm the access works.
• Record the Page address, Page ID and everybody’s access in the committee records (not passwords).
• Remove the outgoing person from Page access.
• Check the Page email, action button and any advertising payment method for a private address belonging to the outgoing volunteer.
• Change access to the connected Group as well — Page access and Group administration are separate.

If a person dies and another committee member has full control, that person can complete the handover — nobody should log in using the deceased person’s password. If the deceased person was the only one with full control, recovery can be slow and may fail, which is why solving this before it happens matters.

The Rule of Two means no important Facebook asset depends on one person:

• Two current committee members have full control of the Page.
• Two current committee members are administrators of the private Group.
• Each person uses a separate genuine profile, password and multi-factor authentication.
• Both people have proved they can actually get in.
• The committee checks the access list at least every three months and at every change of office-bearers.

One person can still do most of the posting — the second person is there so illness, travel, resignation, death or a lost account does not take the society off Facebook.

Probably not — messages threatening immediate deletion are a common way of frightening Page managers into giving away their login details.

• Do not click the link, open an attachment, call the number or reply to the sender.
• Open Facebook yourself, not through the message — check Help & support, Support Inbox, and the Page Status area.
• Ask the second person with full control to check independently.
• Take a screenshot, report the message as phishing, and delete it.
• Never give anybody your password, authentication code or recovery code.

If you already clicked the link, change your Facebook password and connected email password on a trusted device, end unrecognised sessions, turn on multi-factor authentication, and check Page access and the Ad Centre. Don’t be embarrassed and don’t wait — tell the other Page manager immediately.

Things that help somebody attend, join, take part or enjoy films. You don’t have to behave like a newspaper or fill the Page every day. Most useful posts fit five groups:

• Screening information — announce the film, remind members of the date, report any change (always with the members-only wording from Part 2).
• Membership information — what membership provides, how long it lasts, what it costs, how to join.
• Film information — background on a director, country, genre or period, in your own words.
• Society information — the venue, projection setup, supper, volunteers and history (with permission for any photographs of people).
• Conversation — ask members what they thought, remembered, or would like to see in future.

A Page that only says “the next film is on Thursday” is useful but uninteresting. A Page that only posts film trivia may fail to tell anybody when to arrive. Use both.

Copy one of these ideas, replace the words in square brackets and check the facts:

• The announcement — “Our next screening is [FILM] on [DATE] at [TIME]. Screenings are exclusively for members and their guests. New members are always welcome.”
• The one-week reminder — “One week to go until [FILM]. Doors open at [TIME] and the film begins at [TIME]. Screenings are exclusively for members and their guests.”
• The tomorrow reminder — “Tomorrow night: [FILM], [RUNNING TIME], rated [CLASSIFICATION]. Please arrive by [TIME].”
• The practical reminder — “A reminder that we meet at [VENUE]. Parking is available at [PLACE] and the accessible entrance is [LOCATION].”
• The change — “Our [DATE] screening has changed from [OLD DETAIL] to [NEW DETAIL]. Please tell any member who may not see this post.”
• The thank you — “Thank you to everybody who came to [FILM] and to the volunteers who [SET UP THE ROOM/MADE SUPPER/OPERATED THE EQUIPMENT].”
• The next morning question — “What did you think of [FILM]? What will you remember about it?”
• The director — “[DIRECTOR] directed [FILM]. Before the screening, here are three other films from the director’s career: [TITLES].”
• The performer — “You may recognise [ACTOR] from [OTHER FILMS]. Which performance do you remember best?”
• The craft — “This month’s film was photographed/edited/scored by [PERSON]. What did you notice about the [IMAGES/EDITING/MUSIC]?”
• The country — “[FILM] comes from [COUNTRY]. It was released in [YEAR] and is part of [SHORT, CHECKED CONTEXT].”
• The year — “When [FILM] appeared in [YEAR], [ONE RELEVANT FACT ABOUT CINEMA OR THE WORLD].”
• Why we chose it — “Our programming group chose [FILM] because [REASON]. It adds [GENRE/COUNTRY/PERIOD] to this year’s program.”
• The classification — “[FILM] is rated [CLASSIFICATION] and runs for [TIME].” Link to classification.gov.au to explain what the ratings mean.
• The member recommendation — “A society member suggested [FILM/DIRECTOR/GENRE]. What would you suggest for a future program?”
• The choice — “For a winter screening, would you prefer a comedy, a mystery or a classic Australian film?”
• The program — “Our program for [MONTHS] is now available at [LINK]. Put the dates in your diary.”
• What membership means — “Membership is for [THREE/SIX/TWELVE] months and includes access to our regular society screenings. It is not a ticket to one film.”
• How to join — “Would you like to join? Memberships are available at screenings or by contacting us. New members are always welcome.”
• The volunteer — “We need one member to help with [SIMPLE JOB] at the next screening. It will take about [TIME].”
• The venue — “This is where we screen our films. [ONE USEFUL FACT ABOUT THE VENUE, ACCESS OR HISTORY].”
• Behind the scenes — “Before the doors open, volunteers [TEST THE DISC/SET UP CHAIRS/PREPARE SUPPER]. Here is what the room looks like before the audience arrives.”
• From the archive — “In [YEAR], our society screened [FILM OR PROGRAM THEME]. Does anybody remember the occasion?”
• The Federation — “We are members of the Australian Film Societies Federation. It helps people start and run film societies across Australia: ausfilm.org.au”

