1 - Message Type

Select how you want to send your Message, either by email or text.

2 - To

If launched from a selection, the selected records group here. You can click the search icon to select additional records. Each individual receives a unique email and can't see who else received the same Message.

3 - Recipients

This list displays records related to Views for Sub-Pages associated with the selected Page. The selected View applies to the selection so you can further filter the records you send to. For more information, see Message Recipients.

4 - Send to Parents

Select this check box to send the Message to the parents of the Recipients. A "parent" is any active (not deceased) household member with Household Position of Head of Household and a valid email address AND mobile phone number. It also includes any Head of Household associated through Other Households with a Household Type of "Non-Custodial Parent", unless the relationship is end-dated. If the selected Recipient is a Head of Household, they will not receive the email, nor will the other Head in their Household.

Note: If the parent opted out of receiving bulk emails, won't receive the Message. To include them, select the Include recipients who have opted out of bulk email option on the Advanced tab.

5 - Insert Menu

Templates:

Select a Template as a starting place for your Message. This list is organized based on the Template's Pertains to Page and the Page you selected your Recipient list from. Any edits you make to a Template in the New Message Tool only apply to this specific Message and do not update the Template record. Users with at least Read level permissions on the Templates page can use Templates. Users can see Templates they can access based on the Template User and Template User Group fields on the Template record. For more information on using templates, see Templates.

Fields:

We do not recommend using merge fields in text messages because it causes every text to be a different length. This could affect the appearance and cost to send your texts. But, if needed, you can include different types of merge fields in your message.

• With Contact Fields, you can personalize your message for the Recipient. For example, the [Nickname] field automatically adds the Recipient's Nickname to the message.
• The From User Fields are like Contact Fields but they merge in values related to the Sender (the current authenticated User or delegated User) rather than Recipient. For example, the [From_User_Nickname] field automatically adds the Sender's Nickname.
• With Data Fields, you can add Page-specific data to a Message.

For more information on using these fields, see Contact, From User, and Data Fields.

6 - Character count

Text messages sent through the New Message Tool have a limit of 160 characters for Message body. The character count indicates how many characters you used. Wondering why you only get 160 characters?

• It is industry standard and best practice.
• It respects your recipients.
• It reduces the likelihood of your mass texts being flagged as spam.
• It increases the processing rate and speed at which Twilio can deliver your texts.
• It saves you money. Math says that one segment x 5,000 texts is half the cost of two segments x 5,000 texts - that adds up fast! See the "Texting Segments" section on the Twilio integration page to learn more.
• It forces you to be brief and to the point. Think tweet, not blog!

Need more room to fully express your Message? Get creative, use abbreviations, drop the formal greetings and salutations, and create a short link to direct recipients to more information. And if your message still doesn't fit, the Email option is just a toggle away!

7 - Send / Save

Hover over the Send button to see the Save as Draft, Send to Me, and Send options. You can save a Message as a draft at any time. Once complete, you can send a Message.

Note: If the Message doesn't contain any Contact Fields or Data Fields, the system automatically removes duplicate texts. For example, if a husband and wife have the same mobile phone number in each of their Contact records and both of their records are in the selection, one text would sends to that number. (The system calculates the Send count before removing duplicates.)

To receive a copy of the Message to review before you send it to all your Recipients, select Send to Me. If you included merge fields, they use the first Recipient's information, and attached files are also included. This gives you an accurate preview of what you're about to send.

Note: Replies: If you send a text message using the New Message Tool and a recipient replies to it, Twilio logs the reply. By default, it does not record in MinistryPlatform. However, you can set up a webhook on the Twilio side to send any replies to the Platform for easy reference. This only logs the incoming Message.

Also, no automatic response message sends to the Recipient if they reply to your text message. You may configure Twilio to automatically send responses to incoming text messages. Review their documentation or reach out to Twilio Support for assistance.

Did you know you can add attachments to a text? Well, you can if you use the New Message Tool to send them. With the Attached Files tab of the New Message Tool, you can attach, open, and remove file attachments.

When attaching, you can:

• Add as a Link.
• Add as a Attachment.

If you have multiple attachments, you can even mix and match! When you add at least one attachment, a current count of attachments displays in the badge icon on the Attached Files tab. This icon also displays a count the Template you selected contains attachments.

1 - From SMS Number

Indicates which Outbound SMS Number the text message sends from. This is the default number set on the Outbound SMS Numbers page. If you configured multiple numbers, the From SMS Number drop-down list includes additional numbers. Users can send from Outbound SMS numbers associated with a User Group they are in.

2 - Schedule Send

Schedule the Message to send at a future date or time according to the authenticated User's timezone. If the User's value isn't set, the system uses the Domain timezone. You can schedule Messages to send within the next six months. For steps, see Schedule a Message.

3 - Bulk Text

If necessary, select this check box to include Recipients whose Contact records have Do Not Text set to Yes. By default, this option is unselected and doesn't include these Recipients.

CAUTION: We recommend you only use this for very important messages that those who opted out must see.