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Setting Up Your DNS Records with Amazon Route 53

This article walks through how to add DNS records for email domains hosted by Amazon Route 53 so that Double the Donation emails can be sent from your organization's email domain.

Step #1: Complete the CNAME Setup

Step #2: Complete the DMARC Setup

Troubleshooting CNAME records 

 

When you create your account we default to sending emails from a Double the Donation email address. You can give Double the Donation's platform permission to send emails on your behalf by adding a few new records in your DNS.

If you are sending emails from multiple Double the Donation modules, the following steps only need to be completed once. These records can be accessed from any module by navigating to Email Customization --> Sending. 

Step #1: Complete the CNAME Setup

Log Into Amazon Route 53

  1. Log into your AWS Console via Amazon Web Services (AWS).

  2. Click the hamburger menu (upper-left).

  3. Select Route 53 → Hosted zones.

 

Select Your Domain

Click the domain where you need to add CNAME records.

 

Open the Create Record Dialogue

  1. You’ll land on the Hosted zone details screen showing existing records.

  2. Click the orange Create record button.

 

Add the First CNAME Record

Using the DNS Setup Table from: Email Customization → Sending

Required Fields

  • Record Type: CNAME

  • Record Name:

    • Paste the Hostname

    • Copy only the text before .yourdomain.org

  • Value:

    • Paste the Value Should Be field exactly as shown

  • TTL:

    • Leave as-is OR set to 3600 seconds

Click Create records.

 

Add Remaining CNAME Records

Repeat until all three CNAME records are added.

 

DNS changes can take 48 hours to propagate. That means after you complete the above steps, you might need to wait up to 24-48 hours before you can log into Double the Donation and successfully click on the "Validate Domain" button.

 

Step #2: Complete the DMARC Setup

Check for Existing DMARC Record

  1. In your DNS Settings, review the list of records already added.
    If a DMARC TXT record already exists, you’re done! Double the Donation will automatically identify the DMARC record, and you can skip to validation.

    DMARC record setup valid notification in 360MatchPro

  2. If No DMARC TXT Record Exists
    Proceed with the following steps to add a DMARC TXT record.

 

Adding a DMARC TXT Record

Follow the same steps used to create the CNAME record, then:

Required Fields:

  • Record Type: TXT

  • Record Name:

    • Copy the Hostname from the TXT row in Double the Donation

    • Copy only the portion before .yourdomain.org

  • Value:

    • Paste the Value Should Be field exactly

    • This is the DMARC Policy

  • TTL:

    • Leave as-is OR set to 3600 seconds

Click Create records.

 

Please note: The sample value provided for your DMARC TXT record is very simple. Your IT team may want to modify it slightly. This value is sufficient for the purposes of sending emails through Double the Donation.

Troubleshooting CNAME records 

If your DNS records have not propagated or are still showing a CNAME Not Found error, try the following:

  • Wait 24-48 hours for propagation.

  • Ensure all records are added: If only some records are valid, check that all three CNAME records are present.

  • Check for typos: Ensure that CNAME records are copied and pasted directly from your Double the Donation account to avoid errors. Avoid manually typing from screenshots, which can lead to typos.

  • Correct Domain: Ensure CNAMEs are added to the correct domain (e.g., if your Double the Donation account uses matchinggifts@catrescueclub.org, the CNAME should not be added to the catrescueclub.com domain).

  • Refer to the instructions provided by your individual DNS service. Instructions for service providers such as GoDaddy, Network Solutions, and DigitalOcean require Hostnames/Aliases to be entered without your organization’s domain included (for example dtd._domainkey.catrescueclub.org will be entered as dtd._domainkey for these providers).
  • If you use a custom nameserver, in place of the default nameserver of your provider, your CNAME records need to be entered into the account associated with the custom nameserver.

If these scenarios do not apply to your DNS records, please reach out to support@doublethedonation.com to troubleshoot to find a solution.