The square brackets are instructions, not part of the finished post — don’t publish until every bracket has been replaced. Only use official promotional artwork if you hold a legal public performance licence for the film; otherwise use a photograph belonging to the society or a plain graphic. Never fill these ideas with a film clip copied from a DVD or streaming service.

Two or three useful Page posts a week is enough for most film societies — post more often around a screening and less when nothing has changed. A reasonable monthly pattern: publish the full announcement 10–14 days before a screening, a reminder or background piece 3–5 days before, a short practical reminder the day before, a thank-you or discussion question the day after, and one membership/program/volunteer/discussion post each week between screenings.

A film society isn’t a national shop with a paid publicity department — five hurried posts are not better than two accurate ones. Choose a pace the volunteer can continue for a year.

Yes — that’s the sensible way to do it. On a computer, switch into the Page and open Meta Business Suite, go to Content or Planner, create the post and select the scheduling choice (Facebook allows posts to be scheduled 20 minutes to 29 days ahead).

• Put every screening date, committee deadline and membership date in one calendar.
• Choose six to ten ideas from the list above.
• Write the posts, add only images you may use, and have another committee member check screening details.
• Schedule them in Meta Business Suite.
• Look at Planner once a week — a scheduled post will still publish after the venue changes unless somebody edits or removes it.

Keep the posts in a society document too, so next year the volunteer can adapt the membership explanation, venue reminder and Federation post instead of writing them again.

No, not automatically. Facebook encourages video and Reels, but that doesn’t mean every video beats every photograph — a 2026 analysis found images had the highest Facebook engagement rate in its data (5.2%), with video close behind (4.84%). Use the format that suits the information: a clear photograph of the venue with the date may be more useful than a shaky two-minute video.

• Keep any video short and begin with the useful information.
• Add captions so people can understand it without sound.
• Hold the phone steady and check speech can be heard.
• Obtain permission from anybody who appears.
• Never record the film, its soundtrack or a trailer from the screen.

Accuracy first — a beautiful post with the wrong date is a bad post. Include:

• The film title near the beginning.
• The date, starting time and doors-open time.
• The venue and any useful access or parking information.
• Country, year, classification and running time.
• One or two sentences on why the film may interest members.
• The approved members-only wording.
• How a newcomer becomes a member, including periods and prices.
• An approved image, or one belonging to the society.

Don’t hide the date at the end of a long review or paste a distributor’s whole synopsis — write a short introduction in your own words. Ask a second person to check the film title, date, time, venue, classification, running time, membership wording and image permission before publishing.

Never post:

• A film clip, poster, trailer, soundtrack or still you do not have permission to use.
• Wording that makes a screening look like a public ticketed cinema session (“tickets”, “pay at the door”, “all welcome”, a price for one film).
• A membership list, member email addresses, payment details, passwords, recovery codes or committee documents.
• A recognisable photograph of a member who has not agreed to appear.
• An announcement before screening permission, venue and date have been confirmed.
• A private committee disagreement — resolve it through the committee, not the comments.
• Unchecked rumours, chain messages, competitions or warnings merely because somebody asked you to copy and share them.
• Party-political, abusive or unrelated material published through the Page by a volunteer who forgot which profile they were using.

Check the profile picture beside the post box before you press Publish — it should be the society when you speak for the society and your own face when you speak for yourself.

