What nonpolitical organizations need to know about 10DLC
Important information to know about 10DLC numbers for nonpolitical organizations:
- Registration is required to access a 10DLC phone number.
- Registrations can take upwards of 7-10 business days to be approved during normal periods and longer during busy times like the final weeks before Election Day.
- Certain mobile carriers set caps on 501(c) non-profits and private entities that limit how many texts an organization can send daily (to T-Mobile phones). Government organizations are exempt from the cap. The cap size ranges and depends on the organization's size, age, and reputation.
We recommend non-political organizations (non-profits: charities, advocacy groups, unions; private entities; and government entities) do the following in order to get your 10DLC number as quickly as possible ⬇️
1. Complete basic organizational and legal setup (if not completed yet)
- Legal organization name
- EIN / Tax ID
- Physical address
2. Update your website and gather important information about your texting program
- Ensure your website is active and has an opt-in flow, privacy policy, and terms and conditions
- Write an explanation of why you’re texting – i.e. fundraising, event recruitment
- Complete two sample text scripts
- Note: 501(c) non-profits may be asked to submit additional documentation to verify the status of the organization, such as a letter of determination or an 8976 form. Government entities may be asked to provide a W-9 form.
3. Submit your registration to Scale to Win
- Complete our 10DLC registration form, and our team will do the rest!
- Questions? Check out our full guide to 10DLC registration
FAQs about 10DLC registration for nonpolitical organizations
Do I have to register for 10DLC?
How long will it take to get a 10DLC number?
Are there any costs associated with 10DLC?
What if I can’t register for 10DLC?
Are there limits to what I can send on 10DLC numbers?
How does toll-free texting work?
Do I have to register for 10DLC?
We strongly recommend registering for 10DLC if your organization is a government entity. Non-profits may also benefit from having local sending numbers. Given the caps on daily sending, nonprofits may also wish to send texts from toll-free numbers.
We recommend that private entities (e.g. polling firms, news organizations) register for toll-free numbers. Any questions? Reach out to us at compliance@scaletowin.com to discuss your use case.
You can read more about toll-free texting here.
What information do I need to register for a 10DLC number as a nonprofit, government or private organization?
- Legal organization name
- EIN / Tax ID
- Physical address
- An active website with an opt-in flow, privacy policy, and terms and conditions
- An explanation of why you’re texting – e.g. fundraising, event recruitment
- Two sample text scripts
- Additional documentation if needed: 501(c) non-profits may be asked to submit additional documentation to verify the status of the organization, such as a letter of determination or an 8976 form. Government entities may be asked to provide a W-9 form.
How long will it take to get a 10DLC number?
While most registrations take between 7-10 days to get approved once you’ve submitted all of the information to us. You can register using this form, and here is the full guide for how to register using the Scale to Win 10DLC form.
Are there any costs associated with 10DLC?
Scale to Win doesn’t charge fees for 10DLC registration. That means you’ll only pay for the texts you send.
What if I can’t register for 10DLC?
Toll-free is a great option if you’re a group without an EIN or otherwise cannot register for 10DLC.
Registration is also required to access a toll-free number. Currently it takes around 3-5 business days for approval on toll-free registrations. You can read more about toll-free texting here and register using this form.
Are there limits to what I can send on 10DLC numbers?
Certain carriers set 10DLC sending limits for nonprofits and private entities (but not for government entities or political committees). Read more about the sending limits in our rate limits guide.
How does toll-free texting work?
Texting with a toll-free number means that instead of texting with a local area code, you’ll text from phone numbers with area codes like 833, 844, or 866 (you won’t ever be texting with a 800 number). These phone numbers otherwise look identical to an ordinary ten-digit phone number with a local area code.
Registration is required to access a toll-free number. Currently, it takes around 3-5 business days for toll-free registrations to be approved. You can read more about toll-free texting here and register using this form.
What if I am texting with multiple legal entities or a consultant who provides texting for my customers?
Our platform is set up to make it easy to register multiple entities or customers from your account.
- You will register each unique sender individually.
- After you complete your Scale to Win contract, be sure to let our team know you’ll need to register multiple entities or customers, and we’ll be happy to walk you through the process! You can also read more about registering multiple teams in our guide.