Camp Notice vs. ACTIVE’s waitlist automation
Camp & Class Manager has its own waitlist automation, and the two tools do the same job — offer an open seat down the list until someone takes it. They differ in one decisive way: ACTIVE invites families by email, while Camp Notice sends a text and an email at the same moment, both carrying the same one-tap claim link.
Everything stated here about ACTIVE’s feature comes from ACTIVE’s own published documentation: their waitlist-automation blog post, the “Enable and Configure Waitlist Automation” support article, and the “Waitlist Ranking” support article, all read in July 2026. Camp Notice is an independent product and is not affiliated with ACTIVE Network.
- Channels — ACTIVE: an emailed invitation to the first person on the list. Camp Notice: text and email together on every offer, with per-channel attribution for which one won the claim.
- The offer window — Both are time-boxed and cascade to the next family on expiry. ACTIVE’s invitation validity is configured when support enables the feature; Camp Notice’s claim window is a setting you change yourself — 15 minutes by default, 10 to 60 — with a reminder email at the halfway mark and a closure note when it lapses.
- Waitlist order — Unchanged either way. Families are ranked in Camp & Class Manager by tuition group and join order, and staff can promote a family to rank 1 from Season → Waitlist. Camp Notice reads that ranking and offers in exactly that order, skipping only entries it cannot reach.
- Turning it on — ACTIVE’s feature is enabled by ACTIVE support on sessions that allow waitlist registrations at capacity. Camp Notice is self-serve: connect a read-only API key, toggle sessions to Watching, and choose Automatic or Manual offers.
- Where ACTIVE is stronger — Its accept link goes straight into checkout, it detects openings natively rather than polling every 3 minutes, and it is included with Camp & Class Manager while Camp Notice is a paid subscription.
- Run one, not both — Two automations on the same waitlist will invite the same family for the same seat. Most camps moving to Camp Notice ask ACTIVE support to switch the native automation off; the waitlist and its ranking stay where they are.
Frequently asked questions
Does ACTIVE’s built-in waitlist automation send text messages?
No. Per ACTIVE’s own documentation, when a spot opens the first person on the waitlist automatically receives an invitation by email; the invitation is email only. Camp Notice sends a text and an email at the same moment, both carrying the same one-tap claim link, and records which channel the claim came from.
Why does the channel matter for a waitlist offer?
Because the offer is time-boxed. A text lands on a parent’s lock screen; an email waits until they next open their inbox. When an invitation expires in 15 minutes and moves on, an email-only cascade can walk down the list while nobody is looking at it.
Does Camp Notice change my waitlist order or ranking?
No. Your waitlist and its ranking stay in Camp & Class Manager, where families are ranked by tuition group and join order and staff can promote a family to the top from Season → Waitlist. Camp Notice reads that ranking every 3 minutes and offers in exactly that order — it only skips an entry it cannot reach (no usable phone or email, or a family who replied STOP) and logs the skip.
How do I turn each one on?
ACTIVE’s feature is enabled by contacting ACTIVE support, and needs sessions that allow waitlist registrations when capacity is reached; you then set how long invitations stay valid, when the automation stops sending, which sessions it covers, and the invitation email’s content. Camp Notice is self-serve: paste your read-only ACTIVE API key, toggle sessions to Watching, set the claim window, and switch offers to Automatic or Manual.
Where is ACTIVE’s native feature stronger?
Three places, honestly: its accept link takes the family straight into checkout, while Camp Notice holds the seat and hands off to your ACTIVE registration page; it is native to the platform, while Camp Notice polls your roster every 3 minutes; and it is included with Camp & Class Manager, while Camp Notice is a paid subscription.
Can I run both at the same time?
You shouldn’t. Two automations working the same waitlist will invite the same family for the same seat on their own schedules. Most camps moving to Camp Notice ask ACTIVE support to switch the native automation off — the waitlist and its ranking stay exactly where they are.