“Thoughts?” is too vague. Ask one specific question a member can answer, such as “Which scene stayed with you?”, “Had you seen this director’s work before?”, or “What should we include in next year’s program?”

Reply when somebody answers — thank them, ask a sensible follow-up and correct factual mistakes politely. Don’t offer a prize for meaningless comments, and don’t write “comment YES if you love movies”. Some members will never comment but will still read every post and attend screenings — silence is not proof that nobody is there.

It turns an ordinary Page post into a paid advertisement, shown to more of your followers and to other Facebook users selected by location, age and interests. It does not make a weak post useful and does not guarantee anybody will join. Boosting asks you to choose a goal, an audience, a total budget, how many days it should run, and a payment method — the result is labelled Sponsored.

A boost is advertising — the society is spending members’ money, so one committee member should approve it and another should be able to check what was spent.

Yes — advertise the society and its membership, not admission to one particular film. A safe advertisement explains the society has a regular program, that screenings are exclusively for members and their guests, and tells the reader how to ask about membership. If a particular screening is mentioned, the members-only statement must remain in the boosted post — never replace it with “Book now”, “Tickets available” or “Pay at the door”.

Boost a post only when it has one clear, useful job. Suitable posts include a general invitation to become a member, an announcement of the new program with members-only wording, an explanation of what membership provides, a call for local volunteers, or a genuinely public information session that does not include a film screening.

• Do not boost a post copied from the private Group.
• Do not boost a screening announcement that omits the members-only wording.
• Do not boost a post containing material you lack permission to advertise with.
• Do not boost a post for an event that has passed, changed or sold out.
• Do not boost a vague post that gives no way to learn about membership.
• Do not boost a post with a Buy Tickets or Book Now instruction.

Start with $20 to $50 AUD in total over five to seven days — practical test amounts as at July 2026, not a price promised by Facebook. Set a total budget, not an amount that continues indefinitely.

• Choose the town and a sensible surrounding distance — a society whose members travel 20km shouldn’t pay to reach all of Australia.
• Use a broad adult age range unless there is a genuine reason to narrow it.
• Keep the first test simple — location matters more than a complicated interest list.
• Run one version at a time, so a small society knows which post produced an enquiry.
• Check the final amount charged and keep the receipt with the society’s other accounts.

If $20 is significant to the society, don’t spend it merely because Facebook has displayed a blue Boost Post button. Advertising is optional.

Decide what success means before spending anything. If the goal is membership enquiries, record the post and dates it ran, the total spent, the number of messages or page visits reported by Facebook, the number of genuine enquiries, and the number of people who actually joined.

Ask every new member how they heard about the society. Suppose a $30 boost produces six genuine enquiries and two new members — that is $5 per enquiry and $15 per new member, and the committee can decide whether that was worthwhile. Paid reach is rented; a correct membership record and an email address given with consent are more valuable because the society can use them again.

It’s the members’ clubroom on Facebook. The Page faces outwards, explaining the society and helping local people find you. The private Group faces inwards, where current members can discuss a film, see reminders, suggest films, offer a lift, volunteer, and respond to a members-only Group Event.

A Group is not the membership register — Facebook does not know who has paid, resigned or renewed — and it’s not a replacement for email, since some members will never open it.

Choose Private and Visible for most film societies. Private means only members can see who is in the Group and what they post; Visible means a Facebook user can find and request to join it. A Hidden private Group is harder for ordinary members to find and usually creates more work.

• Open Groups from Facebook’s menu and choose Create new group.
• Use the full society name followed by “Members”, e.g. “[TOWN] Film Society Members”.
• Choose Private, and Visible unless the committee has a clear reason for Hidden.
• Add the society Page as an administrator if offered, plus at least two current committee members.
• Add the description, membership questions and rules before inviting a large number of people.

Check the choice carefully — Facebook does not normally allow a private Group to be changed back to public.

Compare the request with the society’s own current membership register — don’t approve somebody merely because a Facebook friend recognises the name. Facebook allows up to three membership questions:

• “What is your full name as it appears on the film society’s membership record?”
• “What email address did you give the society? If you are not already receiving our screening and membership emails and you consent to receive them, write JOIN after your address.”
• “Do you confirm that you are a current paid member and agree to follow the Group rules? Please answer YES.”

