If a text campaign sent but recipients aren't getting messages, the cause is usually U.S. carrier compliance, not a problem inside Raise More. The major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others) filter and block bulk political and fundraising texts closely. This article covers the common reasons texts fail to deliver and what you can do about each one.
A note on two terms used throughout: A2P means "application-to-person," which is any text sent by software (like Raise More) rather than typed by a person on a phone. 10DLC means "10-digit long code," the standard 10-digit phone number you text from. U.S. carriers require A2P traffic sent over a 10DLC number to be registered before they will deliver it reliably.
Common reasons texts fail to deliver
1. Your number isn't registered for A2P 10DLC. Until your campaign's brand and use case are registered and approved with the carriers, they block or heavily throttle texts from your number. This is the most common reason texts fail without an obvious error.
2. Carrier content filtering. Even on a registered number, carriers scan message content. Messages get filtered when they contain language carriers associate with spam: aggressive fundraising asks, all-caps urgency, excessive punctuation, or certain trigger words. Political and donation content gets more scrutiny than average.
3. Public link shorteners. Links from shared public shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl, and similar) are a frequent trigger for carrier blocking, because spammers abuse them. One flagged shortener can cause your whole number to be filtered.
4. Missing or improper opt-in. Carriers and the law require that recipients consented to receive your texts. If you text a list that didn't opt in, carriers detect the spike in unsolicited messages and block the number.
5. The recipient opted out. If someone replied STOP or a similar word, they are suppressed and won't receive further messages. This is required by law and cannot be overridden. Raise More records this automatically when the carrier reports the opt-out.
6. Invalid number or landline. Landlines and many VoIP numbers can't receive SMS. These come back as failed or undelivered. When a carrier reports that a number is a landline or no longer in service, Raise More marks it so future campaigns skip it.
7. Sending too fast. Sending to a large list faster than your number's approved throughput causes carriers to throttle or drop messages.
8. Number blocked by a carrier. A number with a history of spam complaints or unregistered traffic can be blocklisted by one or more carriers, even after you fix the underlying issue. Recovery is slow.
How to fix each one
Complete your 10DLC registration. Check this first. Make sure your brand and campaign use case are fully registered and approved. Registration is part of onboarding. If you're unsure of your status, contact support before running another campaign. Approval can take several business days, so register early.
Clean up your content. Avoid all-caps, excessive exclamation points, and high-pressure language. Identify your campaign or committee clearly so recipients and carriers know who is texting.
Stop using public link shorteners. Use a branded or dedicated link domain instead of bit.ly or tinyurl, or link directly to your full domain.
Collect proper opt-in. Only text people who gave consent to be contacted by your campaign. Keep a record of how and when they opted in. Texting purchased or scraped lists is a common way to get blocked.
Include opt-out language. Add "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" or equivalent to your messages, especially the first one to a new contact. This is required and signals good behavior to carriers.
Respect opt-outs. Don't try to re-text anyone who replied STOP. Raise More suppresses them automatically.
Slow down on large sends. When sending to a big list, pace it within your approved throughput rather than firing everything at once.
How to check delivery status
Raise More records the status the carrier reports back for each message. After a campaign sends, open the campaign and review the per-recipient delivery status. Common statuses:
Delivered. The carrier confirmed delivery to the handset.
Sent. Handed to the carrier but not yet confirmed delivered.
Undelivered or Failed. The carrier rejected or dropped the message. This usually points to filtering, an invalid number, or a block.
A wave of undelivered or failed statuses across many recipients is a strong signal of a 10DLC registration gap, content filtering, or a carrier block, rather than a few bad numbers.
When to contact support
Reach out to support if:
You're unsure whether your 10DLC registration is complete or approved.
A large share of a campaign came back undelivered or failed.
You suspect your number has been blocklisted by a carrier.
Delivery dropped suddenly after previously working.
Include the campaign name and approximate send time so we can pull the carrier-level error details and tell you what happened.
FAQ
My emails deliver fine but texts don't. Why? Email and SMS use separate providers and separate compliance systems. SMS has the carrier 10DLC layer that email doesn't, so SMS-only delivery problems almost always trace back to 10DLC or carrier filtering.
I sent a test to my own phone and it worked, but the campaign failed. Carriers filter based on volume and content patterns. A single test often passes while a bulk send to many recipients trips filtering or throttling.
How long does 10DLC registration take? It varies, often several business days. Register well before you plan to send.
Can I get a blocked number unblocked? Sometimes, but recovery is slow and not guaranteed. The better path is to fix the underlying cause (registration, content, opt-in) so it doesn't happen again. Contact support to investigate.