Before 2020, P2P outreach was a staple in any nonprofit or campaign’s communication strategy. But after the federal election, carriers rolled out strict regulations to discourage this type of messaging on unverified local phone numbers. Since P2P tools rely on unverified phone numbers to send their traffic, P2P programs quickly transitioned to unverified toll free numbers.

Traditional P2P tools require that you click send for every message. These tools send to lists of people who have not given permission to be contacted. Until recently, these tools operated in a regulatory grey area.

As of October 1st 2022, all non-profits and campaigns must verify their toll free numbers with carriers. CTIA is expanding its regulatory power over the last unverified phone number option, meaning it will be harder to message people who have not opted-in. Carriers (and their customers) consider this traffic spam.‍

Verified Toll Free Messaging: Carriers have reviewed your use-case and granted you permission to send traffic for this purpose over their networks via your verified toll free number.

What does this all mean for traditional P2P?‍

Unverified toll free numbers will be permitted to send traffic temporarily as the industry transitions. But programs using unverified toll free numbers will be limited at how many messages they can send.

Industry-wide caps for unverified numbers:

• Daily limit: 2,000 messages 
• Weekly limit: 12,000 messages
• Monthly limit: 25,000 messages

Remember, even if your program is TCPA compliant, it may not be CTIA compliant. As of October 1st, 2022 toll free traffic must abide by these regulations – just like 10DLCs and short codes.

CTIA is a carrier trade association that represents major US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) and collectively outlines rules and regulations for sending traffic over their networks.

In response to this news, many traditional P2P tools have introduced broadcast SMS capabilities. Unfortunately these new tools are limited to simple, mass texting without any automations.
We’ve taken a different approach, combining the scalability of automated messaging with familiar P2P-style features that make it easier to hold one-on-one conversations with subscribers.

Now that short codes, 10DLCs, and toll free numbers require carrier verification, many are left asking “what does this mean for P2P as we know it today?” P2P traffic is no longer a reliable or sustainable way of growing your movement. Gather opt-in or risk having your messaging traffic interrupted or blocked by carriers altogether.
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Future proof your “P2P” efforts

Automate what should be automated‍

Unlike traditional P2P tools, broadcast tools can send messages to your whole list with a single click. Quickly kick off conversations and customize messaging based on your member’s response.

Strive flows (also known as “chatbots”) ask questions, collect data, and route calls, all while tracking clicks and performance along the way. Once you broadcast a flow to kick off the chat, you can focus on conversations with the subscribers who are engaged.

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Powerful P2P functionality when you need it

Just like automated messaging has an important role in a scalable messaging strategy -so do one on one conversations. When you want to send direct messages to supporters, Strive makes it easy to connect with your base.

Avoid having your team click send for every message, and instead focus on growing your movement. Kick off conversations with a single click and automate interactive responses. When subscribers reach the end of your flow, reserve your organizers and volunteers for relationship building with supporters.

Stay organized with folders and notifications so you can hold multiple conversations simultaneously. The Strive Inbox shows you a complete history of your member's interactions with your campaign. With Strive’s familiar P2P-style features you can automate conversation assignments, collect survey responses, and make bulk updates while rapidly responding to your members.

‍The bottom line: don't burnout your base

‍Texting is an effective way to engage your base. However, without opt-in consent, supporters are left frustrated when they receive an unsolicited, P2P message. Whether you are fundraising or organizing a virtual town hall, messages sent to subscribers will always perform better. Subscribers are interested in your advocacy, and more likely to stick around to fulfill your ask.

As carriers find new ways to crack down on spam traffic, it is important to build an SMS opt-in list that is sustainable. Messages sent from unknown numbers risk list burnout, leaving potential supporters suspicious of your organization or cause. Equally a risk, tarnishing your organization’s reputation with carriers and having your outreach flagged as spam.

At Strive, we’ve always focused on supporting our partners for long term success with a platform that is fully TCPA and CTIA compliant. Want to learn more about our broadcast and direct messaging capabilities? Schedule a demo!