SMS Broadcasts

SMS broadcasts let you send text messages directly to parents’ phones. They’re great for time-sensitive announcements, quick reminders, and messages you want parents to see right away.

SMS requires a one-time setup before you can use it. See Setting Up SMS & Voice if you haven’t done that yet.

How to Send an SMS Broadcast

1. Click Broadcasts in the sidebar.
2. Click New Broadcast.
3. Under Type, select SMS.
4. Choose your recipients.
5. Type your message in the text area.
6. Click Send Now.

Character Limits and Segments

Text messages are sent in chunks called segments. A single segment can hold up to 160 characters. If your message is longer than 160 characters, it gets split into multiple segments that are reassembled on the recipient’s phone.

The character counter below the text area shows how many characters you have left in the current segment. As you type, it updates in real time.

If your message includes emoji or special characters, the limit drops to 70 characters per segment. The counter will adjust automatically when this happens.

You can use merge tags in SMS messages just like in emails. Click Insert merge tag above the text area to see available tags.

Phone Number Formats

When pasting phone numbers (in Paste List mode or the Additional Phones field), any common format works:

• (555) 123-4567
• 555-123-4567
• 5551234567
• +15551234567

We’ll automatically format them for delivery.

Delivery Statuses

After sending, open the broadcast to see the status of each message:

• Sent — The message was sent to the carrier.
• Delivered — The message was confirmed delivered to the phone.
• Undelivered — The carrier couldn’t deliver the message (e.g., the phone is off or the number is invalid).
• Failed — Something went wrong during sending.

You can hover over a failed or undelivered status to see more details about what happened.

Good to Know

• SMS costs $0.01 per segment. A 200-character message costs $0.02 (2 segments). See Broadcast Costs for details.
• Messages are sent from the phone number assigned to your camp during SMS & Voice setup.
• SMS messages are plain text only — no formatting, images, or attachments.
• When a parent replies to your text message, their reply is forwarded to your camp’s email address. You’ll receive an email with the parent’s phone number and their message. You cannot reply directly to this email — instead, click the link in the email to open the family’s profile in Campflow, go to the Communication tab, and send them a message from there.