Worker bees, trail closures, and problem reports. One number, plain text.
Call out volunteers for the next worker bee, tell riders and skiers the ridge loop is closed, and let anyone on the trail text you a downed tree from the trailhead sign. Everything runs over ordinary SMS from your organization's own number. Nobody installs an app.
3 days free with a real local number and 300 SMS credits — no credit card required.
Why trail groups use it
Your volunteers and your trail users are two different lists.
A trail organization talks to two crowds. There are the volunteers who show up with loppers and a McLeod on a Saturday morning, and there are the hundreds of riders, runners, and skiers who just want to know whether the trails are open, groomed, or closed for mud season. The volunteer list lives in somebody's spreadsheet and a group chat half of them muted. Trail conditions go out on social media, where the people who most need them never see the post.
RallyText gives the organization one dedicated local number. Volunteers, crew, and trail users opt in by text, and leaders send from the dashboard or straight from their own phone by texting a keyword to that number. Every message goes to each person individually as a plain SMS. Replies come back privately to the leaders, never to the whole list.
A season on the trails
What it looks like for a trail crew
Tuesday · 7:10 PM · Worker bee call-out
Saturday's reroute needs twenty hands
The trail director put the worker bee on the calendar last week. Now it needs bodies: sixty volunteers on the list, a reroute on the ridge loop, and the tool trailer leaving the north lot at 8:45.
Worker Bees Saturday 9am, north trailhead. Ridge loop reroute. Gloves and water, we bring the tools.
Trail Director · group keyword · sent to 60
✓Only the Worker Bees group gets it. The calendar sends its own reminder the day before, and anyone who replies ABSENT is logged as out.
Thursday · 6:30 AM · Mud season
Close the ridge loop before the morning riders get there
Two inches of rain overnight. Riding wet singletrack ruts it for the rest of the season, and three hundred trail users signed up for updates by texting TRAILS to the number on the kiosk.
Trail Updates Ridge loop CLOSED today, wet and soft. The gravel loop is open. Thanks for staying off the mud.
Crew Lead · from her phone · sent to 300
✓Every trail user gets one SMS on whatever phone they carry. Anyone tired of updates texts STOP and is off the list.
Saturday · 2:15 PM · Report from the trail
A rider finds a tree across the trail past the bridge
The trail signs say "See a problem? Text the three words on this sign and what you see." The rider is not on any list and does not know anyone on the crew.
filled.count.soap big tree down across the trail just past the bridge
Rider · texted the number on the sign
✓The report lands in the inbox, is forwarded to the saw crew, and the rider gets a short thank-you text. The crew lead pastes the three words into the free what3words app to find the spot.
Saturday · 8:20 AM · Day of
The north lot is full and the trailer is late
Thirty people are converging on one trailhead. The crew leads need to move parking and tool pickup around without a dozen separate phone calls.
BEES North lot is full, park at the school and walk the connector. Tools at the kiosk.
Crew Lead · Group Thread · Worker Bees
✓Everyone in the Worker Bees thread sees it labeled with the crew lead's name, and can answer the same way. Nobody's number is shown.
The report line
Let anyone on the trail text you a problem
There are two ways to take reports, and you can use both. Give a group its own report line (Groups → the group → Report line) with a keyword such as FIXIT: anyone who texts "FIXIT tree down at the ridge junction" to your number, on your roster or not, sends a report to that group. Or turn on the Public report line (Settings → Audience) so any text from a number that is not on your roster becomes a report to your default report group. Print the number and keyword on trailhead kiosks and trail signs. Here is what happens:
What a report does
It gets a code and lands in your inbox, photos included, and in the Reports view of the dashboard with its status.
It is texted to the group's leads (mark them in the group), or to your Executive Director, Trail Director, and Crew Leads if the group has no lead. A Volunteer-role lead only gets reports when your account is set to adults-only (support can switch it on when nobody on the roster is under 18).
The crew works it by text. "R7 on my way" texts the reporter back from your number. A lead can reply "R7 ASSIGN Dana" to hand it to someone, and "R7 DONE" closes it. Leaders and leads can text UPDATE for a summary of open reports.
The reporter gets a thank-you text, at most once an hour per phone and never to a number that has texted STOP. If the group's map option is on, it includes a link where they can drop a pin on the exact spot.
One phone cannot flood you. After 10 reports from the same number in 24 hours, further texts are still saved in the inbox but are not forwarded and not acknowledged.
Every report is scanned by the same content-moderation check that member messages get.
A group can also be a help line (for example LOST) instead of a maintenance line. Help reports go out marked URGENT to the group's leads and your leaders, are never capped or held for billing, and the reporter's reply starts with "If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 911." A help line is not an emergency service and isn't watched around the clock, so put "Emergency? Call 911 first" on any sign that lists it.
