Initial Text Guidelines
Initial, outgoing messages are no longer sent by individuals, so write your message as if it is being sent by the hosting formation, or by the chapter as a whole.
Don't write your message expecting to have the recipient's name filled in automatically. Our records can be out of date and we do not want to deadname anyone.
If you want to include other per-recipient information in the text, include it in the CSV upload as an additional labeled column. You can also request other information from our records to be included, but we can't guarantee it will be available.
Each segment must be 160 characters or less, so please count the characters before submitting, using the name of the longest texter if including texter names. We pay by the segment, so an initial text with two segments will cost twice as much as one with only one segment. It's possible to send an MMS, which costs a little more than twice the cost of a segment, and can include a small image and several paragraphs of text, but this becomes harder to justify with larger recipient lists.
Don't use bit.ly, tinyurl, or other public URL shorteners. Carriers will filter such messages out as spam. Instead, use a short mdcdsa.org URL, such as mdcdsa.org/mymaydayevent, note the full URL elsewhere, and we will set up your requested short URL if possible, or suggest a workable alternative.
Carrier rules require us to include opt-out language such as "STOP to quit", so include this or an equivalent in your message.