Texting rules
US carriers only deliver texts that people agreed to get. Culminate follows these rules for you: it skips anyone who opted out, adds “Reply STOP to opt out”, and holds automatic texts overnight. This guide explains what happens, so you know why a text did or didn’t go out.
Who you can text
It depends on which number the text comes from.
Notifications and event updates (Broadcast number)
Texts you send to everyone, like a notification or an event update, go to people who added their mobile number in your app. When they add it, the app tells them they’re agreeing to notification texts from you.
Culminate skips anyone who:
- replied STOP,
- said no to texts on Plan a visit, or
- turned off texts for that kind of notification in the app’s settings.
Conversations and workflow texts (Conversations number)
Texts from your team and your workflows can only go to people who either:
- texted you first: any message to your Conversations number, or a keyword like JOIN, or
- have that number on their own app account.
A phone number someone typed into a form isn’t enough. If you need to reach them, ask them to text you first.
Opting in and out
People control texts from their phone with keywords:
| They text | What happens |
|---|---|
| STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT | They’re opted out. No more texts from your organization. |
| START, UNSTOP, or JOIN | They’re opted back in. |
| HELP | They get your help line: how to reach you by phone or email. |
The first text your team or a workflow sends someone ends with “Reply STOP to opt out”. Every notification text ends with it too. You don’t need to add it yourself.
If someone opts out, you’ll see it on their text conversation, and the Text button on their profile is greyed out.
Quiet hours
Texts should go out between 8 AM and 8 PM in your organization’s time zone.
- Your team: Messages asks before sending outside those hours.
- Workflows: texts wait until 8 AM. If a text has waited more than 3 days, it isn’t sent.
Workflow texts
A workflow automation’s Send a text action texts The person linked to the item or A phone field. Write the Message with fields like {{firstName}}, and keep it short.
On the item’s timeline you’ll see Text to and the person, Waiting for 8am to send (quiet hours), or Not sent with the reason, like:
- they haven’t opted in (they need to text you first, or have this number on their app account),
- they opted out of texts, or
- your organization has no texting number.
Why carriers say no
Carriers review every registration by hand. These are the most common reasons they reject one:
- The legal name or EIN doesn’t match your IRS letter. Copy them exactly from your CP 575 or 147C letter, including “Inc.” and punctuation.
- There’s no public page showing how people sign up. Put the “Text JOIN to…” message from Texting setup on your website before you submit, and make sure the page is public.
- The sign-up description mentions things carriers can’t check, like a paper card or a sign in the lobby. Only describe sign-up methods you can link to.
- The use case doesn’t cover what you send. If you send announcements and reminders as well as replies, choose Mixed.
- Consent is required to get something. A text-consent checkbox on a form must be optional and unchecked to start.
Good habits
- Start texts with your organization’s name, so people know who it’s from.
- Use plain quotes (' and "). Curly quotes and emoji make each text hold fewer characters, so one message can cost two or three texts.
- Keep fundraising and donation asks out of notification texts. Use your Conversations number and text to give for giving.
- Don’t text people from a list you bought or copied from another system. Have them text you first, or add their number in your app.