Pin the spot with what3words
Trail junctions rarely have street addresses. One approach that works well: print a what3words address (three words that identify a 3-metre square) on each sign, next to your number. The rider texts the three words plus what they see. RallyText picks out an address written as ///word.word.word and shows it on the report, and whoever on the crew gets it pastes the words into the free what3words app or website for the exact spot. RallyText does not connect to what3words itself; any short sign code or junction number you already use works the same way.
What you get
Built around how a trail organization runs
🌲
Roles that fit
Pick "Trail Organization" at signup and the roles become Executive Director, Trail Director, Crew Lead, Staff, Volunteer, Parent / Guardian, and Trail User. Calendar events are worker bees, not practices.
🗓️
Worker bees on the calendar
Put each worker bee or volunteer shift on the calendar once. A reminder text goes out automatically the day before (24 hours ahead unless you change it). Volunteers who reply ABSENT are marked out, and an RSVP head count asks YES, NO, or LATE and lets you nudge only the people who haven't answered.
🚧
Closures, grooming, conditions
Trail users opt in by texting TRAILS and get closures, grooming reports, and condition updates as plain texts. Make a group per trail system if riders only care about one, and schedule routine messages ahead, once or repeating every week.
🗺️
A trail status page
Turn on Trail Status (Settings → Team) and list each trail system. A crew lead texts STATUS SOUTH CLOSED soft and muddy, or GROOMED SOUTH classic, and that trail's subscribers get a text. A public status page, which you can embed on your website, shows every trail, and anyone can text STATUS for a summary. Posting needs a staff login with send permission.
⏱️
Volunteer hours by text
Turn on Volunteer Hours and volunteers text HOURS 3 trail sweep after a worker bee. HOURS alone replies with their season total. Staff can require approval, add hours by hand, and export everything as a spreadsheet for grant reports.
🏁
Race and event updates
Create an event under Events with a keyword such as MTF. Racers and spectators text the keyword or use its sign-up page (confirmed when they text back MTF YES), pick their races, and get only those updates. People who joined just for the event drop off after it unless they reply STAY.
🪓
Crew channel and Group Thread
Leaders text CREW to reach only staff and crew leads. A Group Thread for the worker bee lets volunteers post day-of updates by text, labeled with their name, never their number.
🏛️
Board, if you want it
Turn on board members (Settings → Audience) to mark who sits on the board. Leaders then text BOARD and a message to reach only them. Or make a private Board group with its own thread.
🚨
Urgent alerts get through
An urgent alert (fire closure, lost rider, severe weather) is a separate message type that asks you to confirm before it sends. It still goes out even if a failed card payment has paused your other sending.
From the trailhead
Keywords instead of logins
Nobody needs a laptop at the trailhead. From the phone number on file as an Executive Director, Trail Director, or Crew Lead, start a text to your organization's number with a keyword and it is routed for you (two-way plans). The group names below are examples you would create.
Pine Hollow Trail Alliance
(906) 555-0100 · trail number
TRAIL MODE
Trail Updates Fresh corduroy on the classic loops this morning. Skate lanes groomed at noon.
Trail Director · Trail Updates group
CREW tree down past the bridge on the river trail. Saw crew meets at the north lot at 4.
Crew Lead · staff and crew leads only
VOLUNTEER Sam can you bring the second wheelbarrow Saturday?
Trail Director · one volunteer, with the youth-safety copy
Yes, and I can bring my own loppers too.
Sam · volunteer · private reply to the inbox
🔒
Everyone sees only the organization's number
Sam's reply went to the leaders' inbox. Nobody else on the list saw it or his number.
Text this
Who gets it
ALL <message>
Volunteers, parents, staff, and crew leads. Trail users only if you switch on "Followers receive general broadcasts"; otherwise they hear from you through the Trail Updates group.
CREW <message>
Executive Director, Trail Director, Crew Leads, and Staff only.
LEADS <message>
Executive Director, Trail Director, and Crew Leads only.
VOLUNTEER <firstname> <message>
One volunteer, privately. Unless your account is set to adults-only, a linked parent and a second leader are copied (the youth-safety rule).
Worker Bees <message>
Everyone in the Worker Bees group. Any group's name works this way, starting with a capital letter.
Trail Updates <message>
Everyone in the Trail Updates group, such as trail users who joined with TRAILS.
BEES <message>
The Worker Bees Group Thread, labeled with the sender's name. Volunteers in the group can post too when the thread is Open.
BOARD <message>
Board members only, when board members are turned on in Settings.
ABSENT
Sent by a volunteer in reply to a reminder: marks them out for that worker bee on the attendance list.
STOP
Sent by anyone: stops all texts from your number to that phone.
Volunteers and trail users who reply without a keyword send a private reply to the leaders. The full list is on the keyword cheat sheet and in the setup guide.
