When creating a private Facebook group, the default settings only allow you to add friends as members. However, there are a couple ways to add non-friends to a private group if desired.
Adding Non-Friends via Email or Phone Number
One option is to add non-friends using their email address or phone number. To do this:
- Go to your Facebook group and click “Add Members” at the top
- Select “Add Members Manually”
- Enter the person’s email address or phone number in the search box
- Select the correct person from the dropdown results
- Click “Add” to send them an invitation to join the private group
This allows you to add anyone with a Facebook account to your private group, even if you aren’t friends with them on Facebook. One thing to note is that if the person you try to add doesn’t have an existing Facebook account, they won’t be able to accept the invite until they create one.
Changing Group Settings to Allow Non-Friends
Another option is to adjust your group’s settings to allow non-friends to be added. To do this:
- Go to your group’s settings
- Select “Membership Approval”
- Change “Who can add members?” to “Anyone”
With this setting changed, any existing member of your private group will be able to add non-friends. This gives you and your other group members more flexibility in who you allow into the group.
Things to Keep in Mind
Here are some things to keep in mind when adding non-friends to a private Facebook group:
- Double check that you want someone to have access before sending an invite
- Be cautious about opening up your group to any member being able to add non-friends
- Make sure non-friends you add are relevant to the purpose of your private group
- You can always remove members later if needed
Limits on Adding Large Numbers of Non-Friends
Facebook does limit how many pending invites you can have out at one time, to help prevent spam behavior. Typically you will encounter issues if you try to add more than about 100 non-friends at once.
Some limits you may run into include:
- Not being able to send more than about 100 invites at a time
- Not being able to add too many non-friends in a short time period
- New members not being able to see the group right after joining
If you do need to add a large number of non-friends, it’s best to add them in smaller batches over a longer period of time to avoid hitting any limits.
Pre-Approving Members vs Direct Add
When using the setting to allow any member to add people, you have two options:
- Require admin approval – Members can suggest people to add, but admins must approve
- Add directly – Members can add new people instantly without admin approval
Requiring admin approval is more secure, but can create extra work for admins if there are a lot of requests. Allowing direct add makes it easier for members, but also opens your group up to more potential abuse.
Group Join Settings
In your group settings, you can also configure how easy it is for non-members to see and join your group:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Public | The group is visible to anyone and open for anyone to join |
| Private | Only invited members can see the group and join |
| Hidden | The group doesn’t appear in searches. Members must be added manually. |
A hidden group is the most private, as people won’t stumble upon it. Private is also quite secure for a group, as only invited members have access.
Rules and Moderation
To help ensure quality conversations when adding non-friends, it’s recommended to set clear rules for your group and have moderation plans:
- Outline expected etiquette, banned content, etc in a pinned post
- Appoint some members as moderators to monitor discussions
- Enable post approvals if needed to filter content
- Don’t be afraid to remove members who don’t follow the rules
Taking some time to set group rules and norms, and putting protections in place, can help prevent issues down the line as you expand your private group membership list.
Using Facebook Groups for Business
Facebook groups can also be quite useful for businesses. Some ideas include:
- Customer support and feedback group
- Inner circle/VIP group for top customers
- Influencer groups relevant to your industry
- Partner or reseller discussion group
- Corporate team group for internal chat
The ability to add non-friends makes Facebook groups highly flexible for professional use cases as well. Just be sure to follow any guidelines for using Facebook for business purposes.
Conclusion
While Facebook’s default settings make private groups exclusive to friends only, there are options to add non-friends if you want to expand the membership. This includes methods like:
- Adding by email or phone number
- Changing the group settings to allow non-friend adds
- Setting the group to public or private joinability
However, use caution when opening your group up to non-friends. Have a plan for managing potential spam and monitoring conversations, especially if enabling broader settings. Overall though, the flexibility to include non-friends can be very useful for both personal and professional groups!