Only add an address to an email list if the person has clearly written JOIN or given consent some other way. At renewal time, compare the Group list with the renewed register and remove people whose membership has ended after a reasonable reminder.

Use a short set a member can understand before posting:

• Current members only — do not share posts or member details outside the Group without permission.
• Discuss films, not people — personal attacks, harassment, discrimination and threatening language are not welcome.
• Respect privacy — ask before posting an identifiable photograph or personal information about another member.
• No unauthorised film material — no pirated films, copied clips or links to unlawful copies.
• No spam or selling without an administrator’s permission.
• Keep it relevant — posts should concern the society, its members or useful film discussion.
• Administrators may decline or remove posts, or suspend or remove a member, to apply these rules.

Put the rules in Facebook’s Group Rules area and include the most important points in a pinned welcome post.

Give members one useful reason to visit each week rather than filling the Group with copied entertainment news:

• Before a screening, post one practical reminder or a short, checked piece of background.
• After a screening, ask one specific question about the film.
• Between screenings, ask for a program suggestion, an archive memory, or help with one volunteer job.
• Welcome new members in a monthly post, with their permission.
• Use a poll only when the committee genuinely wants the answer.

If three people have a thoughtful conversation, the Group is working — it doesn’t need hundreds of comments.

Act in proportion to what happened. For a minor first problem: save a screenshot if the wording may later matter, remove or decline the post if it should not remain visible, and contact the member privately to identify the rule and ask them not to repeat it. A public scolding usually creates a second problem.

If the conduct continues, administrators can temporarily suspend the person; for repeated misconduct, a serious threat, discrimination, harassment, fraud or deliberately shared pirated material, remove or ban them. Wherever practical, two administrators should agree on a serious decision and record it for the committee.

Yes — Admin Assist can decline membership requests that skip the questions, hold or decline posts with selected words, require post approval from people whose recent posts were removed, reduce spam, and alert administrators to selected words. The committee remains responsible for the result.

Start with one or two rules, watch the activity log, and check whether legitimate film discussion is being caught — a keyword like “tickets” may catch an unsuitable sales post, but also an innocent discussion about cinema history. Automation cannot judge context, recognise every member, or settle a difficult dispute.

Only if the society has a private members’ Group and enough members use it to make the Event useful. A Group Event gives members the date, time and venue in one place, a Facebook reminder, and a place to say Going or Interested — but it is an extra reminder, not an attendance list.

• Open the society’s private Group and choose Events, then Create event.
• Check the Event is being created inside the Group, not the public Page or a personal profile.
• Add the screening title, date, time, venue, description and an approved image.
• Check every detail before publishing, then compare the finished Event with the program.

If only a few members use Facebook, a normal Group post may do the same job with less work — never stop sending the society’s usual email reminder merely because an Event exists.

Because, as at July 2026, an Event created by a Facebook Page is public — anybody may find it, share it and indicate they’re Going, creating the appearance of a public film session even if the description says membership is required. An Event created inside a private Group can only be seen by members of that Group.

The Federation therefore recommends: a public Page for general society and membership information, a private Group for verified members’ screening Events, and email as the dependable notice for every member including those who don’t use Facebook.

Everything a member needs to arrive at the right place and time, but not an essay copied from a film database:

• Film title and year.
• Screening date, doors-open time and film starting time.
• Full venue name and address.
• Running time and Australian classification, where known.
• The statement: “This screening is exclusively for current members and their guests.”
• Useful accessibility, parking, public transport or entrance information.
• A short, original description of the film.
• Information about supper, discussion, or anything members should bring.
• A contact method for a member who needs help.
• An image the society has permission to use.

Add the sentence: “Selecting Going helps Facebook remind you. It is not a ticket, a seat reservation or proof of current membership.” Ask another committee member to check the date, day of the week, starting time and title before publishing — the four details most likely to be copied wrongly.

We recommend a separate Group Event for each screening rather than one recurring series, since a recurring Event makes it easy to leave the wrong title, image or running time attached to a later date. Keep a checked description template instead: create a new Group Event, use Duplicate event if offered, replace the title/image/date/times/classification/running time/description, then read the entire copied Event before publishing.

If a screening changes, edit the Event immediately and put a clear update in the Group as well as sending the change by email. If cancelled, mark or cancel the Event rather than simply deleting the original announcement.

