Bulk SMS for churches and NGOs
Bulk SMS for churches and NGOs
Keep your congregation, members and volunteers informed, including people with basic phones and no data. Send service times, event reminders and urgent notices from your computer or phone.
- Reaches members without data
- Groups for every ministry
- 1,000 SMS for R300
Grace Community Church: This Sunday's service starts at 09:30. Holy Communion will be served. Bring a friend!
Hope Food Garden: You're on the roster for Saturday 08:00 to 11:00. Reply NO if you can't make it.
Ward 12 Forum: Community meeting about the water outages on Thursday at 18:00 at the community hall.
Bulk SMS for churches and NGOs
What churches and NGOs send by SMS
Notices, reminders and the occasional appeal. Each message starts with your organisation's name.
Grace Community Church: This Sunday's service starts at 09:30. Holy Communion will be served. Bring a friend!
Grace Community Church: Prayer meeting moves to Wednesday at 18:30 this week, in the small hall. All welcome.
Grace Youth: Camp forms and the R350 deposit are due this Sunday. Speak to Pastor Sipho if you need help with payment.
Hope Food Garden: You're on the roster for Saturday 08:00 to 11:00. Reply NO if you can't make it.
Ward 12 Forum: Community meeting about the water outages on Thursday at 18:00 at the community hall.
Hope Food Garden: Our winter soup drive needs your help. Donate any amount by EFT, ref SOUP. Info: 012 123 4567. Reply STOP to opt out.
The donation message ends with Reply STOP to opt out, because POPIA treats requests for donations as direct marketing.
Why SMS
Why SMS works for churches and NGOs
Reaches everyone
SMS works on basic phones and needs no data, so older members and rural communities get the message too.
Groups for every ministry
Keep lists for the choir, youth, cell groups, volunteers and the whole congregation.
Urgent notices, fast
Share a bereavement, a venue change or a cancelled event as soon as you press send.
RSVPs by reply
Ask members to reply YES for an event, or NO if they can't make a roster slot.
Small budgets welcome
Start with 1,000 SMS for R300, with no monthly fees or contract.
Know who got it
Delivery reports show which members received your notice.
Getting started
Start sending to your members in four steps
Collect numbers with consent
Add a line to visitor cards and membership forms asking if people want SMS notices.
Set up your groups
Upload your member list and split it into groups for each ministry, cell group or project.
Send your first notice
Start with your church or organisation's name, then send now or schedule it for Saturday morning.
Keep the list fresh
Remove numbers that fail, and add new members each month.
What bulk SMS costs a church
Here's a typical month for a church with 300 members.
| Message | How many | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly service reminder | 4 × 300 | 1,200 |
| Event notices | 2 × 300 | 600 |
| Total a month | 1,800 |
At Starter pack prices, a month like this uses R540 of credits. A Growth pack (5,000 SMS for R1,350) lasts almost three months and brings that down to about R486 a month.
SMS packsPer SMS · Pack
- 1,000 SMSR0.30R300
- 5,000 SMSR0.27R1,350
- 10,000 SMSR0.25R2,500
- 20,000 SMSR0.23R4,600
- 50,000 SMSR0.22R11,000
Final prices · No VAT added · No monthly fees
SMS rules for churches and NGOs
POPIA applies to churches and non-profits too. Notices to your members about services, meetings and events are part of running your organisation, so they don't need marketing consent.
Asking for donations is different. POPIA counts any request for a donation as direct marketing, so send those only to people who agreed to receive them, name your organisation and give a way to opt out.
- Ask for SMS consent on visitor cards and membership forms.
- Send donation requests only to people who opted in, and end them with Reply STOP to opt out.
- Act on STOP replies straight away.
For a bereavement or illness, share only what the family agreed to, and keep details for a phone call.
isiZulu, isiXhosa and English fit the normal 160 characters. Afrikaans letters like ê and ô switch an SMS to Unicode, where one SMS holds 70 characters.
Questions
Questions churches and NGOs ask
Can we SMS members who don't have WhatsApp?
Yes. SMS reaches any cellphone, with no app or data needed, so it's the one channel every member can receive.
Can members reply?
Yes. Replies come back to your portal, which makes RSVPs and roster confirmations easy.
Do we need permission to SMS our members?
Notices about services and events to your own members are fine. Requests for donations count as direct marketing under POPIA, so those need consent and an opt-out.
What's the cheapest way to start?
The Starter pack: 1,000 SMS for R300, with no VAT added, no monthly fees and credits that last three years.
Can we schedule Sunday reminders?
Yes. Schedule a service reminder for Saturday morning, and it goes out without anyone at a computer.
Does it work for NGOs and community groups?
Yes. Food gardens, ward forums, sports clubs and community projects use the same groups, reminders and rosters.
More industries
Bulk SMS for other industries
Bulk SMS for schools
Hillview Primary: School closes at 12:00 on Friday for the staff meeting. Aftercare runs as normal.
Fee reminders, closures and sports updates to every parent.
See how it worksSMS reminders for medical practices
Smile Dental: Your check-up is tomorrow at 10:00. Reply YES to confirm or call us to move it.
Appointment reminders that patients confirm by reply.
See how it worksBulk SMS for shops and salons
Lounge Hair Studio: See you tomorrow at 14:00 for your cut and colour. Reply C to cancel.
Specials, order-ready alerts and booking reminders.
See how it worksReady to reach your whole congregation?
WhatsApp us your church or organisation's name and how many members you have. We'll set you up with groups for each ministry.