SMS Messaging
Manage donor text replies, assignments, statuses, attachments, donor links, and Sendblue lines in Gratona.
SMS Messaging is the shared inbox for donor text conversations in Gratona. Use it when your team needs to review incoming donor replies, send one-to-one SMS responses, assign conversations, close completed threads, link unknown numbers to donor records, and keep donor text history in one place.
SMS Messaging is different from Conversations. Conversations is for sponsor and recipient messages. SMS Messaging is for donor text conversations sent and received through Sendblue.
Before you start
Make sure the account and the admin user are ready for donor texting.
You need:
SMS Messaging enabled for your organization.
Access to the SMS Messaging page under Communications.
An active Sendblue line configured for the account.
Donor records with SMS-ready phone numbers.
Donors who are opted in to receive SMS.
Your permission set controls what you can do:
View SMS shared inbox lets you open SMS Messaging and read conversations.
Reply from SMS shared inbox lets you start conversations and send replies.
Manage SMS shared inbox lets you assign conversations, change statuses, and link conversations to donors.
If you cannot see SMS Messaging, ask an organization admin to review your permission set and confirm that SMS Messaging is enabled for your account. SMS Messaging can also require beta access depending on your account setup.
Review donor text conversations
Use SMS Messaging when you want to work through donor text conversations from a shared queue.
Open Communications.
Choose SMS Messaging.
Select the conversation you want to review.
The inbox list shows the donor name when Gratona can match the phone number to a donor. If the number is not matched, the conversation appears as Unknown Number and is treated as a triage item.
Use the mailbox filter to focus the list:
All shows open conversations.
Unread shows open conversations with unread inbound messages.
Mine shows open conversations assigned to you.
Unassigned shows open conversations that no admin owns yet.
Needs Triage shows conversations from unmatched or ambiguous phone numbers.
Closed shows closed and archived conversations.
Spam shows conversations marked as spam.
Use Search when you need to find a conversation by donor name, donor email, or phone number. Use Filter when you need to review conversations for a specific Sendblue line.
Reply to a donor
Use the conversation thread when you are ready to answer a donor by SMS.
Open the donor conversation.
Choose Reply.
Write the SMS message.
Add an attachment if needed.
Send the reply.
After you send a reply, Gratona queues the message for Sendblue. Outbound message bubbles can show delivery state, including Sending, Sent, Delivered, or Could not send.
Replies can be unavailable when:
the donor has opted out of text messages,
the Sendblue line is blocked,
the selected line is not active, or
your permission set lets you view but not reply.
Add attachments to a reply
Use the attachment button in the reply composer when the donor needs an image or PDF.
Supported upload types are:
JPG
JPEG
PNG
GIF
PDF
Images can be previewed in the conversation. PDFs and other supported files appear as attachment chips that can be opened or downloaded.
Attachments are only available when the conversation is linked to a donor and Sendblue is configured for attachment uploads. Each file can be up to 10 MB.
Assign, close, or triage a conversation
Use Conversation details when you need to manage ownership or status.
Open the conversation.
Choose the details button in the top-right of the thread.
Update the assignment, status, or associated donor.
You can assign the conversation to an admin when one person should own the follow-up. You can also change the conversation status:
Open keeps the conversation in the active queue.
Closed removes completed work from the open queue.
Spam moves unwanted messages to the spam queue.
Archived keeps the conversation out of the active queue while preserving history.
Use Open Donor when the conversation is already linked and you need to review the donor profile before replying.
Link an unknown number to a donor
Use Needs Triage when Gratona receives a text from a number that is not clearly matched to one donor.
Open Needs Triage.
Select the conversation from the unknown or ambiguous number.
Open Conversation details.
Search for the donor by name or email.
Select the donor to link the conversation.
Gratona checks the donor's SMS-ready phone number before linking. If the donor phone number does not match the conversation phone number, the conversation cannot be linked to that donor.
After the conversation is linked, it uses the donor name in the inbox and can appear in that donor's SMS history.
Continue texting from a donor profile
Use the donor profile when you already know which donor you want to text.
Open the donor profile.
Choose Send SMS.
Use the Conversation tab to review the text thread or send a reply.
If the donor has no conversation history yet, Gratona can start a conversation when:
you have permission to reply from SMS Messaging,
the donor has an SMS-ready phone number,
the donor is opted in to receive SMS, and
at least one active Sendblue line is available.
If more than one active line is available, choose the line your team should use for that donor conversation. If the donor already has conversations on multiple lines, choose the conversation line you want to continue.
Use the Auto SMS tab in the same drawer when you need to send a template-based operational SMS. Use Conversation when you need to continue the shared one-to-one thread.
Set up Sendblue for replies
Sendblue provides the phone lines and delivery connection for SMS Messaging. Before donor replies can appear in Gratona, Sendblue must be configured for the account.
To set up Sendblue:
Open Settings.
Choose Integrations.
Open Sendblue.
Choose the connection type.
Configure the sending number or lines.
Choose the default sending number.
Save the settings.
Disabled
Use Disabled when the organization should not send or receive donor text messages through Sendblue.
Self-managed Sendblue
Use Self-managed Sendblue when your organization owns its Sendblue account and approved numbers.
Configure:
API Key ID
API Secret Key
Default sending number
each approved number the account should use
line label
line owner
line role
line visibility
After saving Sendblue settings, Gratona shows the Shared Inbox webhook setup section. Copy the webhook URL and webhook secret into Sendblue for both inbound and outbound message webhooks.
Gratona-managed Sendblue
Use Gratona-managed Sendblue when Gratona provisions the Sendblue connection for the organization.
The settings show the managed provisioning status, requested area code when one is present, assigned number when one has been assigned, and whether inbound texting is active or pending.
Sendblue lines and visibility
Sendblue lines control which number Gratona uses to send and receive donor texts.
Use shared visibility when the line should be available to the team. Use restricted visibility when a line should only be visible to its assigned owner and admins with SMS inbox management access.
Troubleshooting
I cannot see SMS Messaging
Ask an organization admin to confirm that SMS Messaging is enabled and that your permission set includes SMS inbox access. SMS Messaging can also require beta access depending on your account setup.
I cannot start a donor conversation
Check that the donor has an SMS-ready phone number, the donor is opted in to receive SMS, and at least one active Sendblue line exists for the account.
Replies are disabled
Replies can be disabled when the donor has opted out, the Sendblue line is blocked, or the selected line is not active.
Attachments are not uploading
Check that Sendblue is configured, the file type is supported, and the file is 10 MB or smaller. If the conversation is not linked to a donor, link the donor before adding attachments.
A message could not send
Open the conversation and review the outbound message status. A failed message can include details from Sendblue. Check the donor phone number, Sendblue line status, and Sendblue account setup before trying again.
A donor reply is missing
Check the Sendblue webhook setup. For self-managed Sendblue, both inbound and outbound webhooks should use the same Gratona webhook URL and the same webhook secret shown in the Sendblue integration settings.
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