Getting people signed up
Three ways onto the list
Text a word. Every trail organization starts with two join keywords already set up: TRAILS adds a trail user to your Trail Updates group straight away, and BEE adds a volunteer to your Worker Bees group once a leader approves them (you can turn approval off). "Text TRAILS to (906) 555-0100 for trail conditions" on a kiosk is all a rider needs. They reply with their name and they are in. Rename or switch off either keyword under Settings → Audience → Join Keywords. If you remove TRAILS while the report line is on, a stranger's TRAILS text is treated as a report.
Put a sign-up form on your website. The dashboard gives you an embeddable sign-up form and a hosted sign-up page. People pick Volunteer, Parent / Guardian, or Trail User, enter their name and number, and tick the box agreeing to receive texts.
Print a QR code. Every account has an enrollment QR code for flyers and kiosks that opens the sign-up page with your code filled in, plus role-specific QR codes that expire after 7 to 90 days.
People can also text your organization code and answer one question: reply BEE, CREW, PARENT, or TRAILS. Or upload a spreadsheet of names and numbers. However someone joins, STOP always works.
Pricing
Priced by messages, not by members
RallyText plans run from $10, two-way from $29. Pay As You Go is $10/mo for announcements only (200 credits). Two-way plans are $29/mo (2,000 credits), $65 (4,000), or $129 (8,000). Every plan includes a dedicated local number and unlimited contacts; plans differ by monthly message credits. One credit is one SMS segment to one recipient, and incoming texts use credits too. Go over and it is $0.04 per credit, billed at month end, with a warning at 80%. See full pricing →
Here is the arithmetic for one example organization, assuming every message fits in one SMS segment (about 150 characters of plain text, no emoji). A month is about 4.33 weeks.
What
How often
Credits / month
Notes
Trail Updates group, 300 trail users
2 updates a week
2 × 300 × 4.33 ≈ 2,600
Closures, grooming, conditions.
Worker Bees group, 60 volunteers
2 worker bees a month
2 × 2 × 60 = 240
One call-out plus the automatic reminder per worker bee.
Report line
20 reports a month
20 × about 8 ≈ 160
Each short report: 1 credit in, 1 to 2 per forwarded copy to a three-person crew, 1 for the thank-you.
Total
≈ 3,000
Team Plus, $65/mo (4,000 credits). Team at 2,000 would run into overage.
Smaller: 150 trail users and one update a week is about 650 credits, which fits Team at $29/mo with room for worker bees. Bigger: 1,000 trail users and one update a week is about 4,330 credits, the Organization plan at $129/mo. A Group Thread post uses one credit coming in plus one for each person it reaches, so a busy day-of thread adds up. Pay As You Go is send-only: it cannot receive texts, so no report line, ABSENT replies, Group Thread, keyword sends from your phone, STATUS or GROOMED updates, or HOURS by text.
FAQ
Questions trail directors ask
No. Joining, receiving updates, replying, and sending a report all happen by ordinary text message, so any phone that can text works, including a basic flip phone. Only leaders use the web dashboard, and on a two-way plan, even they can send most messages by texting a keyword from their own phone.
Each report is run through the same content-moderation check as member messages, and the reporter only ever sees your organization's number. One phone can trigger at most 10 forwarded reports in 24 hours; after that its texts are still saved in your inbox but are not forwarded to the crew and get no reply. The thank-you text goes to each phone at most once an hour.
No. RallyText recognizes an address written as ///word.word.word and shows it on the report, but it does not connect to what3words. Whoever on the crew gets the report pastes the three words into the free what3words app to find the spot. Any sign code or junction number works the same way.
No. Everyone sees only your organization's number. Announcements go to each person individually, replies come back privately to the leaders' inbox, and Group Thread posts arrive labeled with the sender's name, never their number. Phone numbers in the roster are encrypted and visible only to the leaders you add.
They text STOP to your number and it stops, whether they are a volunteer, a trail user, or someone who once sent a report. A reporter who has texted STOP never gets another thank-you text, though a report they send is still logged and forwarded.
No. On a trail organization, trail users do not get ALL messages or automatic calendar reminders. They get what you send to the Trail Updates group, which everyone who texts TRAILS joins automatically. If you would rather they hear everything, switch on "Followers receive general broadcasts" in Settings → Audience.
Yes. Every account starts with minor protection on: a one-on-one text from a leader to a Volunteer copies a linked parent and a second adult leader, and a stranger's report is never forwarded to a Volunteer-role member unless the account is set to adults-only. If nobody on your roster is under 18, support can switch the account to adults-only.
The next downed tree gets reported by text.
Pick a local number, set up BEE and TRAILS, and send your first worker bee call-out. Setup takes about 10 minutes and the first 3 days are free with no credit card.