Because Facebook is an extra way to reach members, not the address book. A member may have no Facebook account, follow the Page but not be shown a particular post, turn off Group notifications, or stop using Facebook without telling the society.

Use email for the program, renewals, screening reminders and urgent changes — never rely on a Facebook post alone to cancel a screening or announce a changed venue. The email list belongs to the society, not a volunteer: keep it in a society-controlled system, give access only to people who need it, and include it in the committee handover.

Ask for consent clearly — don’t collect addresses from people’s profiles or add every person who sends the Page a question.

• Put a link on the Page to the society’s membership or email sign-up form.
• In the private Group membership questions, invite the person to write JOIN only if they consent to receive screening and membership emails.
• Pin a Page post explaining what the emails contain, how often they are sent, and how to unsubscribe.
• When somebody asks about membership in Messenger, offer the sign-up link rather than silently copying their address into the list.

Record when, where and how consent was given, and keep only the information the society actually needs.

Treat them like enquiries at the society’s front desk. At least two people should be able to open the Page’s messages through Meta Business Suite Inbox, checking at least twice a week (more during a program launch).

• Set a simple instant reply confirming receipt without over-promising a response time.
• Create saved replies for repeated questions: how membership works, the next fee, where to find the program, venue/accessibility, and how to join the private Group.
• Read a saved reply before sending it — dates, fees and links go out of date.
• Reply as the society Page, and move personal matters out of public comments.
• Never ask somebody to send their Facebook password, authentication code or full card details.

Yes. A not-for-profit label does not give a society permission to send any promotional email it wishes — an email promoting membership or screenings may be a commercial electronic message.

• Have consent to send it.
• Clearly identify the society and give accurate contact details.
• Include a simple, working way to unsubscribe.
• Honour an unsubscribe request within five working days.
• Keep the unsubscribe method working for at least 30 days after the email is sent.
• Never charge a fee, demand a login, or require an account to unsubscribe.

Keep an unsubscribe or suppression record so a former member is not re-added when a volunteer imports an old spreadsheet.

Not as an ordinary membership system, and we do not recommend trying to turn Facebook into one. A Page can link to a secure payment or membership service outside Facebook — Facebook itself should not be treated as the register, receipt book or bank.

• Never ask a member to send card details through Messenger.
• Never ask a volunteer to collect membership money through a personal account.
• Don’t assume a Facebook payment proves current membership without entering it in the society’s own register.
• Never use a Buy Tickets button for an individual members-only screening.

Only if the society is an eligible charity and has completed the required enrolment — being a not-for-profit association is not by itself enough. As at July 2026, Australian charities receiving donations through Meta’s fundraising arrangements may need to enrol with PayPal Giving Fund, requiring registration with the ACNC or ORIC and Item 1 deductible gift recipient status.

The availability of a Donate button on somebody else’s Page does not mean your society qualifies or that every contribution will be tax deductible. Never describe a membership fee as a tax-deductible donation without appropriate advice.

Use a society-controlled method outside Facebook — a membership form with card payment (e.g. Square), a package through TryBooking, direct bank deposit with a clear reference, or another committee-approved system.

• State the full fee, membership period and what membership provides before the person pays.
• Make clear membership covers the society program, not one advertised film.
• Use an account controlled by the society, not a volunteer’s private account.
• Give at least two authorised committee members access for continuity and checking.
• Reconcile payments with the membership register and bank records.
• Keep only the payment information the society needs — the committee doesn’t need a member’s full card number.

On Facebook, publish the official membership link and check it at every program change and at least once every three months.

The numbers connected to real society work: genuine membership enquiries that came through Facebook, people who joined after finding the Page or an advertisement, attendance checked against how new members heard about the society, followers, reach, meaningful interactions (comments, shares, replies, link clicks), messages answered, and active Group members and useful discussions.

Don’t confuse a large number with a useful result — ten thousand views from another country are unlikely to fill a regional film society, while twenty local people reading the membership page may be far more valuable. Connect the Facebook numbers to enquiries, membership and attendance wherever you can.

Use Meta Business Suite Insights for the Page — Results or Overview for the general picture, Content to compare individual posts, and the Ad Centre for a boosted post rather than mixing paid and unpaid results. A Group may also show Group Insights to administrators.

Once a month, record a small set in the committee report: Page followers, reach, the three most useful posts, the number of messages and enquiries, any new members who mentioned Facebook, and advertising spend kept separately. A consistent half-page record is better than a different set of numbers every month.

