In an emergency, call 911 first. A call tree passes news through a group. It does not send help, and it does not replace official alerts.
Ask before you list anyone
Put a person on the tree only if they agreed to it, and use the number they want used. Everyone on the tree should be an adult. For a youth team or a school group, list parents or guardians, never the players.
Put reliable people near the top
The people near the top of your list hear first and make most of the calls. Choose people who answer their phones and will pass the word on right away. Anyone who cannot make calls can still be on the tree: mark them “only takes calls”. People marked that way hear after everyone who makes calls, wherever they are on the list.
Keep each person’s calls small
Two to four calls each is easy to do at short notice. More calls per person means fewer rounds, but a long list waits on one busy person. Use the timing calculator to see the trade-off for your group.
Write the message down, word for word
Messages change as they are passed along. The person who starts writes it in a sentence or two: what happened, what to do, and by when. Everyone reads it out as written. The starter’s card and the chart have lines for it.
Use the no-answer rule
If someone does not pick up, leave a short message, then call that person’s own people yourself, so nobody further down is missed. Their numbers are on your card. Try the person who missed the call once more before you report back.
Close the loop
When you have reached everyone on your card, tell the person who called you who you reached and who you could not. The reports work their way back to whoever started, who then knows the word got through, and who still needs a try.
Practice twice a year
Send a harmless test message, note when it started and when the last report came back, and who could not be reached. Practice runs find wrong numbers before a real message does.
Keep it current
When someone joins, leaves or changes their number, update the tree and reprint the cards. Every card shows the date of the list it came from, so an old card is easy to spot.
Ringround does the arithmetic and the printing. Free up to 12 people. Start a tree or see the prices.