Why troops switch
Troop communication has a reply-all problem and a youth-protection problem.
A typical troop runs on a group chat for the parents, a second one for the committee, and a Scoutmaster who ends up texting individual scouts about merit badge paperwork. The parent chat buries the one message that matters under thirty replies about carpools. The committee chat leaks into the parent chat. And a private one-on-one text between an adult and a scout is exactly the kind of contact scouting youth-protection policies are written to keep transparent.
RallyText gives your troop one dedicated phone number that families save in their contacts. Leaders send from a dashboard or from their own phone by texting a keyword to the troop number. Every message goes out individually, so there is nothing for parents to mute, and replies come back privately to the leaders — not to the whole troop.
Three ordinary Tuesdays
What it looks like in a real troop
Thursday · 4:10 PM · Campout weekend
The forecast turns and the campsite closes
The county park calls to say the group site is flooded. Forty-two families need to know the campout is moving to the council camp and departure is an hour later — before anyone starts packing coolers.
ALL Campout moved to Camp Wakonda — same gear list, depart 8:30 AM Saturday instead of 7:30. Meet at the church lot.
✓Every parent gets it as a direct SMS. Six reply "got it" — those land in the inbox, not on forty-one other phones.
Sunday · 7:45 PM · Committee planning
The committee needs to talk about dues without the parents watching
The Committee Chair wants to float a fee change and confirm who is driving to summer camp. That conversation belongs with the adult leaders, not in a thread every family can read.
COMMITTEE committee check-in before meeting — dues proposal and summer camp drivers. 6:15 in the back room.
✓Only the Troop Leader, Committee Chair, and Committee Members receive it. Scouts and parents never see the channel exists.
Tuesday · 5:50 PM · Before the meeting
One scout forgot his merit badge card — again
The Scoutmaster needs to reach one scout about tonight's badge counselor session. Under youth-protection rules that should never be a private text between one adult and one youth.
SCOUT BooBoo don't forget your merit badge card tonight
✓The scout, his parent or guardian, and a second adult leader all receive the same text. The system adds the copies; nobody has to remember.
What you get
Built around how a troop is actually organized
Roles that match the troop
Pick "Boy/Girl Scouts" at signup and the roles become Scoutmaster, Troop Leader, Committee Chair, Committee Member, Scout, and Parent / Guardian. Events are meetings and campouts, not practices and games.
Parents receive by default
Troop-wide broadcasts go to every parent and guardian on the roster. New families join by texting your troop code and answering one question — scout, committee member, parent, or follower — and reply YES to confirm.
Youth-protection parent copy, enforced
Every direct message to a scout under 18 automatically copies their parent or guardian and a second adult leader. There is no setting to turn it off. A scout joined with no guardian on file can only receive group messages — no 1:1 texting in either direction.
Committee-only channel
Any leader texts COMMITTEE and a message to the troop number and only the adult leadership receives it. Planning, dues, drivers, and youth-protection follow-ups stay off the parent feed.
Meeting and campout reminders
Put meetings and campouts on the troop calendar once. A reminder text goes to the roster automatically 24 hours before each one, and families can subscribe to the troop calendar from Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook.
Patrols as Groups
Organize the roster into Groups — a patrol, the Eagle candidates, the new-parent cohort — each with its own SMS keyword. A group can optionally auto-join anyone who texts its keyword, so a patrol roster builds itself.
From a leader's phone
Keywords instead of logins
A Troop Leader does not need to open a laptop at the trailhead. From the phone number on file as a leader, start a text to the troop's RallyText number with a keyword and it is routed for you. Each example below is real troop-mode wording.
Jellystone Troop 214
(612) 555-0100 · troop number
TROOP MODE
ALL Meeting moved to Ranger Station — Yogi ate our original venue
COMMITTEE pre-meeting sync — Boo-Boo has the agenda
SCOUT BooBoo don't forget your merit badge card tonight
Got it — Yogi Jr. will be there! He promised to behave.
Parent copy added automatically
The SCOUT message above reached the scout, his guardian, and a second adult leader.
| Text this | Who gets it |
|---|---|
| ALL <message> | Everyone on the troop roster — scouts, parents, and leaders. |
| COMMITTEE <message> | Troop Leader, Committee Chair, and Committee Members only. |
| SCOUT <firstname> <message> | One scout and their parents, with a second leader copied. |
| ONE COMMITTEE <name> <message> | One adult leader, privately. |
| MEETING SUMMARY <notes> | Logs tonight's meeting notes to the dashboard for the other leaders. |
Parents and scouts who reply without a keyword send a private reply to the leaders. The full list is on the keyword cheat sheet.
Pricing
Priced for a troop, not an enterprise
RallyText plans run from $10/mo (broadcast-only); full two-way plans from $29/mo. Every plan includes a dedicated troop phone number and unlimited contacts; plans differ by monthly message credits, not roster size. Start with a 3-day free trial — no credit card required. See full pricing →
FAQ
Questions troop leaders ask
No. Every message arrives as a plain SMS from your troop's own phone number. Parents and scouts reply YES once to confirm and they are on the roster. There is no app, no account, and nothing to install for families.
Scouting youth-protection policies are built on two-deep leadership and transparent communication between adult leaders and youth; check your council's current policy for the exact wording. In RallyText, every direct message to a scout under 18 automatically copies their parent or guardian and a second adult leader. It is enforced by the system and cannot be turned off. Troop-wide broadcasts go to parents by default, and a scout with no guardian on file can only receive group messages. See Scouting America's Youth Protection training for the policies your council follows, and how the parent copy works.
Yes. Any leader texts COMMITTEE followed by a message to your troop number and only the adult leadership — Troop Leader, Committee Chair, and Committee Members — receives it. Scouts and parents never see it. Parents and scouts can also be split into their own Groups with their own keywords, so a patrol can get a message without a troop-wide blast.
Yes. From the phone number on file as a leader, text ALL followed by your message to your troop's RallyText number and it goes to the whole roster. Replies come back privately to the dashboard inbox, not to a group thread. You can also schedule meetings and campouts on the troop calendar and a reminder text goes out automatically 24 hours before each one.
Plans run from $10/mo (broadcast-only) with full two-way plans from $29/mo. Every plan includes a dedicated troop phone number and unlimited contacts; plans differ by monthly message credits. There is a 3-day free trial with no credit card required.