There is no universal benchmark — a society in a town of 4,000 people cannot be judged against a city arts organisation with paid staff. Set a baseline during the first three months. For a society with roughly 40 to 100 members, practical early signs may include:

• Every screening announced accurately and on time.
• Page enquiries answered within seven days.
• Current members know the Page exists and have been invited to follow it.
• One to three genuine membership enquiries in an ordinary month.
• Some new members can identify Facebook as one of the ways they found the society.
• Group discussion helps members without creating an unreasonable moderation job.

The best result is not 1,000 followers — it is the right local people understanding the society, joining it, and continuing to attend.

Ask whether it is helping the society, not whether the graph went up. Add one question to the membership form: “How did you first hear about the society?” (with choices like friend/family, Facebook, local newspaper, poster, web search, other).

• At three months, check: are posts accurate and regular, are messages being answered, is the Rule of Two working, and can a person find current membership information?
• At six months: if posts reach people but nobody enquires, improve the membership explanation; if reach is low, ask members to follow and share; if enquiries don’t become members, check the fee, joining form and response time; if the Group creates arguments with no useful activity, simplify it; if Facebook produces no useful result after a fair six-month test, reduce it to essentials and keep email dependable.

Facebook is a tool. The committee does not fail because it decides to use the tool less.

Act immediately, but do not follow a recovery link sent by the attacker — secure the personal profiles and connected email accounts that control the Page first.

• Tell the second person with full control and the responsible committee office-bearer — don’t try to hide the mistake.
• From a device you have used before, type facebook.com/hacked into the browser yourself and follow the account-security steps.
• Change the Facebook password and the connected email password, using different passwords for each.
• End unrecognised sessions and turn on multi-factor authentication.
• If the second person still has full control, ask them to check Page access and remove unfamiliar entries.
• Check recent posts, messages, automatic replies and scheduled posts — save screenshots, then remove fraudulent material.
• Check the Ad Centre and payment methods for unauthorised charges, and contact your bank promptly if needed.
• Warn members through email or another safe channel not to trust recent links or requests for money or login codes.

If every administrator has lost access, search Facebook’s Help Centre for “Recover a hacked Facebook Page you manage”. Never pay someone in a comment or message promising recovery, and never send an authentication or recovery code.

First find out whether the Page is missing or whether the people who managed it have lost access. Ask every current administrator to log in to their own genuine profile and check Page setup and Page access. Also contact recent former administrators, since one may still have full control.

If nobody has access, approach Meta through the Help Centre while logged into the genuine profile of an authorised committee member, ready to provide the Page name/address/ID, the society’s official email and website, incorporation or registration records, and committee minutes showing who is authorised to act. Recovery may take time and is not guaranteed — do not create a replacement Page on the first day, since two Pages with the same name will confuse members while recovery is still possible.

Don’t treat every criticism as abuse — a member may dislike the film, chairs, fee or a committee decision, and deleting every disagreement makes the Page less trustworthy. If the comment is relevant and not abusive, reply once with the facts.

• For an insult or breach of the rules: take a screenshot if the wording may matter, do not answer while angry, correct a harmful factual error briefly, hide/remove/report the comment where appropriate, and block or suspend the person if the conduct continues.
• Do not ask members to pile into the argument — twenty angry replies can spread the original comment much further.
• For a threat, stalking, doxxing or sustained harassment, save the evidence and report it to Facebook first, and consider reporting to the eSafety Commissioner.

If there is an immediate threat to somebody’s safety, contact police on Triple Zero (000) — a Facebook moderation tool is not an emergency service.

Start with the organisation responsible for the problem:

• Facebook Page, Group or account problem — Facebook’s Help & support menu and Help Centre.
• Film society, membership or Federation question — contact the Federation.
• Screening rights question — read our screening rights information and contact the appropriate rights holder.
• Hacking or account compromise — the Australian Signals Directorate’s Report and Recover guidance (cyber.gov.au).
• Scam or phishing — Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au).
• Serious online abuse — the eSafety Commissioner (esafety.gov.au).
• Spam or email rules — the Australian Communications and Media Authority (acma.gov.au).
• Privacy and personal information — the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au).

Keep the society’s Page address, Page ID, access list, Group administrators, advertising account details and Federation contact in the committee records — but not passwords. The best emergency contact list is the one prepared before the emergency.