You will need the Full Account permission to perform this action.
A verified number is required to avoid problems with message deliverability. Verification is a policy enforced by the U.S. wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others) — it is not specific to One Church Software. See Why should I verify my text messaging number? for more on why it's needed.
Start the verification
Go to Settings & Tools (cog icon in the tool-bar) > Communication > Text Messages. On the Text Message page, a panel shows your Messaging Number and its Verification Status. If the status is not yet Verified, click Verify Now and complete the form described below.
Verification questions
After you click Verify Now, a form appears with a few questions. The first selection is auto-populated from your account data — review it for accuracy. The questions focus on what you'll be sending and how you protect recipients from unwanted texts.
1. Estimated Monthly Volume: how many text messages you expect to send per month across all recipients.
Tip: This is an estimate. Multiply the average number of messages you send in a month by the average number of recipients on each (for example, 4 messages × 60 recipients = 240 monthly volume). If you're unsure, choose 1,000 in the drop-down.
2. Use Case Description: what you'll be messaging and who the recipients are. Be specific — "to communicate with members" is not enough. Example: "We send important church-specific news and information to our church members who've opted in to receive this type of communication via text."
3. Sample Content (2–3 examples): actual examples of the messages you'll send, including any to staff. Use the real wording, not summaries. Examples:
"Church family, our live stream begins in 15 minutes. Share service details with your friends and family."
"Remember, the youth rally has been rescheduled to April 15."
"This Sunday is Move Up Sunday. Remember to take your child to their new classroom."
"Important update: Sunday's service is canceled due to severe weather. Stay safe!"
4. Opt-In Consent Description: how recipients explicitly consent to receive text messages. If they submit an online form, provide the form's URL. Members still need to opt in — a guest form or connection card is usually the best place, and you can build one in One Church Software.
Add something like this to the description of the form: You can opt into receiving text communication relating to ____________ (be specific about what messages to expect)."
There must also be a spot where people would opt in (a checkbox) to receiving text messages.
5. Privacy Policy: your church website must have a privacy policy that includes language similar to: "No personal information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties." A good spot for this is the footer of your website, especially the main page.