> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wegive.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Adding a Custom Email Domain > WeGive Help Center article: Adding a Custom Email Domain A custom email domain lets your organization send messages from a branded address (like `donate@yourorganization.org`) instead of a default system address. This improves deliverability, builds trust with your supporters, and gives you control over your sender identity. You manage everything from **Settings → Email Settings**, which is where you add domains, authenticate them, create sender addresses, set up your sender avatar, and monitor email health. Setting up a custom email domain has two core parts: 1. **Authenticate your domain** so WeGive is authorized to send email on your behalf. 2. **Create one or more sender addresses** at that authenticated domain to send from. *** ## Before You Start You'll need admin access to your DNS provider (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, Google Domains, Bluehost, etc.) to add the verification records. If your DNS is managed by a web team or IT, coordinate with them before making changes. *** ## Email Suppression Headers At the top of **Email Settings** is the **Email Suppression Headers** toggle. Enabling it adds auto-reply suppression headers to your outbound emails, which prevents automated responses (out-of-office replies, bots, etc.) from email clients. This is an org-wide setting and is independent of any individual domain. *** ## Step 1: Add Your Domain 1. Go to **Settings → Email Settings**. 2. Click **Add Custom Domain** (top right). 3. Enter your **domain only** — not a full email address and not the `www.` prefix: * ✅ `yourorganization.org` * ❌ `info@yourorganization.org` * ❌ `www.yourorganization.org` 4. Click **Save**. You can also send from a subdomain (for example, `mail.yourorganization.org`) if you prefer to keep your sending domain separate from your main domain. Your domain appears in the **Custom Domains** list with a status badge. It will show **Unauthenticated** until the DNS records are verified, and **Authenticated** once they pass. Use the **Verify** button and the arrow on the right of each domain card to expand its setup panel. *** ## Step 2: Authenticate Your Domain Expand the domain and open the **Authenticate Domain** section. This is where you give WeGive permission to send email on your behalf by adding DNS records at your provider. ### Required records These three records are required and must show a **Valid** status before the domain is considered authenticated: | Type | Name (example) | Value (example) | Purpose | | - | - | - | - | | TXT | `yourdomain.org` | `v=spf1 include:mailgun.org ~all` | SPF — authorizes WeGive's servers to send for your domain | | TXT | `mx._domainkey.yourdomain.org` | `k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSq…` | DKIM — digital signature proving emails weren't altered | | CNAME | `email.yourdomain.org` | `mailgun.org` | Tracking & verification on your branded domain | Copy the **Name** and **Value** for each record exactly as shown in WeGive into your DNS provider. The exact values are generated for your specific domain — use the copy icons next to each field. ### Optional: Receive replies (MX records) To let supporters' replies route back into WeGive so they appear in **Platform Messaging**, add both MX records. These are optional and only needed for two-way communication: | Type | Name (example) | Value | | - | - | - | | MX | `yourdomain.org` | `mxa.mailgun.org` | | MX | `yourdomain.org` | `mxb.mailgun.org` | ### Optional: DMARC record Adding a DMARC record tells receiving email servers how to handle messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks. It improves email security and helps prevent spoofing: | Type | Name (example) | Value (example) | | - | - | - | | TXT | `_dmarc.yourdomain.org` | `v=DMARC1; p=none; pct=100; fo=1; ri=360…` | DMARC is optional for sending, but it becomes **required if you want to use a Sender Avatar (BIMI)** — see below. *** ## Step 3: Add the Records to Your DNS Provider Log in to your DNS provider and create each record exactly as shown in WeGive: 1. Create a new DNS record. 2. Set the **Type** (TXT, CNAME, or MX). 3. Copy the **Name** field exactly as shown in WeGive. 4. Copy the **Value** field exactly as shown in WeGive. 