Text Messaging

REACH offers Text Messaging as part of the Text to Give fundraising setup. To send messages, you must first set up Text to Give for your account in order to have a phone number. This can be done under Settings > Text to Give.

Using REACH, you can send texts to individual supporters or text blasts to a group of supporters. If you are using Text to Give as part of your donation process, donation texts are automated through REACH and are not included in text message billing.

  • Text Messaging is available to US-based clients only.
  • Direct supporter communication (email/text) from supporter records is included on Essentials and Pro plan levels.

Text Messaging Limits & Billing

Each REACH plan level includes a set number of units per month:

  • 1 unit = up to 160 characters.
  • “ Reply STOP to opt out” is automatically added to each text message, is 22 total characters including the space at the beginning, and is counted in your character limit.
  • Examples:
    • A 75-character message = 1 unit per recipient
    • A 500-character message = 4 units per recipient
    • Adding an image = 2 units per recipient

Any units beyond your monthly allotment will be billed at $0.03 per unit. Unused units do not roll over to the next month.

Before sending, REACH will display the estimated unit usage and cost and ask you to confirm before scheduling.

Important: Text-to-Give donation messages are excluded from this cost structure.

You can view your unit usage and plan details anytime under Settings > Account Settings > Billing tab.

Monthly allotmentSet number of units per month
Measurement1 unit = up to 160 characters
Examples75-char = 1 unit
500-char = 4 units
+Image = 2 units
Overage charges$0.03 per unit
TransparencyEstimated usage & cost shown before sending
Text-to-GiveExcluded

Important Notes

  • If a Supporter has more than one mobile number listed, a text message will go out to all recognized mobile numbers.
  • Custom replies are not available. Preset system replies are automatically sent depending on the supporter’s action.
  • Only image or video files can be sent in an MMS text. Max file size is 1MB. Total file size of all attachments cannot exceed 5MB.
  • REACH only counts messages confirmed as delivered by our text messaging service.

Sending Text Messages and URLs

Tips:

  • To test your texts, create a “Test Group” under Supporters > Groups with admin phone numbers and send messages to this group first.
  • To help protect supporters from fraudulent or spam links, REACH reviews and restricts certain URLs used in text messages.
  • URLs may use a domain that is registered with REACH or a well-known, trusted website (such as YouTube, Vimeo, socials and other commonly recognized platforms). If a URL uses a domain that is not currently approved, the message may be blocked and you will receive a validation error.
  • If you need to send a link from a domain that is not being allowed, please contact our Support Team before sending your text message. We can review the domain and determine whether it can be approved for use. These safeguards are in place to help ensure the security and trust of the messages sent to your supporters.

Individual Supporters

You can send a one-off text to a supporter directly from their profile:

  1. Go to the Supporter record.
  2. Click Actions > Text.
  3. Type a title and your message.
  4. Optionally, attach an image or video.
  5. Click Send.

The message will be delivered to all mobile numbers listed for the supporter.

Text Blasts to Groups

Text Blasting allows you to send messages to groups of supporters directly from your Admin Console.

  1. Go to Communication > Text Messages.
  2. Click +New Text Message.
  3. Add an internal title for your text blast.
  4. Select a Purpose (group/subgroup of donors) from the dropdown list.
  5. Choose a date and time for delivery.
  6. Add your message.
  7. Attach an image or video if desired.
  8. Click Send.

Billing Example

Here’s how usage might look on a Pro Plan account with 2,000 included units per month:

  • Units used: 3,432
  • Allotment: 2,000 units
  • Overage: 1,432 units x $0.03 = $42.96

This overage would appear on your next invoice. You can upgrade your plan at any time under Settings > Account Settings > Details tab to increase your monthly unit allotment.

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