Purchasing a Phone Number

Last updated: March 30, 2026

To send text messages to your donors — whether for campaigns, journeys, event reminders, or text-to-give — you'll need to purchase a dedicated phone number for your organization. This guide walks you through the process from start to finish.

Why You Need a Dedicated Number

WeGive provides a shared default number that handles basic verification codes (like donor portal logins). However, any outbound messaging — marketing campaigns, journey texts, keyword automations, impact updates, or broadcast messages — requires your own dedicated number. Purchasing one unlocks the full suite of WeGive's SMS features.

Our Recommendation: Purchase Two Numbers

We strongly recommend purchasing two separate phone numbers — one for marketing and engagement messages, and one for verification codes and transactional texts. Here's why:

When donors receive both marketing texts and verification codes from the same number, there's a risk they'll unsubscribe from that number to stop marketing messages — which also blocks them from receiving verification codes they need to log in to the donor portal. By separating these onto two numbers, donors can manage their marketing preferences without accidentally cutting themselves off from important account verification texts.

A typical setup looks like this: designate one number as your marketing number for campaigns, journeys, event reminders, and broadcast messages, and use a second number exclusively for verification codes and transactional notifications. This keeps your donor experience clean and ensures login codes always get through.

Before You Begin

Make sure your organization's profile is up to date in WeGive. After you purchase a number, WeGive automatically submits it for carrier verification using your organization's details, including your DBA name, website, mailing address, support email, and support phone number. Incomplete or inaccurate information can delay verification.

Step 1: Open the Phone Number Purchase Screen

Navigate to Settings → Numbers and click Add New Phone Number. You'll be prompted to choose between two options:

  • Purchase through WeGive — Buy a new number directly (recommended for most organizations)

  • Bring Your Own Number — Import an existing Twilio number you already own

Select Purchase through WeGive to continue.

Step 2: Choose Your Number Type

You'll see two options:

Local Number A standard 10-digit number with a regional area code. Local numbers support approximately 2 messages per second throughput. These are a good fit for most organizations.

Toll-Free Number An 888, 877, or similar toll-free number. Toll-free numbers support approximately 3 messages per second throughput and may carry a slightly more professional feel for nationwide organizations.

Select the type that fits your needs.

Step 3: Search for an Available Number

Use the search tools to find a number you like:

  • Country — Defaults to United States. A full country list is available, though phone numbers are currently validated for US formats.

  • Search digits — Enter the digits you'd like your number to contain (between 2 and 16 characters).

  • Search type — Control where your digits appear:

    • First Part Matches — Your digits appear at the beginning of the number (e.g., searching "512" finds numbers starting with that area code)

    • Anywhere Matches — Your digits appear anywhere in the number

    • Last Part Matches — Your digits appear at the end of the number

Click Search to see up to 20 available numbers matching your criteria. Each result shows the formatted number and its locality.

Step 4: Select and Confirm Your Number

Click on the number you'd like to purchase. You'll be taken to a confirmation screen showing your selected number. Review it, then click Purchase to complete the transaction.

Once purchased, you'll be redirected to your Settings page where you can manage your new number.

What Happens After Purchase

Two things happen automatically behind the scenes:

  1. The number is provisioned — WeGive purchases the number through Twilio and adds it to your organization's messaging service. No setup is required on your end.

  2. Carrier verification is submitted — WeGive automatically submits a toll-free verification request to carriers using your organization's profile information. This is required before you can send messages at full volume.

Expect 2–4 weeks for carrier verification to complete, though some approvals come through in as few as 3–5 days. You'll receive a confirmation when verification is approved and your number is fully cleared for SMS and MMS.

Managing Your Numbers

Once purchased, you can manage your numbers from Settings → Numbers:

  • Set a default number — If you have multiple numbers, designate one as the primary number for your organization.

  • Configure auto-responses — Set up keyword triggers and automated replies.

  • Add a message prefix — Brand your outbound messages with your organization's name.

  • Remove a number — If you no longer need a number, you can remove it from your account.

Organizations can own multiple numbers — for example, different numbers for different campaigns or departments.

Bringing Your Own Number (Import)

If you already have a Twilio phone number, you can import it instead of purchasing a new one. Select Bring Your Own Number from the Add New Phone Number dialog and provide:

  • Your phone number

  • Your Twilio Account SID

  • Your Twilio Auth Token

  • Your Twilio Phone Number SID

Imported numbers skip the automatic verification process since they're assumed to already be verified through your own Twilio account. When you remove an imported number from WeGive, it only disconnects from WeGive — you retain full ownership in your Twilio account.

Troubleshooting

"Failed to procure phone number, please try again or choose a new number." This error means the purchase didn't go through with the carrier. The number may have been claimed by someone else between your search and purchase. Try searching again and selecting a different number.

Number purchased but can't send messages yet Your number is likely still awaiting carrier verification. This process takes 2–4 weeks after purchase. Verification is handled automatically — no action is needed from your end.

Verification taking longer than expected Make sure your organization's profile information (DBA name, address, website, support email) is complete and accurate in your WeGive settings. Incomplete information can delay the verification process.