Cadences 2.0 Guide

This guide combines the key articles for Cadences 2.0. Use the contents below to jump to the section you need.

1. Cadences 2.0: what's new

Cadences 2.0 gives teams a more structured way to manage outreach. Instead of relying on one-off reminders or separate workarounds, users can build multi-step cadences, send one-time bulk messages, reuse blueprints, store templates in Assets, and review reporting in one connected workflow. Outreach now supports both email and SMS.

• Use a cadence for multi-step outreach with wait periods, branching, follow-up tasks, and now Automated SMS steps.

• Use a bulk message to send one email or text to many recipients at one time.

• Use a blueprint when you want a reusable starting structure for future cadences — blueprints can include SMS steps.

• Use Assets to manage email templates, SMS templates, and email signatures in one central place.

• Use reporting views to review performance at the goal, message, and recipient levels.

Common questions

What is the biggest difference from older workflows? The newer experience brings setup, sending, reuse, and reporting into one clearer process instead of scattering the work across separate tools or manual workarounds. SMS is now a supported outreach channel alongside email.

Who should use prospect plans instead of cadences? Prospect plans are better for more tailored relationship work where the sequence matters, but the workflow is more customized to one fundraiser or prospect type.

Can I use SMS in cadences? Yes. Add an Automated SMS step to any cadence from the Add Step panel. Your organization must complete A2P 10DLC registration before SMS is available. See the SMS setup section below.

2. SMS setup

Before your team can send text messages through Signal Cadences 2.0, your organization needs to complete a one-time A2P 10DLC registration. This is a federal carrier compliance requirement. The process takes about 15 minutes. Approval typically takes 3–10 business days after submission.

• A Signal Admin or ThankView Admin must complete registration in Organization Settings.

• Go to your name in the top-right corner > Settings > Organization Settings > SMS & MMS Texting > + Set Up SMS.

• The wizard walks through five steps: Business Registration, Business Profile, Brand Registration, Campaign Setup, and Review & Submit.

• SMS sending is disabled until registration is fully approved. EverTrue Support will notify you by email when your phone number is activated.

Common questions

Can users keep building while SMS registration is pending? Yes. Users can create cadences with SMS steps and draft SMS bulk messages, but they cannot send until registration is approved.

I do not see the Text channel option when creating a bulk message. Why? Your organization may not have completed A2P 10DLC registration, or Cadences 2.0 may not be enabled on your account. Contact your EverTrue Owner to see if your organization was registered.

Can I change the organization's phone number after registration? Yes. Once approved, a Request change link appears on the Organization Settings page. Contact EverTrue Support to request a number change.

See the Setting Up SMS & MMS Texting article for the full registration walkthrough.

3. DNS setup for email

Before users can send bulk emails or automated cadence emails, an EverTrue Owner must complete DNS setup for the organization's sending domain. Users can still build cadences, blueprints, and bulk messages before setup is complete, but email sending will fail until the domain is verified.

• An Owner starts the setup by entering the sending domain and generating DNS records.

• The IT team or whoever manages the domain records adds those records.

• Once EverTrue verifies the records, the organization can send bulk and automated emails.

Link to Article to set up DNS for automated email.

Common questions

Can users keep building while the DNS setup is pending? Yes. They can create cadences, bulk messages, and blueprints, but they cannot send email until the setup is verified.

Why is DNS setup required? It helps verify the sending domain and improves email deliverability and trust.

Who can start DNS setup? An EverTrue user with an Admin role.

4. Set up templates and signatures

Assets is the central home for reusable email templates, SMS templates, and email signatures. Users no longer need to hunt through the email or SMS composer to find saved content. The same templates can be used in bulk messages and in automated cadence steps.

• Email templates can be reused in the email composer, bulk email messages, and automated email cadence steps.

• SMS templates can be reused in bulk text messages and Automated SMS cadence steps.

• Use tags to organize templates and signatures so they are easier to search and reuse later.

