Text-to-Give Compliance: CTIA Guidelines for Political SMS
Text-to-Give Compliance: CTIA Guidelines for Political SMS must be the absolute foundation of your digital fundraising operation if you expect your messages to actually land on donor screens. In the high-stakes arena of modern campaigning, where every dollar fuels our fight to protect reproductive freedom and democracy, having your fundraising texts blocked by carriers is a disaster we cannot afford. The days of the Wild West in mobile messaging are over. Today, wireless carriers enforce strict standards to protect consumers from spam, and political campaigns are under higher scrutiny than ever before. Understanding these guidelines is not just about avoiding legal trouble; it is about ensuring your grassroots army actually hears your call to action. If we want to out-raise the GOP and counter their dark money machinery, we have to play by the rules that govern the digital airwaves.
Securing the Bag and the Ballot: Mastering SMS Compliance
The landscape of political text messaging has shifted dramatically in recent election cycles. Wireless carriers and the CTIA have implemented rigorous standards to differentiate between legitimate engagement and unwanted spam. For Democratic campaigns, this means that the reliability of your donor outreach depends entirely on adherence to specific protocols. The core problem many campaigns face is the classification of political texting as Application-to-Person, or A2P, rather than Person-to-Person. This distinction subjects your campaign to stricter filtering algorithms. If your compliance score drops, your deliverability plummets, and your ActBlue links go unseen. While MAGA extremists might try to skirt these rules with shady tactics that eventually get them banned, our path to victory relies on building a sustainable, long-term relationship with the electorate. Ensuring your text-to-give campaigns are compliant prevents your number from being flagged as spam, keeping your communication lines open for the critical get-out-the-vote push in November.
The Strategy: Consent is the New Currency
At the heart of text-to-give compliance: CTIA guidelines for political SMS is the concept of express written consent. You simply cannot text voters or potential donors who have not explicitly agreed to receive messages from you. This is where high-level strategy meets technical execution. We must treat a voter’s mobile number as a privilege, not a right. The strategy here is to build ‘opt-in’ mechanisms into every other facet of your campaign. Whether it is a petition to protect unions or a sign-up sheet at a rally, the language must be clear: by providing their number, the voter agrees to receive updates. This documentation is your shield against carrier audits. Furthermore, transparency builds trust. Your messages must clearly identify who is sending them. Ambiguity looks like a scam, and in an era of disinformation, looking like a scam helps the opposition. By adhering to these standards, we differentiate ourselves as the party of integrity.
Tactical Execution: Registration and 10DLC
To execute a compliant strategy, you need to navigate the technical requirements of the 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) system. First, your campaign must be a registered legal entity with an EIN. You cannot run a compliant text-to-give program from a personal phone number. You will need to register with Campaign Verify, a vetting authority that confirms you are a legitimate political organization. This usually incurs a fee of around 95 dollars per election cycle. Once verified, you work with your SMS provider—whether that is CallHub, SimpleTexting, or Twilio—to register your brand and campaign use case with The Campaign Registry. This process signals to carriers like AT&T and Verizon that your traffic is vetted and political in nature, which significantly increases your throughput and deliverability. Finally, ensure your initial message flow includes the necessary disclosures: the campaign name, a mention that msg and data rates may apply, and clear instructions on how to opt out.
3 Costly Mistakes That Get You Blocked
The fastest way to burn your digital infrastructure is to buy a list. Never, under any circumstances, purchase a list of mobile numbers and load them into a text-to-give platform. This is a direct violation of CTIA guidelines and will result in immediate blocking. Second, ignoring ‘STOP’ requests is fatal. When a voter replies STOP, your system must automatically remove them from the list immediately. Failing to do so is not only non-compliant but also constitutes harassment, which alienates voters we might need for other races down the ballot. Third, failing to include a privacy policy on your website that explicitly states mobile numbers will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes can cause your campaign registration to be rejected. Carriers want assurance that you are not harvesting data to sell.
Pre-Launch Compliance Checklist
Before you send your first fundraising appeal, run through this protocol. Ensure your website has a compliant privacy policy and terms of service linked near your donation forms. Verify that your opt-in web forms have an unchecked checkbox for SMS consent with the legally required disclaimer text. Confirm that your 10DLC registration is fully approved and that you have obtained a ‘Trust Score’ from your provider. Test your opt-out workflow by texting STOP to your own number to ensure the auto-response triggers correctly. Finally, double-check your content. While we fight passionately, avoid using SHAFT content (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco) in a way that violates carrier policies, and ensure your links redirect to a verified domain like ActBlue rather than a generic link shortener, which often triggers spam filters.
The Sutton & Smart Difference
Winning a seat in this polarized environment requires more than just good policy; it requires a fundraising machine that does not break down under pressure. While your opponent relies on chaotic, spam-heavy tactics, you need a professional infrastructure that maximizes every donor interaction. At Sutton & Smart, we specialize in ActBlue Optimization and Joint Fundraising Committee (JFC) Compliance. We do not just advise you on the rules; we build the backend systems that keep your money flowing and your campaign legal. We manage the complex verification processes and data hygiene so you can focus on flipping the district. Do not let a technical error silence your message. Let us build the logistical fortress that powers your Blue Wave.
Ready to Win?
Contact Sutton & Smart today to secure your digital infrastructure and optimize your fundraising strategy.
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Jon Sutton
An expert in management, strategy, and field organizing, Jon has been a frequent commentator in national publications.
AutoAuthor | Partner
Have Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
While CTIA guidelines are industry standards rather than federal laws, ignoring them leads to carrier blocking. This means your texts simply won't be delivered, wasting your budget and cutting off your fundraising stream.
P2P texting has different regulations and often relies on human intervention for sending, but carriers are increasingly tightening rules on P2P traffic as well. High-volume P2P still requires 10DLC registration to ensure good deliverability.
Typically, you will pay a one-time vetting fee to Campaign Verify (around $95) and potentially monthly fees for 10DLC campaign registration through your SMS provider, which can range from $2 to $10 per month depending on volume.
This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Political campaign laws, FEC regulations, voter-file handling rules, and platform policies (Meta, Google, etc.) are subject to frequent change. State-level laws governing the use, storage, and transmission of voter files or personally identifiable political data vary significantly and may impose strict limitations on third-party uploads, data matching, or cross-platform activation. Always consult your campaign’s General Counsel, Compliance Treasurer, or state party data governance office before making strategic, legal, or financial decisions related to voter data. Parts of this article may have been created, drafted, or refined using artificial intelligence tools. AI systems can produce errors or outdated information, so all content should be independently verified before use in any official campaign capacity. Sutton & Smart is an independent political consulting firm. Unless explicitly stated, we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any third-party platforms mentioned in this content, including but not limited to NGP VAN, ActBlue, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Google, Hyros, or Vibe.co. All trademarks and brand names belong to their respective owners and are used solely for descriptive and educational purposes.
https://callhub.io/blog/political-campaign/political-text-messaging/
https://www.twilio.com/en-us/blog/ctia-messaging-principles-and-best-practices
https://www.text-em-all.com/sms-compliance