5. Save the record. **Where to find DNS settings by provider:** | Provider | Location | | - | - | | GoDaddy | My Products → DNS → Manage | | Cloudflare | Select domain → DNS → Records | | Namecheap | Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS | | Google Domains | My domains → Manage → DNS | | Bluehost | Domains → Zone Editor | **Tips:** * Some providers append your domain to the Name field automatically — check whether you need to enter only the subdomain portion. * TTL can be left at the default value. * Watch for extra spaces when pasting, and check your provider's handling of trailing periods. * If you already have an SPF record from another email service, you may need to merge it rather than create a duplicate. *** ## Step 4: Verify Your Domain 1. Return to WeGive. 2. Click **Verify** on the domain. WeGive checks each record and shows a per-record status of **Valid** (or **Optional** for the MX/DMARC records). When the three required records are Valid, the domain badge flips to **Authenticated**. If verification fails, DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 24–48 hours to propagate. Wait and click Verify again. (See Troubleshooting below.) *** ## Step 5: Create Your Sender Address Open the **Manage Custom Addresses** section under the authenticated domain. Custom addresses can be used as **"from"** and **"reply-to"** addresses when you send emails — useful if you want certain outbound emails to appear as coming from a team, or to change how your name appears in email clients. 1. Click **Add Custom Address**. 2. Enter: * **Display Name** — the name recipients see in their inbox (e.g., "Hope Foundation Support"). * **Handle** — the username portion before the `@` (e.g., `donate`, `info`, `support`). 3. Click **Save**. 4. The address shows a **Verified** status once it's connected. You can edit or delete any address with the icons on its row. Both Display Name and Handle are required. If your domain is `hopefoundation.org` and your handle is `donate`, your sender address will be `donate@hopefoundation.org`. You can create multiple addresses under one domain — for example `donate@`, `info@`, `events@`, and `support@` — for different purposes. When you build an email, you'll select your custom address from the **From** dropdown. **Receiving replies:** If you want an address to receive replies, make sure you added the optional MX records in Step 2 and that you own a real inbox at that address in your email platform. *** ## Step 6 (Optional): Set Up a Sender Avatar (BIMI) The **Sender Avatar (BIMI)** section lets supported email clients display your logo as the sender avatar. BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is supported by **Gmail, Yahoo, and Apple Mail**. **DMARC enforcement required:** BIMI requires a DMARC policy of `p=quarantine` or `p=reject` on your sending domain. If your current policy is `p=none`, you can still set up the logo and DNS record now and enforce DMARC later — but the avatar won't display until enforcement is in place. **Brand Logo (SVG Tiny P/S):** Upload your logo as an **SVG Tiny Portable/Secure** file, **32 KB or smaller**. No scripts, animations, or external references are allowed. Use the upload area (or drag and drop). **CMC/VMC Certificate URL:** Gmail and Apple Mail require a **Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)** or **Common Mark Certificate (CMC)** to display your logo. You procure the certificate externally, host the PEM file, and paste the hosted PEM URL here, then click **Save**. *** ## Tracking Email open and click tracking runs through your authenticated domain's CNAME (tracking) record. You can turn enable it per domain with the **Enable Tracking** button at the bottom of the domain panel. Once your domain is authenticated and tracking is active, WeGive automatically issues a TLS/SSL certificate for your tracking subdomain so links stay secure. If you use a proxy service like Cloudflare for the tracking CNAME, set the SSL mode to **Full** (not Flexible) and enable the proxy so links resolve over HTTPS. If tracking links ever appear broken or "insecure," this SSL configuration is the first thing to check. *** ## Removing a Domain To stop using a domain entirely, expand it and click **Remove Domain** at the bottom of the panel. This removes the domain and its addresses from WeGive — you can leave or remove the DNS records at your provider afterward. *** ## Monitoring Email Health The left-hand **Email Health** menu gives you reports for your sending: * **Bounces** — emails that couldn't be delivered (invalid address, full inbox, server issues). * **Complaints** — recipients who marked your email as spam. * **Unsubscribes** — recipients who opted out. * **Whitelist** — addresses you've manually approved. WeGive automatically suppresses