Set up texting
Before your texts can reach people’s phones, US carriers need to know who you are and what you send. This is called carrier registration (or A2P 10DLC). Texting setup walks you through it, and Culminate submits it for you.
You need the Settings permission. Open Organization → Settings → Integrations and find Text messaging.
What it costs
Carriers charge for registration, and these fees are billed to your organization:
| What | About |
|---|---|
| Each phone number | Billed monthly |
| Business registration | $46 one-time (Standard) or $4.50 one-time (Low volume) |
| Campaign | $10 a month (Mixed) or $3 a month (Charity) |
Each text is billed by usage. See Billing.
Get your numbers
Most organizations use two numbers:
- Broadcast: sends your text notifications and event updates. Replies to it still work, like STOP, HELP, and keywords.
- Conversations: people text this number for your forms, giving, and prayer requests, and get replies from it. Your team’s text conversations and workflow texts come from it too.
If you only have one number, it does both jobs.
Select Get a number
Search for a number
Choose Match: Area code or Contains. Type the area code or digits. You can add a Postal code too.
Select the number you want
Choose what to Use it for
Pick Broadcast or Conversations, then select Buy number.
Select Manage to see Your numbers. To give one up, select Cancel number. Anything using it stops sending and receiving texts, and this can’t be undone.
Register with carriers
Select Texting setup (or Finish texting setup). Registration has two parts, and carriers review each one:
Business details
Your organization’s legal name, EIN, address, and contact.
Business review
Carriers check your EIN and details. This usually takes a few days.
Campaign
What you text and how people sign up.
Campaign review
Usually a few days to two weeks.
The top of Texting setup shows where you are, like Business in review or Approved. Select the refresh button to check for news from carriers. You’ll also get a notification when they approve your registration or ask for changes.
Business
First, answer Is this organization its own legal entity?
- Yes, it has its own EIN: fill in your business details below.
- No, it’s part of another organization: for example, a ministry under its parent church. Pick the parent’s registered business and select Use this business. If you aren’t an admin there too, an admin of that organization needs to approve it. You still get your own campaign.
Then fill in:
- Legal name: exactly as it appears on your IRS letter (CP 575 or 147C). A mismatch is the most common reason carriers say no.
- EIN: your 9-digit employer identification number.
- Type of organization and Industry. Most churches choose Non-profit Corporation and Religion (churches, ministries).
- Website, starting with
https://. - Mailing address.
- Authorized contact: someone who can speak for your organization, like your executive pastor. Carriers may email them to confirm.
- Sending volume: choose Standard (recommended) if you text your whole church. Low volume is cheaper, but it’s capped at about 6,000 texts a day, which one big notification can pass.
Select Submit for review, or Save draft to finish later. If something needs fixing, it’s listed under What to fix.
Campaign
Your campaign tells carriers what you text and how people agree to get your texts. You can fill it in while your business is in review, and submit it once the business is approved.
Choose a Use case
Mixed covers announcements, reminders, follow-ups, and replies. Charity is cheaper, but it only shows up if carriers have your 501(c)(3) status.
Put the sign-up message on your website
Texting setup writes a call to action for you, like “Text JOIN to (806) 555-0100 for updates from Harbor Point Church…”. Select Copy and put it on a public page of your website, like your Connect or Contact page. Then paste that page’s address in Page where it’s shown.
Carriers open this page to check how people sign up. If it isn’t live when you submit, your campaign will be rejected.
Add your online form (optional)
If you have a form with a text-consent checkbox, add its link. The box must be optional and unchecked to start. Otherwise, leave this blank.
Select Fill in the campaign text from these answers
This writes your Description, How people opt in, and Sample messages. Read them and change anything that doesn’t fit.
Check the rest
- Sample messages: 2 to 5. Start each with your organization’s name and end with “Reply STOP to opt out”.
- Opt-in keywords: JOIN signs people up. Your form and giving keywords are listed too.
- Messages include links and Messages include phone numbers: check the ones that apply.
- Reply when someone texts JOIN: the confirmation people get.
STOP and HELP get carriers’ standard replies. We make a privacy policy and texting terms for your organization and link them for you.
Select Submit campaign
If carriers ask for changes
The status changes to Needs changes, and What to fix lists the problems and any feedback from carriers. Fix them and select Resubmit.
If Culminate support set up your registration for you, your business details are locked. Contact support to change them. You can still fix and resubmit your campaign.
Share your business with other organizations
If other organizations you run are part of the same legal entity, they can use your registered business. Requests show under Organizations using this business. Select Approve or Decline, or Stop sharing later.
Until you’re approved
While registration isn’t approved, everywhere you can send a text shows Texts won’t go out until carrier registration is approved. That includes sending a notification, event updates, notification settings, Messages, workflow texts, and text to give.
People with the Settings permission also see Finish texting setup in the sidebar. Select Later to hide it for three days.
Branded texts (RCS)
On phones that support it, branded texts show your name, logo, and color instead of a phone number in the Messages app. Branded texts sit on top of your registered number, so finish texting setup first.
- In Text messaging, select Manage, then Request next to Branded texts (RCS).
- Fill in How you appear: your name, accent color, short description, logo, and banner.
- Add your Contact on your profile, check What you’ll send, and add your Proof for the carriers: a screenshot of your sign-up message and a short video of someone texting JOIN and getting your reply.
- Confirm your organization will pay the carriers’ fees, then select Send to Culminate.
Culminate submits it to the carriers for you and confirms the fees first. Approval usually takes 4 to 6 weeks. You’ll get an email when the status changes.