Workflow Snafu: Limited Volunteer Roles and ONLY Notifying Previously Selected Contacts of Max Reached

[Jason_Barrow]

I have a list of volunteers. Using an interface, I can SMS all of them of an opportunity OR I can select who to SMS and only notify the selected.

Through Twilio API, as they respond, their record is updated in the response field. Each record is linked to a utility table that counts the number of yes responses.

Using @ScottWorld automated looping method (thank you, Scott), when the max number of volunteer roles are filled, an automation fires that loops the non-yes responses, creates a new record in an automation table, updating each record in the volunteer table. The update triggers an SMS automation saying “sorry we’re full”.

It all works great if I send ALL the volunteers the initial opportunity.

Here’s the problem: If I select SOME volunteers at the beginning, the “sorry we’re full” SMS (being sent to all non yes responses) goes to people who never got the initial notification. The selected “text” checkbox field isn’t static and may change throughout the workflow, so it isn’t stable to filter the loop off that. Is there an easy way to mark previously contacted volunteers?

I’m certain there’s something simple that I’m missing, or not thinking of, or just ignorant of. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance