Setting Up Your DNS Records with SiteGround

This article walks through how to complete the DNS setup for email domains hosted by SiteGround so that the matching gift 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 

Step #1: Complete the CNAME Setup

1. Log in to your SiteGround account using tools.siteground.com. Go to Domain.

 

 

2. Select your DNS Zone Editor.

 

 

3. Below Create New Record, select CNAME.

 

 

4. Start adding your first CNAME record as shown below and hit Create.

 

 

To find the records to be added under the Name and the Resolves to fields, login to Double the Donation --> Navigate to Email Customization-->Sending.

A. Copy the value under Hostname. Copy only the text before .yourdomain.org. See the box in the picture below.

 

B. Copy the value under the Value Should Be. Paste the information found under "Value Should Be" from the matching module.

 

 

C. Do not make changes to the TTL

 

5. Once you've finished creating the first CNAME record, repeat the process to the remaining two CNAME records. You should have a total of 3 CNAME records.

Step #2: Complete the DMARC Setup

1. In your DNS Settings, look for the option to review the list of records already added. If you see a DMARC TXT record already added, congratulations! You're done. You can check to make sure that the matching module has correctly identified your DMARC record by checking the "TXT" row in the matching module's "Email Customization - Sending" tab:

 

DMARC record setup valid notification in 360MatchPro

 

If you do not see a TXT record in the list, move on to step 2 below.

 

2. Within the DNS Zone Editor of your SiteGround account, choose TXT

 

 

3. In the DNS Setup Table in the matching module, there is 1 TXT record. Copy the value from the Hostname column, switch to the browser tab containing your DNS settings, and paste it into the Name field. 

 

DMARC record not found hostname highlighted

 

4. Switch back to the matching module browser tab. For the same TXT record, copy the value in the Value Should Be column. Back in your DNS browser window, paste the value into the Value field.

 

DMARC record not found notification in 360MatchPro

 

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 sending matching gift emails through the matching module.

 

5. Save your changes.

Troubleshooting CNAME records

If your DNS records still need to be set up or are still being processed, you'll see each record with a CNAME Not Found error displayed for one or all of them. Please check back 24-48 hours later to see if the changes have propagated. If you still see the CNAME Not Found error, please refer to the troubleshooting tips below.

  • If there are one or two valid records, but at least one record is still invalid, confirm that all three records have been added to the DNS settings.
  • Ensure CNAMEs were added to the correct domain. (If the From address in the matching module is matchinggifts@catrescueclub.org, ensure CNAMEs weren’t accidentally added to the catrescueclub.com domain). 
  • Ensure the CNAME records do not include typos- CNAME records should be copied and pasted directly from the matching module to ensure the best results. Hand-typing records from a screenshot can lead to accidentally entering the wrong value. Double-check for extra spaces or punctuation on the records.
  • 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 CNAME records, please reach out to support@doublethedonation.com to troubleshoot to find a solution.