If your church has looked into texting lately, you have probably run into a strange term: 10DLC. It sounds technical, and the paperwork behind it can feel like a lot for a church office that just wants to remind people about Sunday. The good news is that it is a one-time step, and with the right texting service most of the work is done for you. Here is what it means and how to get through it.
What is 10DLC?
10DLC stands for “10-digit long code.” It is simply a regular local phone number, like (614) 555-0142, that an organization uses to send text messages to a group of people.
To cut down on spam, the mobile carriers now require every organization that texts from a local number to register first. Registration happens through a central database called The Campaign Registry. It has two parts:
- Your brand. Who you are: your church’s legal name, EIN, address, website and a contact person.
- Your campaign. What you send: the kinds of messages, a few example messages, and how people agree to receive them.
Messages from numbers that are not registered can be blocked by the carriers before they ever reach a phone. That is why registration comes first.
Does our church really need to register?
Yes. The rule applies to every organization that sends texts to a group from a local number, whatever its size. A church of 80 people registers the same way a large business does. Toll-free numbers go through a similar step called toll-free verification.
There is a bright side for churches. Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status qualify for a registration type made for charities.
What you will need on hand
Gather these before you start and the form takes only a few minutes:
- Your church’s legal name, exactly as the IRS has it
- Your EIN (tax ID)
- Your mailing address
- A live website that names your church
- A contact person’s name, email and phone number
- A sentence or two about what you plan to text people about
- How people sign up to hear from you, such as texting a keyword or filling out a connection card
Why registrations get rejected
Most rejections come down to a handful of avoidable problems:
- The name and EIN do not match. The legal name on the form has to match IRS records. “Hope Church” and “Hope Community Church of Anytown, Inc.” are not the same to a carrier.
- The website is not live, or does not name the church. The carriers visit it to confirm the organization is real.
- The sign-up wording is missing. Wherever people opt in, the carriers want to see that the person agrees to receive texts from your church, along with the phrases “message and data rates may apply,” “message frequency varies,” and “reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.”
- The privacy policy is missing a key sentence. It must say that mobile numbers and texting consent are not shared with or sold to third parties.
How MojoTxt makes registration simple
We built registration into MojoTxt so that a church administrator can finish it in one sitting, without learning carrier jargon. Registration with The Campaign Registry is included in every MojoTxt plan.
- One guided form, inside your account. There are no separate portals and no PDFs to email. You answer plain questions and we translate them into what the carriers need.
- We check your details first. We verify your EIN against IRS records and look for the common problems above before anything is sent to the carriers.
- We write the hard parts for you. Tell us in your own words what you text people about, and we draft your example messages.
- The privacy policy and terms are already written. You can use the MojoTxt-hosted privacy policy and terms, which already contain the language the carriers require and are linked from your sign-up page.
- We submit it for you. We send your registration to the carriers directly. You do not have to create accounts anywhere else.
- You can see where things stand. A status page in your account shows each step, and we email you when something changes.
- If the carriers send it back, you do not start over. We tell you in plain language what needs to change, and your registration is resubmitted with the fix.
- Toll-free numbers are covered too. If you choose a toll-free number, we handle toll-free verification the same way.
The carriers decide how long their review takes, so we cannot promise a date. What we can promise is that you will not be left guessing.
A few tips before you start
- Look up your church’s legal name on your IRS paperwork and use it exactly.
- Make sure your website is live and shows your church’s name and address.
- If guests sign up on a paper connection card, add a line where they agree to receive texts, and keep a photo of the card handy.
- Be specific about what you send. “Service reminders, event announcements, weather closures and giving receipts” is better than “church updates.”
Ready to get registered?
Carrier registration is the least exciting part of church texting, and it does not need to be the hardest. Start a free 30-day trial, choose your number, and click Get Registered. To see what you can do once you are approved, visit our church texting service page or check pricing.
