Messaging
Use FutureFund to communicate with your parents. Some examples include:
- Contacting volunteers for upcoming events.
- Informing members of elections and PTA meetings.
- Notifying parents/guardians where to pick up yearbooks.
Two Ways to Reach Parents
Messaging lives in the Admin under Channels > Messaging and offers two channels:
| Channel | Where to find it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging > Email | Longer announcements and newsletters with formatting, links, images, and file attachments. | |
| Text Messages | Messaging > Text Messaging | Short, time-sensitive reminders, like “Fun Run starts at 9:00 am” or “Yearbook orders close tonight.” |
Both channels can be sent right away or scheduled to go out later. See Sending Messages for full details on audiences, scheduling, and messaging rules.
Email Messages
Compose emails in the Admin under Messaging > Email.
- Write with a rich text editor, including headings, lists, links, and images.
- Attach files (up to 15 MB total per email) such as flyers, order forms, and permission slips.
- Choose a Sender Profile so the email carries your organization’s name, logo, colors, and reply-to address.
- Save an email as a draft, send yourself a test copy, then send or schedule it.
- After sending, review the results for that email: delivered, opens, clicks, bounces, spam complaints, and unsubscribes.
Message Audiences
FutureFund allows admins to email their parents based on various audience criteria allowing for targeted and relevant communications. Send messages based on:
- Purchase history
- Corporate matching program status
- Parents with or without access to the directory
- Members of selected membership campaigns
- Volunteers by volunteer position
FutureFund also supports filtering audiences by:
- Parents with students in selected grades
- Parents with students in selected teachers’ classes
- Parents on a selected First Step page
Admins can also send emails to all parents.
Text Messages
Send text messages in the Admin under Messaging > Text Messaging.
- Messages are limited to 250 characters.
- Every message begins with your organization’s text prefix and ends with “Reply STOP to opt out”. The prefix is set in Account Settings > Messaging. See Messaging Setup.
- Send immediately, or set a Send At date and time to schedule the message.
- Links are only allowed to futurefund.com addresses.
Text Message Audiences
- All Parents: every registered parent who has opted in to text messages and has a mobile number on file.
- A phone number question on a custom form: message everyone who answered that question, for example the coaches or room parents who signed up through a form.
Opting In
Text messages are opt-in. Parents agree to receive them by checking “I agree to receive text messages” when they enter their contact information during First Step, or later from My Account. An admin can also set this on the parent record in the Admin.
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