In order to email or text someone in Timecounts, that person needs to have 'opted in' - given explicit permission - for you to use their email or phone number. This is to protect Timecounts and you under anti-SPAM legislation.
Your volunteers can unsubscribe (opt-out) of communication at any time. All emails sent through Timecounts include unsubscribe links, and all text messages include a link back to a Timecounts page to unsubscribe.
If you'd like to be able to send emails and SMS texts to people you import into Timecounts, you will need to check the two permission boxes for email and SMS on the upload screen. The opt-in dates will be updated for everyone you import if you select the boxes. If you're importing tags or additional information and don't want to override your volunteers' existing opt-in preferences, don't select the boxes. Your volunteer information will still be imported, and the opt-in preferences of your volunteers will remain untouched.
If your volunteer list contains a mix of opt-in preferences (for example, you want to import phone numbers for everyone, but some of the people did not give you permission to send SMS texts), you can split your import into two spreadsheets. In this example, you would have one spreadsheet for people with phone numbers who have given you permission to send SMS texts, and one spreadsheet for people with phone numbers who have not given you permission. Their phone numbers will still be imported, but they will be flagged as not having opted-in to SMS.
As a Canadian company, we have to comply by the 'double opt-in' required of Canadian anti-spam legislation.