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Custom domain authenticated email
If your custom domain is managed by NationBuilder, the appropriate authentication records (NS and DMARC) have been added to your DNS records, and no action is needed to authenticate a broadcaster.
If your custom domain is managed elsewhere, you need to: Follow these steps to authenticate your sending domain:
Add Your Sending Domain to NationBuilder:
Access your NationBuilder control panel.
Navigate to the ‘Settings’ section and locate the domain management tab.
Add the domain portion of your email address (e.g., for
[email protected], add[yourdomain.com](https://yourdomain.com)).
Publish DNS Records:
Access your DNS host's zone editor (such as GoDaddy, Google Domains, etc.).
Add the CNAME records exactly as instructed to avoid setup errors. DNS changes may take up to 48 hours to propagate globally.
3. Add DMARC:
To ensure optimal deliverability, make sure you have a DMARC record set up in your domain registrar too. This is external to NationBuilder and you can find DMARC record generators online, like Valimail, which will create a record and help you monitor the results. You can also simply look for “DMARC generator” to find a free online tool.
Using a free emailnb address
All broadcasters using free emailnb addresses — e.g. "[email protected]" — send email blasts through one of our pooled authenticated domains. This means that the email will be sent “via nationsend1.com” There are many pooled authenticated domains, so the exact domain used will include a number after nationsend .
The recipient will see [your email address] via nationsend1.com in the “from” line of the email. If the recipient checks for sender details (for example, by clicking an arrow in Gmail), she will see that it was mailed by and signed by a nationsend domain.
The email has been authenticated and sent using a pooled domain. This means that you are sharing domain reputation with other NationBuilder customers. We strongly recommend purchasing a custom domain.
Custom domain managed elsewhere without authentication records
NationBuilder will send broadcaster email via a nationsend domain if the authentication records for your custom domain are not visible.
Here are a couple of reasons email is sent via nationsend for custom domains managed elsewhere:
To reiterate, if NationBuilder is managing your domain records, the authentication records are added automatically and email will be sent using your authenticated custom domain.
Verification of Domain Authentication
After completing the steps to authenticate your sending domain, ensure the domain’s status in your NationBuilder control panel displays as authenticated. This confirms that the domain is validated and ready for sending emails.
Why authentication matters
Technically, email is a relatively insecure way of communicating. The basic way messages are sent and received makes it very easy to pretend to be someone. Spammers use this security gap when they send fake messages from a bank or PayPal, trying to gather your login credentials. Since it is so widely used, the underlying technology for email will not be updated. Rather, there are competing additional layers added to emails to prove that the person sending the email has permission. The two most widely used authentication protocols are DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework). NationBuilder uses both DKIM and SPF to authenticate email blasts, notification emails, and one-to-one email.
Emails may end up in spam folders due to several factors, including:
Lack of email authentication: Missing or improperly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can lead to poor email authentication, which email providers use to verify the legitimacy of your messages.
Poor sender reputation: A history of sending emails to invalid addresses or low engagement rates can harm your sender reputation.
Spammy content: Using spam-triggering keywords, excessive images, or inconsistent sender information can flag your emails as spam.
Unclean email lists: Sending emails to outdated or purchased lists increases the likelihood of spam complaints and bounces.
Most commercial email providers now reject blast emails that are not authenticated. This means that the message does not appear in the recipient’s inbox or spam folder - it is never received by the recipient. That is why all email sent using NationBuilder is sent via an authenticated domain.
Sender reputation is based on domain reputation, recipient engagement, and to a lesser degree, IP reputation. Using a properly authenticated custom domain and optimizing your email program is the best way to optimize deliverability.
To further improve sender reputation, ensure your email lists are clean and up-to-date, avoid purchased lists, and focus on engaging with active subscribers. Additionally, avoid spam-triggering content and maintain a consistent sender identity.
Most email blasts sent from NationBuilder use our pooled IP addresses. A growing percentage of people sending bulk email are using services like NationBuilder and email providers have adjusted their deliverability algorithms. The importance of IP reputation has decreased, while the importance of an authenticated custom domain has vastly increased. For complete control of your email reputation, it is possible to purchase a dedicated IP address from NationBuilder. If you send a large amount of email and would like to discuss whether this would help your email deliverability, please email [email protected] or contact our Customer Support team via in-app chat.
Steps to Improve Inbox Placement
1. Authenticate Your Domain
Proper email authentication is essential for building trust with email providers. Ensure the following:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Configure SPF records to specify which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Set up DKIM to add a digital signature to your emails, verifying that they haven’t been altered during transit.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): Implement DMARC to align SPF and DKIM and provide instructions to email providers on how to handle unauthenticated messages. Start with a monitoring policy (
p=none) before moving to stricter policies likequarantineorreject.
2. Maintain a Clean Email List
Remove invalid addresses: Regularly clean your email list to eliminate invalid or inactive email addresses.
Avoid purchased lists: Use only organically collected email lists where recipients have explicitly opted in to receive your emails.
Engage with active subscribers: Focus on sending emails to recipients who regularly engage with your content.
3. Optimize Email Content
Avoid spam triggers: Refrain from using all caps, excessive punctuation, or phrases like "URGENT" in your subject lines.
Limit images: Use a balanced text-to-image ratio to avoid being flagged as spam.
Be consistent: Ensure your "from" address is recognizable and consistent across campaigns.
Send relevant content: Tailor your emails to match the expectations and interests of your recipients.
4. Address Special Cases
For recipients at private domains (e.g., schools, public agencies, enterprises) with strict filters, consider the following:
Request whitelisting: Ask the recipient’s IT department to whitelist your sending domain or IP address.
Monitor deliverability: Use tools to track your email performance and identify issues with specific domains.
Test Emails Not Sending After Changing the From-Address
Verify Sending Domain Setup
Ensure the new sending domain is added to NationBuilder.
Confirm DNS authentication records (CNAME/DKIM) are correctly published and have propagated.
Propagation can take up to 48 hours after changes.
Government or Restricted Domains
Some government or external domains require manual DNS record setup.
Publish the CNAME records provided by NationBuilder and verify them with your domain registrar.
Common Causes
Missing DNS Authentication: You did not add the authentication records to your domain registrar.
Registrar Restriction: Your domain registrar does not allow records with underscores (
_).All DKIM records include underscores; if your registrar blocks them, authentication is impossible.
Options:
Contact your registrar for support.
Move your DNS hosting to a provider that supports underscores (e.g., Cloudflare).
Have NationBuilder host your DNS records.
Premature Sending: You sent an email blast before DNS changes propagated globally (allow 24–48 hours).