<h1 id="monitoring-usage-costs---calling-and-sms">Monitoring Usage Costs - Calling and SMS<a aria-hidden="true" class="anchor-heading icon-link" href="#monitoring-usage-costs---calling-and-sms"></a></h1>
<p>Currently, we don’t have the ability for organizations to monitor and cap their own phone call and SMS usage within SupporterBase, via a dashboard for example, but it is definitely on the development list. If this is a capability you are interested in, you can vote for this feature and track it's progress <a href="https://roadmap.supporterbase.com/feature-requests/p/interface-for-tracking-sms-and-phone-call-spend-by-group">here</a>.</p>
<p>In the meantime, we monitor phone call and SMS usage across your SupporterBase on a monthly basis and pass on any costs from our third party provider (Twilio) in the form of an itemised invoice, including any applicable discounts (nonprofits are generally eligible for a 25% discount). You can review our policy on phone call and SMS usage costs <a href="https://www.supporterbase.com/policy">here</a></p>
<p>To help minimise costs, we also include a warning and link to an SMS cost calculation tool within the SMS Blast interface (sending long SMS with non-standard characters to a large number of recipients is the most likely cause of unexpected additional costs).</p>

Calling and Sms


# SupporterBase Guides

### About SupporterBase 

SupporterBase is an online platform that is connected to your organisation’s database of supporters. It helps volunteer leaders communicate with local supporters, and coordinate group activities, to build grassroots power.

SupporterBase is designed to be easy to use, removing the complexity you get with big databases. It enables volunteer leaders to call, text or email supporters in their group without using social media channels, their own phone credit or having to type out lots of phone numbers or email addresses. All the replies are in the one place, and everything can be recorded easily. Volunteer leaders can manage events using a public webpage for promotion, and keep track of RSVPs, attendees and new volunteers. 

### Why SupporterBase?

SupporterBase draws on the principles of ‘distributed organising’, which seeks to grow and sustain campaigns and organisations through grassroots leadership. Distributed organising recognises that the resources of professional organisers are finite, and that committed local volunteers have an extremely valuable contribution to make when it comes to mobilising local support for an issue or organisation, not least due to their intimate knowledge of and connection to their own local community. 

### Using SupporterBase

The user interface for SupporterBase is designed to be as simple and as self explanatory as possible - where you think that isn’t the case, let us know so we can improve! 

However, if you have any questions about how the system works you can:

1. Consult the documentation provided in this guide;
2. Consult the [video tutorials](https://www.supporterbase.com/how-to) at the SupporterBase site;
3. Consult the FAQs drafted by your organisation within the left-hand side navigation of the app (under “Help”)
4. Contact your organisation’s administrators;
5. Contact us directly at info@supporterbase.com. 
