Create an SMS campaign for a group

SMS to a group are sent as a campaign from Communications → Messaging. There is no “Send SMS” action in Church Life → Small Groups. Only members with SMS confirmed receive the SMS; the rest are skipped.

Before you start

• The telecom registration must be complete (Settings → SMS & WhatsApp).
• The church needs credits available in AI Credits.

TL;DR

Communications → Messaging → New Campaign, channel SMS, Recipient type: By group, Create campaign, then Send.

Steps

1. Open Communications → Messaging and click New Campaign.
2. Enter the Campaign name and choose SMS under Channel.
3. Under Recipient type, choose By group and pick the group in Select group.
4. Choose the Category (Announcement, Invitation, Reminder, or Financial) and write the Message (up to 1,600 characters; the counter shows the characters remaining). Each SMS starts with your church name so recipients know who is messaging.
5. Review the Estimated cost and click Create campaign. The campaign is saved as a Draft.
6. In the campaign list, click Send and confirm. The prompt shows how many credits will be deducted from your balance.

Verification

The campaign changes to Sent (or Partial if some sends failed) and shows the Sent and Failed counters. Minors do not receive the SMS directly: it goes to their guardian, if one is on file, or is skipped.