How members choose which texts they get

Members choose which kinds of text they get, separately from which emails they get. A text of any kind but Essential goes only to someone who said yes to that kind. An Essential text goes to every adult who has not refused texts. Every choice is recorded, so the club can show when and how each person said yes.

The kinds of text

Texts use the same kinds as emails: Essential notices, and the club's others, such as Club news, Events and social and Competitions and coaching. The club names them on Settings. See Email preferences: who chooses what.

A person can also say No to all texts, essential notices included. Then the club cannot text them even about a closure.

Choices belong to a mobile number

A choice is kept against a mobile number, not a person. People who share a number share its choices, and get one copy of each text. If a member's number changes, the new number starts as not asked.

Only adults are texted. A person under 18 is never texted directly, and has no text choices to make.

Where a yes comes from

• The Say yes to texts email. An Administrator sends it from Settings. See Set up texts to members. Each adult at an address gets their own link, with their first name. The link opens Which texts would you like? with no sign-in, for the mobile ending in its last three digits. The person presses Yes to every kind of text, or ticks the kinds they want and presses Save my choices, or presses No texts at all. The page then says what was saved, for example Done. You will get texts about: Events and social. Opening the link changes nothing: only pressing a button does. The link stops working after about three months, and the page then asks the person to sign in.
• Their own page. A signed-in member opens Email preferences from the account menu, which also holds the texts. A Text column sits beside Email with Yes and No for each kind, and a tick, No to all texts, essential notices included. The page says which mobile the texts go to, and that texts come from the club's number. Under Changes it lists what changed and how. See Choose which emails you get.
• The join form. While the club sends texts, the join form shows a tick beside the mobile: Yes, the club may text this mobile with short notices, such as closures and changes of plan. I can reply STOP to any text to end them. It starts unticked, because it is the person's consent. It is not shown for a child. It applies to the first person on the application, and only when they are an adult. When the committee's election is recorded, a yes to texts is saved for that mobile.
• START. A member who replied STOP can start texts again by replying START. See STOP and START.
• The office, when a member has told them. See below.

The office's view

On a member's page, the Text message choices card shows the mobile, when the member last answered (or that they have not), each kind as Yes, No, Not asked or Sent for Essential, who shares the mobile, the latest texts sent to this number with what happened to each, and a Changes list of what changed, when and how, for example Replied to a text.

If you can change members, press Change, choose Yes or No for each kind, or tick No to all texts, Essential included, and press Save. The card says Only change these when the member has told you. It is recorded as changed by the office, as the evidence of their yes or no.

If the member is under 18, has no mobile number or has a number that is not an Australian mobile, the card says so and there is nothing to choose.

At the moment of sending

Texts follow these choices every time, including at the moment of sending. Someone who replies STOP while a text is going out is skipped. Roster texts to staff about their shifts are separate and follow the staff record.