Text banking with Indivisible using TextOut

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Indivisible, the national resistance organization founded after the 2016 election, supports phonebanking, canvassing, and textbanking activities for Democratic candidates and events across the country. Indivisible has invested heavily in textbanking for 2020. Their current texting effort is called the Payback Project and is focused on mobilizing opposition to vulnerable Senate Republicans who are up for reelection and supported Mitch McConnell’s fake impeachment acquittal of Donald Trump.

In this and other texting campaigns, Indivisible will be using a new texting app called TextOut. They also will be organizing their texting volunteers using a dedicated Slack workspace.

Get Started with Indivisible and TextOut

  1. To get started texting with Invisible, first sign up here for their textbanking training.
  2. After signing up, you’ll receive an email from Indivisible containing information about upcoming training webinars. Sign up for one.
  3. After you complete a training webinar, you will receive the link to join the IndivisiText Slack workspace.
  4. Follow the link to create your personal account in the IndivisiText Slack workspace. Go to the #welcome channel.
  5. Follow the three “getting started” steps in the welcome message. When done, post a message saying you’ve completed the steps.
  6. A moderator will greet you and add you to one of the private texting channels, which will appear in the left column of Slack. 
  7. Go into that private channel (#statewide-texting or #endorsement-texting) and look for an automated message to you about how to create and learn to use TextOut.
  8. The automated message will include a link to create your TextOut account or join Indivisible’s TextOut workspace if you already have one through another provider.
  9. Use that link to enter TextOut (it will open as a web page in your browser) and follow the instructions when you sign-up/sign-in.
  10. The first time you log in to TextOut, you will see a guided demo and tutorial. If this is your first time using TextOut, please take about 10 minutes to go through it thoroughly.

Find texting opportunities with Indivisible and TextOut

  1. To find an active texting program, go into the #statewide-texting or #endorsement-texting channel.
    • Look at the center-top of the Slack window for the words LOOK HERE. 
    • Hover your cursor over (do not click on!) those words and a box will pop up to show you current texting programs. 
    • If it says “replies only” or “coming soon,” nothing is currently open in that channel, so check the other one.
  2. Once you’ve found an open texting program, here’s how to join it: Go into TextOut and look for that program. It should have a little green tag next to it that says “Open.” Click on it and you’ll enter the program page.
    • Review the READ ME and workflow for that program in the right column of TextOut.
    • Click the “Start Texting” button to go to your inbox.
    • Review the Recommended Replies for the program in the right column of TextOut.
    • Review the Opt Out Guide.
  3. Start texting!

Quick links to Indivisible/Slack/TextOut training materials