• Templates save time, but users should still review the final message before sending.

Link to Article

Common questions

Can the same template be used in more than one workflow? Yes. An email template can be reused in the composer, in a bulk email message, and in an automated cadence email step. An SMS template can be reused in a bulk text message and in an Automated SMS cadence step.

Why should users still review a saved template? Because templates are a starting point, the final message still needs to fit the audience, timing, and purpose of the specific outreach.

Where do I find SMS Templates? Go to Assets in the left navigation, then click SMS Templates. Click Create New to build a new template.

5. Create a cadence blueprint

A cadence blueprint is a reusable starting structure for outreach. It is not a live cadence. Teams use blueprints when they want to save a repeatable strategy — with step order, timing, email content, SMS content, conditions, and a success goal — so others can start from a proven framework instead of rebuilding it each time.

• Choose a primary success metric that matches the real goal of the outreach. For SMS-led blueprints, select SMS Response Rate or SMS Click Rate.

• Build the sequence with automated email steps, Automated SMS steps, manual steps, wait periods, and branching logic when needed.

• Name the blueprint clearly and share it with the right users so they can create live cadences from it.

• Blueprints can include SMS steps. SMS content can be edited in the live cadence after the blueprint is applied.

Link to Article

Common questions

What carries over from a blueprint to a live cadence? The goal, step structure, timing, email content, and SMS step configuration can carry over as a starting point.

Can users still customize a cadence after starting from a blueprint? Yes. The blueprint provides the framework, but the live cadence can still be tailored after it is created.

Can a blueprint include an SMS step? Yes. Add an Automated SMS step during blueprint setup. Users who create a live cadence from the blueprint will inherit the SMS step structure and can edit the message content before publishing.

6. Create and publish a cadence

Use a cadence when the outreach requires more than one step, such as an email, a wait period, a condition, a follow-up task or reminder, or an SMS step. Each cadence uses one primary success metric so users can judge whether the outreach achieved its intended result.

• Select recipients from a list, saved search, or individual contacts, or leave the cadence empty and add people later.

• Review enrollment rules, sender details, sharing, tags, and exit conditions before publishing.

• Add an Automated SMS step to send a text automatically at any point in the cadence sequence.

• Use exit conditions to remove contacts automatically when the desired outcome has already happened.

Link to Article

Common questions

What step types are available in a cadence? Automated Email, Automated SMS, Task, Add Wait Time, and Add Condition.

What should users do if unexpected people keep getting added? Check whether the cadence is tied to a saved search and whether lock enrollment is enabled.

Can a cadence be created before recipients are added? Yes. Users can build and publish first, then add recipients later if that fits their process.

How long do success metrics continue to be tracked? Success metrics are tracked for up to 30 days after the cadence ends.

What if a contact does not have a phone number on file and the cadence includes an SMS step? That contact will be skipped at the SMS step. They will not be removed from the cadence and will continue through any remaining steps.

7. Create and send a bulk message

Use a bulk message when one email or text needs to go to many recipients at one time, and the content is mostly the same for everyone, aside from light personalization such as merge fields. If the outreach needs reminders, follow-ups, or logic-based branching, a cadence is the better fit.

• Select Email or Text as the channel on the Configure step. The channel selection changes the message content step and filters the available success metrics.

• Build the message, preview it, choose the audience, and select one primary success metric.

• For SMS bulk messages: write the message (160 characters per segment), add an auto-reply, and configure sender details.

• Use a test send before launch to catch formatting, merge-field, or sender-detail issues (available for email bulk messages).

• Choose Send Now or schedule the message for later after reviewing the date, time, and timezone.

Link to Article

Common questions

What is the difference between a bulk message and a cadence? A bulk message is a one-time send. A cadence is a sequence of steps over time.

Why is a primary success metric required? Because the system uses that metric to measure whether the message met its goal.

What happens if the DNS setup is not complete? Users can build the email message, but any attempt to send will return a DNS-related error. This does not affect SMS sends, which require A2P 10DLC registration instead.

