Before you start 📝
You'll need the following before you begin setup:
The name of your DNS provider, and login information for your DNS account
A real email address at your domain (an email address that ends in your website address, ie. [email protected])
Engage is automatically activated for verified nonprofit accounts. Accounts that are not verified will need to first Request Access on the Engage tab.
Who is my DNS provider? 🤔
If you're not sure who your DNS provider is, you can check at https://mxtoolbox.com/DNSLookup.aspx
Type your domain into the empty field
Click DNS Lookup
Your DNS provider will be displayed at the bottom
Generate DNS records ✨
CNAME and TXT are the two DNS records you will be adding to your DNS provider, but before you add them, you need to generate them in Givebutter.
On the Engage tab in your Givebutter dashboard, click on Set up domain.
Click Add Domain and then select Use your domain and email address.
Enter your domain name, add a reply-to email, and click Add Domain. This will generate new TXT and CNAME values. Close out of this screen. There will be red error messages:
Not connectedandNot active.Don't worry, this is expected!
Keep this tab open; you'll need it in a minute.
Add records to Amazon ➕
Next, you'll be adding these newly created CNAME and TXT records to Amazon.
Make sure to leave your Givebutter tab open. In a new tab, login to your Amazon / Route 53 account.
Click on Hosted zones and then click on the hosted zone you want to connect to your Givebutter account.
Switch back to your Givebutter tab (make sure you keep your Amazon tab open too!) and click on the copy icon in the TXT Name field.
Add TXT to Amazon
These instructions are for manually adding TXT and CNAME records – we do not recommend using the wizard to perform this function.
After copying the TXT Name from Givebutter, return to your Amazon tab.
Click on Create record.
On the next screen, click the arrow under Record Type and select TXT.
Paste your copied value into the Record Name field.
Return to your Givebutter tab and copy the TXT Value field.
Paste that information in the Value field of Amazon.
Leave everything else as it is.
Click Create records.
Add CNAME to Amazon
Switch back to your Givebutter tab (make sure you keep your Amazon tab open too!) and click on the copy icon in the CNAME Name field to copy it to your clipboard.
Return to your Amazon tab.
Click on Create record.
On the next screen, click the arrow under Record Type and select CNAME.
Paste your copied value into the Record Name field.
Return to your Givebutter tab and copy the CNAME Value field.
Paste that information in the Value field of Amazon.
Leave everything else as it is.
Click Create records.
Run Verification 🔄
Return to Givebutter and click the Refresh Status button. Verification can take up to 48 hours. Our system will automatically retry your verification for 72 hours.
Continue on to the next steps while you wait for verification. As long as they are also completed, you'll be able to send emails as soon as the green verified badges appear.
Completing setup ✅
There are just a few remaining steps to complete once you've successfully connected your domain.
Add email senders ✉️
In the Engage tab, click on Settings under the Engage header, then select Email Senders.
Click + Add new.
Enter the sender name and email address you want to connect and click Submit.
Emails must exist on the domain you have connected in order to be used for Engage.
A verification email will be sent to the email address you provided. Click verify email.
Your sender email should now show as Verified.
Your sender email address must be verified before you'll be able to send outbound emails using Engage.
Branding 🎨
In the Engage tab, click on Settings under the Engage header, then select Branding.
Upload a logo – recommended dimensions 300px x 300 px, max size: 5MB
A logo is required to be uploaded before you can send outbound emails. If you prefer not to display a logo, you can upload a white square of the same dimensions.
Choose a brand color.
Add an email logo hyperlink.
See our guide on customizing your Engage email branding, which includes some more tips and tricks.
Address 🏠
In the Engage tab, click on Settings under the Engage header, then select Addresses.
Enter your address information.
Click Submit.
Congratulations! You're now ready to compose and send your first email with Engage! 🎉