There's no 'they're on our team' exception to the TCPA. A volunteer who never agreed to receive texts is, legally, the same as a voter who never agreed. If you're sending automated or mass messages to volunteers' cells, get their consent, which is trivial when they're signing up to help anyway.
Capture it at sign-up
Put a clear opt-in on your volunteer form: 'Text me shift reminders and updates.' A checked box with honest disclosure, who's texting, what they'll get, how to stop, turns every volunteer into a documented, consented contact. Keep the record.
One-to-one texting is lower-risk, but set it up right
Genuinely manual, one-to-one texts from an organizer's phone are a different risk profile than mass sends. But the moment you're blasting a volunteer list through a platform, you're in autodialer territory and consent matters. Build the opt-in once and stop guessing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need consent to text my campaign volunteers?
Yes. Volunteers aren't exempt from the TCPA. Automated or mass texts to their cells need prior express consent, easily captured with an opt-in on your volunteer sign-up form.
Can I text a volunteer who gave me their number to help?
Giving you a number to coordinate is not the same as consent to mass-text them. Add a clear opt-in to your sign-up so the consent is documented and covers the messages you'll actually send.
Informational, not legal advice.
Keep reading: Do campaigns need consent to text voters and How to grow a texting list that's actually yours.