Connecting a Domain to your Feathr Account

Table of Contents

• Why Add a Domain in Feathr?
• Your Content Domain and Email Sending Domain
• Before You Start
• How to Add Your Domain in Feathr
• Add Your Domain Records
  • Option 1: Log In to Your Domain Host with Entri
  • Option 2: Send the Login Link to Your Admin
  • Option 3: Add Your Records Manually
• What Do These Records Mean?
• Check Your Domain Status
• If Your Domain Is No Longer Properly Configured
• Common Questions

Why Add a Domain in Feathr?

Connecting your organization's domain to Feathr (also called domain authentication) lets Feathr send your emails and host your pages under your own name instead of Feathr's. We strongly recommend every Feathr account connect a domain. Here's why:

• Better email deliverability and security. Your domain records turn on DKIM and SPF, industry-standard checks that prove your emails really came from you. That gets more of your messages into inboxes and out of spam, and it protects your domain from spoofers and phishers.
• No more verifying sender addresses one by one. Once your email sending domain is connected, every email address on your domain is pre-verified as a sender in Feathr.
• Pages and forms on your own web address. Landing pages and tracked links can use your domain in the URL instead of Feathr's default domain, l.feathr.co. A connected domain is also required to use Feathr Forms and Fundraising Forms.

Note: Accounts that haven't connected an email sending domain are limited to 1,000 sends per email campaign.

Connecting a domain doesn't require technical expertise, but someone does need to add a few records at your domain host (the company that manages your domain, such as GoDaddy, Cloudflare, or Squarespace). If you don't know that login, that's okay! Just get in touch with whoever in your organization is responsible for your website domain, most likely your IT team or webmaster. This article shows you how to get the records added, whether you do it yourself or hand it off to your IT team or webmaster.

Your Content Domain and Email Sending Domain

When you connect your domain, Feathr sets up two subdomains on it. A subdomain is a prefix added to your main domain, like fthr-content.example.org or feathrmail.example.org. Feathr only works with subdomains, so your main website and your organization's regular email are never changed.

Before You Start

Find out who manages your domain. Your domain host (sometimes called your domain registrar or DNS provider) is the company where your organization registered its web address. Think of it as the landlord for your website and email address. The fastest way to find out who it is, and who has the login, is to ask whoever manages your website or email. That's usually your IT department, a webmaster, or an outside web agency or contractor.

Tip: Don't have the login? You don't need it to get started. You can add the domain in Feathr yourself, then send a login link to your IT contact or have them add the records manually. See Add Your Domain Records.

If no one at your organization knows, you can look up your domain at whois.com. Enter your website address to see your registrar and name servers. If the registrar and the name servers list different companies, your records are probably managed by the name server company. For example, a domain registered through Namecheap might have its records managed in Cloudflare. When in doubt, ask your IT contact or web contractor where domain records are added.

Know your main domain. This is the part of your website and email address after www. or the @ sign, like example.org. Don't include www. or https://.

How to Add Your Domain in Feathr

Step 1: In Feathr, go to Account Settings > Account > Domains.

Step 2: Click + Add new domain in the top right.

Step 3: Enter your organization's domain.

Step 4: Review your content domain. This is the subdomain where pages you build in Feathr will be hosted. The default is fthr-content. If you're familiar with custom domains and want a different name, you can choose your own. 

Step 5: Review your email sending domain. The default is feathrmail. This subdomain is only used behind the scenes to send your email campaigns. 

Important: Your email sending domain must be a different subdomain from your content domain. Don't use the same subdomain for both. If you change either suggested subdomain, make sure the two still don't match.

Step 6: Click Authenticate domain. Feathr uses Entri to identify your domain host. Next, you'll choose how to add your records.

Add Your Domain Records

Your domain isn't connected until its records are added at your domain host. Feathr uses Entri, a secure connection tool, to make this as easy as possible. After you click Authenticate domain, Entri tries to identify your domain host (like GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.).

• If Entri identifies your domain host: You'll see a Continue with [your domain host] button.
• If Entri can't identify your domain host: Search for it in the list provided. If you find it and select it, then you'll see the Continue with [your domain host] button. If it isn't in the list, set up your records manually.

From here, pick the option that matches who has your domain host login:

Option 1: Log In to Your Domain Host with Entri

If you have your domain host login, Entri can add your records for you, so you don't need to copy or paste anything.

1. After your domain has been added in Feathr, click Authenticate domain.
2. Entri will attempt to identify your domain host. 
   • If the domain host shown is correct, then proceed to Step 3. 
   • If the domain host shown is incorrect, or unidentified by Entri, click Connect a different way. Then select Change provider and choose your domain provider from the options listed. Then proceed to Step 3.
     • If the domain host is not listed in the options shown, proceed to Option 3 to add the records manually.
3. Click Continue with [your domain host]. Your domain host opens in a new tab.
4. Log in to your domain host.
5. Click Connect. Your records are added automatically, and you're brought back to Feathr.
6. When the Entri pop-up says You're all set!, that means you’re done.
7. Entri will then offer a free domain extension, click No thanks at the bottom. You don't need it to connect your domain.
8. Your domain will show as Pending until the changes go live, which can take up to 48 hours. Then it will show as Ready and you’re good to go!

