News Flash – RainedOut is Back

As a result of a joint effort by the Emergency Preparedness Committee and the Communications Committee, we now have a new text-based alert system to replace the recently eliminated system we shared with the City of Sutherlin.

What’s old is new again: The “new” system is called RainedOut. Most of you will remember that we used this same system a few years ago. That’s right… it’s back. And we’re now working hard to get members signed up.

First, a little explanation: All text-based alert systems now charge for the service… no more free lunch. But we’ve found the RainedOut system is the least expensive for our use case. We will pay a few pennies for each text message, but email messages are free. We feel the benefit for the Park is worth the small charge. Having the ability to instantly alert members about emergencies and other urgent matters can be critical in times of need. A little like a first-aid kit… you hardly ever need it… but when you do… you REALLY NEED IT.

Please sign up: With this system the users (those receiving the alert messages),(in other words YOU), sign yourself up, and opt in with the devices (phones, tablets, computers) you prefer.

Because we pay for text messages, we want you to consider signing-up with just one phone if you and your partner are usually together. If you’re more independent, two phones is OK. Also, because many people can do email on their phones, you may be able to get by with just email on the alert system. The choice is yours.

How to sign up: We have the necessary links on the Member’s Only page of the website. Look for the heading “RainedOut”. There is also a link with more detailed instructions.

If you have any questions or are having a problem of any kind, talk with the office, or Thom Hoch, Rachael Smithey, or Dick Shanahan.

Thanks. And please get signed up as soon as you can.

Thom, Dick, and Rachael

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3 Responses to News Flash – RainedOut is Back

  1. Dick Shanahan says:

    If you wondered…

    “When we started RainedOut over 10 years ago, everything was free and our goal was to help rec council teams communicate game cancellations.

    We all had other jobs and we paid the message costs ourselves. Not a great business plan for sure although we were helping coaches get game notifications out quickly to save Moms and Dads from driving to cancelled games.

    What was just a few teams has grown church groups, parks, rec councils, racetracks, traffic services, dog trainers, and farmers markets – you name it.”

  2. John Pierce says:

    What does it cost and who is it paid to?

    • rsmithey says:

      Thank you John for your question! The cost is shared by the Communication Committee and the Emergency Preparedness Committee budgets and is prepaid to RainedOut, LLC. RainedOut, LLC charges 4 cents per text message per recipient, and charges nothing for email messages. Recipients (TV park members) opt-in to the service, and choose whether they prefer text or email. We administrators can only see the number of text and email users, not their names. We researched a number of similar services, and this is by far the most effective and affordable for Timber Valley’s needs.

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