Text Alerts: Admin Guide

Eagle OPS Text Alerts - Admin Guide

How to send, schedule, and manage veteran text alerts. For staff and admins. Last updated September 18, 2026.

Jump to:
Send a text now
Templates
Inserting a template
Scheduling a text
Groups
Sign-ups, STOP & HELP
Checking delivery
Tips & cost

Send a text now

  1. WordPress admin, left menu, Text Alerts → Send Alert.
  2. Pick the group to send to.
  3. Type your message, or use Insert a template (see below).
  4. Check the character and segment count, then send.
Every text automatically includes STOP/HELP handling. Keep it short: emojis turn one 160-character text into several 67-character segments, which costs more.

Templates (your saved messages)

Templates are reusable messages you can drop into a Send or a Schedule with one click. Manage them under Text Alerts → Templates.

  • Edit any template’s name or body and Save.
  • To load the full Eagle OPS starter set, use Load the starter library on that page.
  • Remove a template by clearing its name and body, then Save.
If you do not see an “Insert a template” dropdown on the Send or Scheduler page, your template list is empty. Go to Text Alerts → Templates and load the starter library first. The dropdown appears once you have at least one template.

Placeholders

Templates can contain placeholders you fill in before sending: [DATE], [LINK], [LOCATION], [first name]. Type over them with the real details.

Inserting a template (Send or Scheduler)

1
On the Send Alert page or the Scheduled page, find Insert a template just above the message box.
2
Choose a template. Its text drops straight into the message box.
3
Fill in any placeholders (date, link, location), then send or save the schedule.
You can also write a message and click Save as template on the Send page to add it to the library for next time.
The template dropdown is now on the Scheduler page too, not just Send. If you had trouble finding it before, that is fixed.

Scheduling a text

  1. Text Alerts → Scheduled.
  2. Under Add a scheduled message: pick the group, insert a template or type the message, choose how often (once, or a repeating day/time), and set the time.
  3. Save. It shows on the calendar and sends automatically at the set time.
Sends respect quiet hours (nothing goes out before 8 AM). A due message waiting during quiet hours goes out at the next allowed time.

Groups

Manage the list of alert groups under Text Alerts → Groups. Add a group name and save; it appears on the public sign-up page automatically. “All Rally Point Reminders” is the everything group.

Sign-ups, STOP & HELP

  • People subscribe and choose their groups at eagleops.org/text-alerts.
  • They reply STOP to any message to opt out, or HELP for help. This is automatic through Twilio; you do not manage it by hand.
  • You can see and manage contacts under Text Alerts → Contacts.

Checking delivery

After a send, watch delivery in the Twilio Console → Monitor → Logs (Messaging). A big send trickles out over a few minutes. If messages are not arriving, confirm the Twilio settings are complete under Text Alerts → Settings (Account SID, Auth Token, Messaging Service SID).

Tips & cost

  • Short messages cost less. Keep under 160 characters for a single segment.
  • Emojis and special characters shrink the segment size, so a short-looking text can cost as multiple messages.
  • Always include a clear ask and, where useful, a link.
  • For big first-time sends, use the Opt-in Campaign page to send in waves and watch the logs before the next wave.
Eagle OPS Foundation, Owasso, OK. Internal admin guide. Not for public distribution.

Stay Connected Between Rally Points Get Rally Point updates and last-minute changes by text.
JOIN TEXT ALERTS LISTEN NOW
Scroll to Top