Consent and opt-outs

The consent record is the church's memory of who has agreed to receive texts and emails, about which topics, and who has asked to stop. Every opt-in and every opt-out is written down with when and how it happened, and nothing is ever erased. Messages reads it every time you send.

When to use this

• Someone says "I asked you to stop texting me".
• A parent asks why they're receiving (or not receiving) kids news.
• You want to understand why someone is under Not receiving in the composer.

How consent works

• Consent belongs to the phone number or email address, not to the person record, because whoever holds the number is the one who agreed. If two people share an address, they share its consent.
• It's by channel and topic. Someone can say yes to weekly news by email and no to event invitations by text.
• It's a history, not a switch. The current state for each topic (Subscribed, Opted out or No consent) is worked out from the full list of events, newest first.
• An opt-out is final until the person reverses it themselves: by texting START, using the preference link in an email, or signing a new form.

People give consent in many ways: a web form, a paper connection card, a text keyword, or by telling a member of staff.

Look up a person

1. Open Messages › Consent history, and pick a person. (You can also select any name in the composer's recipients list.)
2. Each of their contact points shows the state of every topic, and what decided it.
3. Consent history below lists every event, newest first.

Try STOP and START

Text from this phone pretends to be the person texting the church's number:

• STOP (or ALTO, PARAR, CANCELAR) opts them out, and the church's standard reply is captured in the outbox.
• START opts them back in.
• HELP replies with the church's contact details.

Staff entries

Staff can record consent on someone's behalf, for example from a paper card. Try a staff re-subscribe shows the rule:

• If the number or address hasn't opted out, the staff entry is accepted and recorded.
• If it has opted out, the entry is rejected. Only the person can reverse their own opt-out.

The same rule applies to imports and record merges: none of them can ever turn an opt-out back into a yes.

Children and students

• Under 13: children receive no messages of their own. Their guardians receive a separate copy that says who it's for.
• Students aged 13 to 17: texts need both a guardian's consent and the student's own opt-in, recorded as two linked events.

Good to know

• Spanish keywords work the same as English ones, and the replies come in the language of the keyword.
• Merging two people never changes consent, because consent follows the contact point.
• In the sandbox, every reply and every change stays in your browser.

Top tips

• When someone complains about a message, look them up here before replying: the history shows exactly when and how they opted in.
• Collect consent where it's easiest: an unticked "We may text you" box on every connection card and form with a phone number.
• Never try to "fix" an opt-out on someone's behalf, even if they ask in person. Ask them to text START; it's quick, and it's their choice on record.

Troubleshooting

"Staff entry rejected." That number or address has opted out. Only the person can reverse it.

A person has no contact points listed. There's no email or mobile on their record, so nothing can be sent to them directly. Add one in People, if they've given it.