Can I send a bulk SMS? Yes. Select Text as the channel when creating a bulk message. SMS bulk messages require A2P 10DLC registration to be complete before sending.

How many phone numbers will EverTrue attempt to send the message to?  Recipients without any available mobile phone number on file will be skipped. If a contact has multiple phone numbers, EverTrue will try up to three numbers before removing them from the cadence. 

8. Review bulk message performance and recipient status

After a bulk message is sent, the detail page is the main place to review performance. Users can check goal progress, headline counts, performance over time, and recipient-level outcomes to decide what follow-up action to take. SMS bulk messages use the same detail page as email bulk messages with two differences: there is no Opened metric for SMS, and the recipient table shows Phone instead of email address.

• Start with Goal Performance, then review sends, deliveries, clicks, replies, skips, errors, and unsubscribes.

• For SMS: there is no Opened or Open Rate metric. Use Click Rate and Reply Rate to measure SMS engagement.

• Use recipient filters and search to review what happened to one person or one group of recipients.

• Use the detail page to select recipients for follow-up actions such as adding them to a list, trip, pool, or cadence.

Link to Article

Common questions

Are skipped recipients and errors the same thing? No. A skip means the system did not attempt to send to that recipient. An error means a send attempt happened but failed. For SMS, a skip also occurs when the recipient does not have a primary phone number on file.

Why is there no Opened metric on my SMS bulk message detail page? Open tracking is not available for SMS. Use Click Rate and Reply Rate to measure engagement.

What should users do if the reporting looks incomplete right after sending? Refresh and check again. Reporting may not appear instantly, especially for very recent sends or activity that takes time to register.

How often does the data refresh? The reporting refreshes every hour unless the user selects Refresh Metrics.

9. End-user glossary

 

Term	Plain-language definition
Assets	The area where reusable content is stored, including email templates, SMS templates, and email signatures.
Auto-Reply	A message sent automatically to a constituent when they reply to an SMS. Because EverTrue does not support two-way texting, their reply is forwarded to the configured reply email address.
Automated Email Step	A cadence step that sends an email automatically when a contact reaches that point in the sequence.
Automated SMS Step	A cadence step that sends a text message automatically when a contact reaches that point in the sequence.
Blueprint	A reusable starting point used to create live cadences. Can include email steps, SMS steps, and conditional logic.
Bulk Message	A one-time message — email or text — sent to many recipients at once.
Cadence	A planned sequence of outreach steps over time.
Channel	The delivery method for a bulk message — Email or Text (SMS).
Conditions	Rules that decide what happens next in a cadence based on recipient behavior.
Delivered	A status showing a message reached the recipient's mail system or device.
DNS Setup	The one-time domain setup required before sending automated or bulk emails.
Email Template	Reusable email content including a subject line and body copy.
Exit Conditions	Rules that automatically remove a contact from a cadence when a separate event occurs.
Goal Performance	A view that shows progress toward the selected success goal.
Lock Enrollment	A setting that keeps a cadence limited to its original audience.
Manual Task	A task that requires a person to complete before the cadence continues.
Merge Field	A placeholder that pulls in contact-specific details, such as a first name, last gift amount, or custom field value.
Primary Success Metric	The main goal chosen to measure whether the outreach worked. Options vary by channel.
Saved Search	A reusable audience filter used to find or enroll contacts.
Send Test	An option to send yourself a test message before the full send. Available for email bulk messages.
Skip	A status showing the system did not attempt to send. Common reasons include a missing email address, a missing phone number, or a missing merge field value.
SMS Click Rate	A success metric that measures whether recipients clicked a link in a text message.
SMS Response Rate	A success metric that measures whether recipients replied to a text message.
SMS Template	Reusable SMS message content saved in Assets and available in the SMS composer.
Unsubscribed	A status showing a contact is not eligible to receive outreach.
Wait Step	A cadence step that pauses progress for a set amount of time.