What is DMARC?

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) lets you tell receiving servers what to do with messages from your domain that don’t pass SPF or DKIM. It builds on SPF and DKIM (so both are required before DMARC setup) and completes the email authentication process.

What are the requirements before I can set up DMARC?

Important:

• Configure DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Sender Policy Framework (SPF) before configuring DMARC. 

How do I set up DMARC for my emails sent through Neon CRM?

1. Go to the DNS settings for your organization’s email domain. (Note: DNS settings are not managed by Neon CRM. You will need access to login credentials for your domain name provider. See Instructions for Specific Domain Providers for examples.)
2. Add a DNS TXT record, or modify an existing record, by entering your record into the TXT record for  _dmarc:
   • TXT record name: In the first field, under the DNS Host name, enter: _dmarc

     Note: Some domain hosts automatically add the domain name after "_dmarc". If your domain host makes this adjustment, your entry will change to _dmarc.yourdomain.com (where "yourdomain.com" is replaced with your organization's domain.) If this does not happen automatically, instead enter your domain after "_dmarc."
     Example: If you wanted to enter a dmarc record for neonone.com, the end result should be: _dmarc.neonone.com

   • TXT record value: In the second field, enter the text for your DMARC record:

     v=DMARC1; p=none;

     Note: It's recommended that all new DMARC records start with p=none. Other tags of DMARC record are optional, you might add them based on your specific requirements.

3. Save your changes. 

What if I don't have a Domain Name Provider?

If you are sending your organization's emails from an @gmail, @yahoo, @outlook, @icloud, or other email provider's email domain, it is not possible to set up SPF, DKIM, or DMARC. Additionally, as of February 1, 2024, Google will no longer allow emails to be sent where the sender is "spoofing" a Gmail address. Although there is no ill intent, using your @gmail.com email address to send emails through Neon CRM does constitute "spoofing" since you are taking Neon Emails and representing them as emails sent from gmail.com. Here are two options to consider if you do not currently have a Domain Name Provider:

1. Consider obtaining a Domain Name for your organization. A Domain Name is useful for email purposes but can also provide the domain for a future website. Google Workspace for Nonprofits is an option for nonprofit organizations to obtain a domain name.

2. If you choose not to set up a domain name, you can still send emails through Neon CRM. However, we will apply the Neon CRM domain (@neonemails.com) to emails as they are sent, in order to pass sender verification and allow your emails to reach your constituents.

Instructions for Common DNS Hosting Providers

Please Note: Neon CRM does not manage your domain name hosting and we are only able to provide limited assistance with this setup process, since we are not familiar with every domain name service on the market. If you do not use one of the providers listed below and are having trouble with SPF, DKIM, or DMARC setup, we recommend contacting your Domain Name Provider's Customer Support team for detailed instructions. 

Instructions for GoDaddy

1. Log in to your GoDaddy Domain Portfolio.
2. Select the domain you plan to use for sending emails.
4. Find and click on the "DNS" tab.
5. Follow the instructions above to apply SPF, DKIM, and DMARC changes to your DNS settings. For detailed walkthroughs from GoDaddy, click here and select "Add" next to each item.
6. Save your changes.

Instructions for Namecheap

1. Log in to your Namecheap account.
2. Select "Domain List" from the left sidebar.
3. Find the domain you will be using for your Neon CRM email addresses and click "Manage”.
4. Go to the "Advanced DNS" tab.
5. Follow the instructions above to apply SPF, DKIM, and DMARC changes to your DNS settings.
6. Save your changes.

Instructions for Bluehost

1. Log in to your Bluehost account.
2. Navigate to the "Domains" section.
3. Select ”Zone Editor”.
4. Choose the domain you will be using for your Neon CRM email addresses.
5. Follow the instructions above to apply SPF, DKIM, and DMARC changes to your DNS settings.
6. Save your changes.

FAQ

I think I made the required changes, but I'm still seeing "sender not verified" in Neon CRM. What do I do?

Start by reviewing our Troubleshooting guide for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup.

Why can’t Neon CRM manage these changes for me?

We wish we could! But Neon CRM does not own or manage your domain name, so we're not able to make these changes for you. You'll need to log in to your domain name provider account (some common domain name providers, as examples, include Go Daddy, Bluehost, and Namecheap) to complete these steps. 

There are a lot of other requirements listed in the Google and Yahoo guides. What else do I need to do?

Neon CRM's emails already cover many of the new requirements: Ensure that sending domains or IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS records, also referred to as PTR records; Use a TLS connection for transmitting email; Format messages according to the Internet Message Format standard; support one-click unsubscribe, and include a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the message body.

Additionally, the requirement "Keep spam rates reported in Postmaster Tools below 0.10% and avoid ever reaching a spam rate of 0.30% or higher" is met by Neon CRM's email servers, although you can help by following best practices for your emails to avoid being flagged as spam: maintain a double opt-in email list and avoid buying lists, avoid subject lines that typically trigger spam filters, and send quality content to your subscribers.

One new requirement, related to forwarding emails, does not apply to Neon CRM since emails received into Neon CRM (via the email forwarding or BCC addresses) are not able to be forwarded.

The remaining requirements are:

• Set up SPF and DKIM email authentication for your domain.
• Don’t impersonate Gmail From: headers. Gmail will begin using a DMARC quarantine enforcement policy, and impersonating Gmail From: headers might impact your email delivery.
• Set up DMARC email authentication for your sending domain. Your DMARC enforcement policy can be set to none. Learn more
• For direct mail, the domain in the sender's From: header must be aligned with either the SPF domain or the DKIM domain. This is required to pass DMARC alignment.

All of these items are addressed by implementing DPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain.

The Google Requirements only apply to sending more than 5,000 messages per day, do they still apply to me?

Yes, these requirements apply to all organizations using Neon CRM because the Neon CRM email domain sends more than 5,000 emails per day. If you are using any other services for emails, such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact, you may need to complete similar steps for each service sending emails on your behalf.