Mass Text Alert System

What It Does

    • Rapid response communication tool for internal and external communication

    • Communicate verified information and calls to action (in multiple languages)

What It Requires

    • An organizing effort to sign-up message recipients

    • A dispatch team that carefully vets information before sending

    • A hotline management and dispatch team that can coordinate and support organizers “on call”


TEXTING MOBILIZATION TOOL

This entails creating two texting platforms. A broadcast platform to send one-way messages to large audiences, and a two-way community platform that allows your hotline dispatchers to communicate with the broader base of support.

What It Does

    • Hotline reporting

    • Call to action for neighborhood and workplace-based community defense

    • Other calls to action

How It Works

    • When hotline dispatchers receive a report, they make sure it’s valid, and can either communicate within the platform internally, including instructing the person who reported it about specific next steps, or broadcast a call for mass mobilization.

    • When mass mobilization community defense isn’t necessary, people who live in the same neighborhood can message each other to determine next steps, if any.

    • When ICE, law enforcement, or fascist presence is confirmed and mass mobilization is necessary, dispatchers send an internal message to organizers for assistance and a broadcast message with verified info to a list of recipients.

Texting Platform Considerations

    • Recipient list can scale much faster if they can add themselves via app or shortcode

    • Sending just one SMS to 2,000 contacts can cost upwards of $30 depending on platform

    • Should be able to send & receive SMS

    • Less overwhelming if it only allows for one-way communication, ie, people wonʼt see each otherʼs responses to hotline dispatchers

    • Should be an app or service familiar to most people in the neighborhood

    • Important to have the ability to broadcast images and links

Broadcast Texting Services

Apps That Require Download

Telegram

    • Broadcast for free to up to 200,000 people – Can create separate two-way discussion groups linked to the broadcast channel

    • Requires recipients to download Telegram

    • Some recipients will not be able to download new apps (“dumb phones”)

WhatsApp

    • Broadcast for free to up to 2,000 people – Can create separate two-way discussion groups linked to the broadcast channel

    • You might exceed the 2,000 subscriber limit

Signal

    • Broadcast for free to up to 1,000

    • Many potential volunteers already have this app

    • You might exceed the 1,000 subscriber limit

    • No ability to link to other chat groups within the app

No Download Required

Twilio

    • Cheaper than other paid SMS services (as an SMS “wholesaler” often hosts the back-end for other services)

    • $$ (charge per message)

    • Not the most user-friendly interface

    • Normal corporate customer support experience

Strive

    • Founded by activists who have some experience providing the back-end for hotlines

    • $$ (charge by message volume)

    • all SMS broadcast systems can be flagged as spam by phone providers

Others

    • $$ (charge by message volume)

    • all SMS broadcast systems can be flagged as spam by phone providers

Community Texting Services (for messaging within a group)

Apps That Require Download

Telegram

    • Broadcast for free to up to 200,000 volunteers

    • Can create separate two-way discussion groups linked to the broadcast channel

    • Requires recipients to download Telegram

    • Some recipients will not be able to download new apps (“dumb phones”)

WhatsApp

    • Broadcast for free to up to 2,000 people – Can create separate two-way discussion groups linked to the broadcast channel

    • You might exceed the 2,000 subscriber limit

Signal

    • Many potential volunteers already have this app

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