Collecting data in ThruText to sync to VAN


You can bring your Survey Questions and Activist Code into your ThruText campaigns from both the MyVoter and MyCampaign sides of your VAN committee.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Set up - Adding a VAN key to your GetThru account.

Add your VAN key to your account by opening the Integrations page in your GetThru account, and inputting it into the VAN Integration Wizard. 


Step 1 - Campaign creation

The Survey Question step of campaign creation allows an admin to add survey questions to a campaign. To import survey questions from your VAN committee, choose the appropriate option for the data you want to collect.


Screenshot of the VAN Survey Question Items at the bottom of the Survey Question creation menu. A bright pink line shows focus on a dark grey menu with white text.


Next, type the name of your survey question in the search bar and select it from the menu.


Screenshot of the VAN search bar showing black text on a white background. "medi" is entered into the search field and a black popup with white text is displayed below, showing the VAN Survey Question ID number and the name and body of the Survey Question "MediCats4All | Do you support a MediCats4All healthcare program?"


Confirm that the survey has all the necessary answers and click "Add Question." Your question will now appear at the top of the page.


Screenshot of the Medicats4All Survey question after it has been added to the campaign. A "delete" button is shown to the right of the question.


Next, finish adding your surveys, finalize your campaign, and launch!


Step 2 - Collecting survey data

After your texters send the initial message and receive replies from your contacts, they can answer survey questions to collect data. The answers will be logged in both ThruText survey responses and saved to your VAN account for that contact's VAN or Campaign ID.


You do not need to press any special "sync to VAN" button. If your campaign is set up properly, the survey data will sync automatically as texters record data. Just check your VAN account and you will see the recorded data!


Survey questions imported from MyVoters will save to the MyVoter file. Survey questions imported from MyCampaign will save to your MyCampaign file. A canvass record will be added when survey data is synced.


Step 3 - Viewing the data synced back to VAN

No special "Sync to VAN" steps are needed! If set up properly, your survey results should be visible in your VAN committee. However, there may be short delays leading up to major elections. Please write to [email protected] with any concerns.

  • In campaigns that are mapped appropriately, the synchronization of the "Texted" result code will only occur when the initial "scripted" messages are sent in a campaign.
  • If multiple initial script messages are sent in ThruText on the same day to a contact with the same VAN Voter ID or VAN Campaign ID within your committee, VAN will only reflect the "Texted" contact history once for that day per file in VAN.
  • If VAN-integrated survey question(s) are answered for that contact on the same day, it will change the contact history result code from "Texted" to "Canvassed" and update the timestamp.
  • Contacts opted out within a VAN-integrated campaign will sync a contact history record with the result code 'Do Not Text' if that status is available in your VAN committee. It is important to note that this sync will only occur if the opt-out occurs from within a campaign itself and not if the opt-out is added manually from the account dropdown at the administrative level.


You can confirm that your VAN Survey data has synced in your account level survey exports and a campaign level survey exports.


If your VAN survey data has failed to sync back because of mismapping, follow this guide to process your ThruText data with Excel so it can be uploaded to your VAN committee.