Outbound email delivery: Alphabet soup

Yes, after two previous emails about configuring CiviCRM for outbound email, I’m on my third.

(This really is one of the most overlooked configuration steps among CiviCRM sites.)

So let's talk about three acronyms that most people would rather ignore:

DMARC.
DKIM.
SPF.

Sure, they sound like technical gobbledygook.

The good news is that you don't need to understand the technical details to get this right.

But you do need to get this right -- inbox providers take it very seriously.

When Gmail, Yahoo, Apple, Outlook, and other providers receive a message claiming to be from your organization, they want proof that the message is legitimate.

That's what DMARC, DKIM, and SPF are for.

Think of them as a set of credentials that help verify:
The message really came from your organization.
The message wasn't modified in transit.
The sender is who they claim to be.

If those checks aren't configured correctly, your email will very likely bounce.

Or worse, it will just be silently routed into nothingness -- no one will receive it, and you won't even get a bounce notification.

So, how to configure all this stuff?

Most email delivery services provide step-by-step instructions.
For example, SendGrid's domain authentication wizard will tell you exactly how to set this up.

And once configured, these settings usually require very little ongoing attention.
But it does make a huge difference -- and it does need to be done.

Because in today's email ecosystem, properly authenticated email isn't an advanced optimization.

It's the price of admission.

All the best,
A.