sending to addresses that have hard bounced, filed a spam complaint, or unsubscribed — this protects your domain's sender reputation. *** ## Troubleshooting | Issue | What to do | | - | - | | Verification fails right away | DNS records may not have propagated. Wait 15–30 minutes and re-verify. | | Still failing after several hours | Confirm the Name and Value match WeGive exactly — watch for typos, extra spaces, or missing characters. | | "Record not found" | Make sure the records were added to the correct domain in your DNS provider. | | Partial authentication | Some records propagate faster than others. Wait and re-verify. | | Tracking links broken or "insecure" | Confirm the tracking CNAME points correctly and serves over HTTPS. On Cloudflare, enable the proxy and set SSL to **Full**. | | BIMI avatar not showing | Confirm your DMARC policy is `p=quarantine` or `p=reject` (not `none`), the logo is a valid SVG Tiny P/S file ≤32 KB, and the VMC/CMC certificate URL is reachable. | | Conflicts after switching tools | If your domain was previously linked to another sending account, remove duplicate records so there's a single source of authentication. | ### Same-domain emails failing to arrive, even though your domain is Authenticated If your domain shows **Authenticated** and every required DNS record is **Valid**, but emails sent from your custom domain to a recipient *at that same domain* aren't arriving — while sends to other domains (a personal Gmail address, a different organization) go through fine — the cause is usually **not** a problem with your domain's authentication or WeGive's setup. Some email platforms (Google Workspace is a common example) apply their own extra anti-spoofing check to incoming mail when the sender's address and the recipient's address share the same domain, but the mail arrives through outside sending infrastructure rather than that platform's own outbound mail path. This can happen even when your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are all fully valid — it's a separate check the *recipient's* mail platform applies on its own, not a sign that something is misconfigured on your end or in WeGive. **How to confirm this is what's happening:** the pattern is narrow and specific — only same-domain-to-same-domain sends fail, while sends to any other destination succeed. **How to fix it:** this requires a change on the recipient side, from whoever manages that mail platform (your own IT/mail admin, if the affected mailbox is on your own domain): * Whitelist your email provider's sending IP ranges in the mail platform's spam/anti-spoofing settings, or * Add a DKIM-pass-based exception for your sending service in the mail platform's anti-spoofing configuration — this is the more durable fix, since it doesn't depend on IP ranges staying the same over time. If you're not sure whether this applies to you, confirm your domain's SPF/DKIM/DMARC records are already showing **Valid** in **Settings → Email Settings** first — if they are, and only same-domain sends are failing, this receiving-side check is the most likely explanation, and no further DNS changes on your sending domain will fix it. ### When to Contact Support Reach out to **[help@wegive.com](mailto:help@wegive.com)** if records appear correct but verification still fails after 48 hours, if deliverability problems persist despite authentication, or if you need help merging records with an existing email service. Include your domain, screenshots of your DNS records, any error messages, and when the issue started. *** ## Setup Checklist * (Optional) Toggle **Email Suppression Headers** if you want to suppress auto-replies * Add your domain in **Settings → Email Settings** (domain only, no prefix) * Expand **Authenticate Domain** to view the DNS records * Add the SPF (TXT) record to your DNS provider * Add the DKIM (TXT) record to your DNS provider * Add the tracking (CNAME) record to your DNS provider * (Optional) Add both MX records if you want replies to land in Platform Messaging * (Optional) Add the DMARC (TXT) record for security — required for BIMI * Wait for DNS propagation, then click **Verify** until all required records show **Valid** * Confirm the domain shows **Authenticated** * Create your sender address(es) under **Manage Custom Addresses** and confirm each shows **Verified** * (Optional) Upload your **Sender Avatar (BIMI)** logo and VMC/CMC certificate URL * Send a test email to Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo to confirm deliverability This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.