Messaging FAQ & Glossary

Updated: April 24, 2024 13:54

What is Tithely Messaging?

Tithely Messaging allows churches to communicate with visitors, members, and regular attendees through SMS and email (SMS only available in the US and Canada). Messaging provides the ability to store contact information, send a text or email directly, create lists, send follow-ups, and so much more.

What is the cost of using Messaging?

There are no contracts and no sign-up fees involved in getting started with Messaging. Messaging is $19 per month and includes 500 text credits.

All-Access customers

No monthly fee
500 SMS messages at no extra cost
0c per message for email
Additional text credits will be packaged in bundles of 500 for $10

For Customers not on All-Access

$19 monthly fee (charged 1 month from the sign-up)
500 SMS messages at no extra cost
0c per message for email
Additional text credits will be packaged in bundles of 500 for $10

📄 More Information: Tithely Pricing

I have all access, but it's asking for my credit card.

Credit Card details are still needed to sign up for Messaging even though you have All-Access.

The $19/monthly fee will be waived, and the first 500 messages sent each month are included. The credit card information is needed because anything over the first 500 messages will be charged at at
$10 per 500 additional SMS messages.

Do my 500 included messages roll over?

At the start of each billing period, your 500 included messages will reset.

How can I access my invoice for messaging if I go over the 500 free messages?

Your invoice is accessible to you by going to Giving 2.0 > Global Settings > Billing > Update Card > Invoices. Click on the invoice you'd like, and it will automatically download in pdf form.

Am I charged for messages that contacts send to the church?

If a contact sends a text message to the church, there is no cost for this message.

Unread notifications sent to your cell (found in Messaging > Settings) do count towards your monthly allotment. Example: If 7 unread messages came in, 1 SMS would be sent to your phone to notify you of these unread messages, counting as 1 SMS of your allotment. Email notifications are free.

Automated responses to keywords count towards your monthly allotment for text messages.

There are no costs associated with sending and receiving emails.

How long can a text message be?

The character limit for a single SMS message is 160 characters. When you send an SMS message over 160 characters, the messages will be split.
Large messages are segmented into 153 character segments, sent individually, and then rebuilt by the recipient's device. For example, a 161-character message will be sent as two messages, one with 153 characters and the second with 8 characters.
📄 More Information: Character Limits

Where is Messaging available?

We are happy to offer Messaging with Email within the United States (not available in US Territories), Canada, and Australia.

Our team is actively working to make Tithe.ly Messaging available in additional countries.

Messaging with SMS is only available to customers within the United States (not available in US Territories) and Canada.

Can I use Messaging on a mobile device?

Yes, Messaging is compatible with all mobile devices via any mobile web browser.

How do I set up a Messaging phone number and email address?

Once you've signed up for Messaging and have added a credit card or an active subscription has been found, you will be directed to the Settings page. You will then be able to add an 800 number unique to your church and an email address that people will use to send and receive messages.

📄 More Information: Set Up Your Messaging Phone Number and Email Address

Can Messaging use an existing phone number?

Unfortunately, you cannot use an existing number for Messaging. Our team is exploring the possibility of using existing numbers in the near future.

Can I use a local number for Messaging?

You cannot use a local number for Messaging. When sending SMS blasts, standard local numbers are not a good fit to use in Messaging. 800 numbers are authorized to send messages to large groups of people, whereas local numbers are often flagged as spam when sent to multiple recipients.

Can we use our church domain for the Messaging email address?

Messaging does not support custom domains, but you can use your church name with the domain @messaging.church. Example: firstbaptist@messaging.church

How do I make someone an admin?

Click the "Global Settings" button in the bottom left-hand corner of your page > My Organization > Users > Add User. From here, you can select "Messaging" and any other applicable permissions and click "Save Changes".

📄 More Information: Creating Secondary Admin Access for Messaging

How do I send a message to multiple contacts at the same time? Or to a list of people?

Using Messaging, you can create and send follow-ups to groups of people using Blasts.

📄 More Information: Sending a Drag & Drop Email Blast & Sending a SMS and Simple Email Blast

How do I know if a recipient received or read my message?

While Messaging does not track if a recipient has read a message, you can tell that a message has been received successfully by the small green 'sent ✓' next to the message.

📄 More Information: Understanding Blast Stats in Tithely Messaging

Can I import an existing Contact list from Elvanto or another service?

Yes! We will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to import contact lists from Elvanto and other services. Please reach out to our support team for more details.

Can people text a keyword to Messaging to add them to a list?

Yes! Keywords allow you to set up specific keywords that can trigger and add Contacts to a particular list, gather their updated contact details, and even trigger a follow-up sequence.
For example, if a guest at your church texted the word 'NEW,' the system could add them to a list called "Visitors" and start a follow-up sequence that begins to engage the guest.

📄 More Information: Keywords in Messaging

Can people unsubscribe from messages?

Yes. People can choose their communication preferences by selecting which type of scheduled messaging they would like to receive. The only communication they can not unsubscribe from is System Messages which are account-related communications such as password reset.

When scheduling blasts, the option for people to unsubscribe will automatically populate in the default template all simple emails, and when replying the word STOP in a text. If you do not see the unsubscribe link at the bottom of your message, simply add the bracket: {unsubscribe_link}.

How does someone re-subscribe to messages?

If you've previously opted out and wish to re-subscribe to messages from your church, you can easily do so through the following methods:

For Text Messages:

Simply send the word "unstop" to your church's messaging number. This action will reverse the stop request and re-activate message delivery to your phone.

For Email Messages:

Find a previous email from your church and scroll to the bottom.
Click on the 'unsubscribe' link. Although this may seem counterintuitive, this link actually takes you to the email subscription preferences page.
Once there, update your preferences to re-subscribe and receive future emails.

Glossary

Term	Definition
Inbox	The area that displays all conversations within Messaging. 2-way email communication.
Lists / Groups	A group of people specified by the admins to follow-ups and blasts can be sent to.
Follow Up	A scheduled message or messages sent out periodically to a group. Simple and drag & drop email messages.
Blast	A group message. Simple email and drag & drop email.
Keyword	The feature enables people to respond to the messaging number with phrases (keywords) such as "Church" to be notified of upcoming events. Users can email in the keyword.
Trigger	A message that is sent automatically after action. (Example: A message is triggered to send after the donor gives over $350).