When creating a message in Notify, selecting Apply Contact Selections before sending lets you preview exactly who will receive your communication. This article explains what the three preview numbers mean and how to interpret them.
Choosing Your Audience in Notify
When creating a message through Notify (learn more about Notify here), you’ll select the audience you want to reach.
After choosing your audience type or group, click Apply Contact Selections. This allows you to preview up to three counts:
- Parent/Guardian Contacts
- Students
- Staff
💡 You’ll only see Student and Staff counts if Student Contacts and School Staff are selected. Depending on your selections, you may see one, two, or all three counts.
What Is a “Contact”?
In Notify, a Contact is a phone number or email address associated with a person who meets your selected criteria (for example, parent or guardian contact methods).
This means:
- One person can have multiple contacts (email + phone number). Contacts are counted by contact method, not by person.
- So even if your audience includes 30 people, you might see 75 contacts, because those 30 people have multiple ways to be reached.
This is how it looks before applying Contact Selections:
This is how it looks after applying Contact Selections:
Example Scenarios
Scenario A: Parent/Guardian Group Message
- Your Selection: "Parent/Guardian Contacts" for a group of 10 students
- Preview Shows: 35 Contacts
- What This Means: Those 10 students have parents/guardians with 35 total emails and phone numbers on file.
Scenario B: School-Wide Announcement
- Your Selection: Parent/Guardians, Students, and Staff for Lincoln Elementary
-
Preview Shows:
- 345 Contacts
- 110 Students
- 40 Staff
-
What This Means:
- 345 total emails/phone numbers across all groups
- 110 students are currently enrolled
- 40 staff members are assigned to that school
❗️Important Note on Duplicates
Key Takeaways
- Contacts ≠ People; Contacts represent communication methods (emails + phone numbers), not individuals
- A single person may contribute multiple contacts
- Duplicate contacts are automatically deduplicated before messages are sent
- Student and Staff counts only appear when those groups are selected
Understanding these counts helps you confidently preview who you’re reaching — and ensures your Notify messages go out exactly as intended.