Option 2: Send the Login Link to Your Admin

If you don't have your domain host login, you can still set up your domain on the Feathr side and send the last step to the person who does.

1. After your domain has been added in Feathr, click Authenticate domain.
2. Entri will attempt to identify your domain host. 
   • If the domain host shown is correct, then proceed to Step 3. 
   • If the domain host shown is incorrect, unidentified by Entri, click Connect a different way. Then select Change provider and choose your domain provider from the options listed. Proceed to Step 3. 
   • If you’re unsure what your domain host is, or the domain host is not listed in the options provided, then proceed to Step 3. Your admin can select the correct domain host on their end or choose to set up manually.
3. Click Connect a different way, then choose Send login link to admin.
4. You’ll see Share this link with a colleague, with a link to copy.
5. Copy the link and send it to your IT team, webmaster, or web agency, along with a quick note about what it's for. You can even provide the link to this article for context. 
6. Your admin opens the link and logs in to your domain host, and Entri adds the records for you. They don't need a Feathr account.
   • The link also gives your admin the same choices you have. If they'd rather add the records by hand, they can choose Set up manually (see Option 3). If the domain host shown isn't right, they can choose a different provider.
7. Check back on the Domains page. Your domain will show as Pending until the changes go live, which can take up to 48 hours after your admin finishes. Then it will show as Ready and you’re good to go!

Option 3: Add Your Records Manually

You can still add the records by hand in your domain host. Use this option if your domain host isn't in Entri's list, or if your IT team prefers to manage records themselves.

1. After your domain has been added in Feathr, click Authenticate domain.
2. Entri will attempt to identify your domain host. 
   • If the domain host shown is correct, or even incorrect, just click Connect a different way. Select Set up manually from the options provided.
   • If the domain host is unidentified by Entri, or is not listed in the options shown, select Set up manually at the bottom.
3. Your domain records are displayed, each with a copy button.
4. Log in to your domain host and open the page where DNS records are managed.
5. For each record, create a new record of the type shown. Use the copy buttons to copy and paste the Host (or Name) and Value exactly as shown in Feathr.
6. Save your changes in your domain host.
7. Back in Feathr, click I've added these records. Your domain shows as Pending until the changes go live and it's Ready. This can take up to 48 hours. Once the statuses all update to Ready, you’re good to go!

Someone else adding the records? Click Send instructions to admin instead. You'll get the same Share this link with a colleague screen as in Option 2. Copy the link and send it to your IT team, webmaster, or web agency so they can finish the setup.

Prefer to work from the Domains page? You can also close the Entri pop-up at any time. Your domain records are always shown on your domain's page in Feathr (Account Settings > Account > Domains, then click your domain). From there, you can copy each record, or download a file with all of your records to send to your IT team, webmaster, or whoever manages your domain.

Important: Each Feathr record must be added as its own, new record, using the exact Host (sometimes called Name) value from Feathr. That host value is what places the record on Feathr's subdomain. 

Don't add Feathr's values to your domain's existing records, and don't leave the Host field blank or set it to @. Doing either puts the record on your primary domain instead of the subdomain. Feathr never needs to change your primary domain's records.

Need help at your domain host? Every domain host has instructions for adding DNS records. Search their help center for "how to add DNS records," or use one of these guides. These links go to other companies' sites, so they may change without notice.

• Cloudflare
• Squarespace
• Wix
• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• Bluehost
• Domain.com
• HostGator
• Network Solutions

If the help docs don't get you there, most domain hosts offer email or phone support. Have your records open in Feathr and say something like: "I need to add a few content serving and email records to my domain, and I already have the record values. Can you walk me through it?"

What Do These Records Mean?

Together, DKIM and SPF are what verify your emails are legitimate. They also support DMARC, the policy many inboxes use to decide whether to trust email from your domain.

Check Your Domain Status

Go to Account Settings > Account > Domains to see the status of each domain. Your content domain and email sending domain each show their own status.

If Your Domain Is No Longer Properly Configured

If Feathr emails you that your domain is no longer properly configured, one or more of your records was removed from your domain host. This can happen during routine website maintenance or when someone doesn't recognize the Feathr records and deletes them.

To fix it:

1. Go to Account Settings > Account > Domains.
2. Find the domain named in the email.
3. Add the records again using any of the options in Add Your Domain Records.

Common Questions

I don't know my domain host login. Can I still connect my domain?

Yes, that's okay! Get in touch with whoever in your organization is responsible for your website domain, most likely your IT team or webmaster. Complete the setup in Feathr, then use Option 2 to send them a login link. They don't need a Feathr account to finish it.

Can I connect more than one domain?

Yes. Repeat the steps in How to Add Your Domain in Feathr for each domain. 

My domain’s status in Feathr says Failed. What should I do?

Check that every record was added exactly as provided, and is still present in your domain host. Contact Feathr Support at support@feathr.co for further assistance.