Text-message confirmations (coming soon)

Today Churchday tells volunteers about their serving assignments by email. Confirming a slot with a quick text reply is on the way, but it is not switched on yet. This article explains what works now and what to expect later, so you know what to promise your team.

What works today

Right now, every volunteer notification and reminder is sent by email only.

When you finish assigning people and click Notify on the Schedule page, each volunteer you selected receives an email invitation with a link to accept or decline. Their answer flows back onto the Schedule page, where you can watch who has responded. For the full walkthrough, see Notify volunteers about their assignments.

There is no text-message option in the Notify pop-up window today, and that is expected.

What's coming: reply by text

The next step is two-way texting. When it launches, a volunteer will be able to receive the same "you're scheduled to serve" message as a text and reply right from their phone:

Reply YES or CONFIRM to accept the slot.
Reply NO or DECLINE to turn it down.

A text reply will do exactly the same thing as clicking the link in the email. Both paths run through the same accept-or-decline behavior, so the volunteer's answer updates the schedule and notifies whoever assigned them, no matter which way they responded. Email stays available too, so a volunteer without a mobile number can always confirm by email.

Why it isn't on yet

Two-way texting is built, but it is waiting on approval from the U.S. phone carriers. Before any business can send automated text messages, the mobile carriers have to review and approve the sender (this review is called A2P/10DLC registration). Until that approval finishes, texting stays turned off for every church, and the Text area is hidden across the dashboard.

This is not something you can switch on from your settings. There is no setup step waiting for you, and nothing is missing from your account. When carrier approval clears, texting will light up on its own.

What to do now

Keep using the email Notify flow. It is the reliable, supported way to invite volunteers and track responses today.
Do not promise text confirmations to your volunteers yet. Until texting is live, they will be notified by email, so let them know to watch their inbox.
Nothing to set up. When reply-by-text becomes available, it will turn on automatically and we will announce it.

Good to know

Even after texting launches, email will remain a channel. Volunteers without a mobile number, or who have not agreed to receive texts, will continue to get email notifications.
For the wider status of text messaging across Churchday, see Text messaging (coming soon).