Sending Domain Overview
Your Sending Domain (found under Settings › Email Domain) is the web address your email campaigns are sent from. Think of it as your email's verified return address — authenticating it tells inbox providers that Harness has your permission to send on your behalf, so your campaigns land in inboxes instead of the spam folder. The whole thing takes about two minutes inside Harness plus one quick change at your DNS provider, and it works with most providers automatically.
This article covers the new CRM & Email experience (your left navigation shows CRM and Email). If your left nav shows Contacts and no Email item, this feature isn't part of your account.
Heads up: until your domain is verified, email campaigns are disabled. Don't worry — your individual transactional emails still send from [email protected] in the meantime. You'll just need a verified domain before sending a campaign to a segment.
Before You Begin
You'll need access to your domain's DNS settings — usually through your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.) or your IT team. If you're not sure who manages your DNS, your IT contact will know.
Use your root domain — ex: yourorg.org — not a subdomain like email.yourorg.org, and not a full URL.
Step 1 — Link Your Domain
In Harness, head to Settings › Email Domain.
Select + Add a sending domain.
Enter your root domain (ex: yourorg.org) and select Continue.
Step 2 — Add Your DNS Records
Harness will show you three CNAME records. Sign in to your DNS provider, open your DNS settings, and add all three exactly as shown:
Type | Host / Name | Value | TTL |
CNAME |
|
| 3600 |
CNAME |
|
| 3600 |
CNAME |
|
| 3600 |
Your exact records (with your account's unique values) appear right in the setup window. Feel free to use Copy all records so you don't have to retype anything.
* Each organization will have unique values, the above are sample values
A couple of quick tips: leave TTL at its default (3600 is perfect), and don't remove your existing MX or SPF records — those keep your regular email flowing. Records usually go live in 5–15 minutes, though some providers take a little longer.
Not sure where to add these? The setup window has step-by-step links for GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Azure DNS, Namecheap, and Wix.
Step 3 — Verify
Back in Harness, select Verify now. (We also check automatically every few minutes, so feel free to close the window and grab a coffee.)
Once your records are found, your domain shows Active / Verified with the date — and you're ready to send campaigns!
Set Your Default Sender
Once your domain is verified, tell Harness who your emails should come from. You'll find this under Settings › Email Domain › Default Sender:
From name: the sender name shown on every email (ex: your organization's name).
Reply-to address: where donor replies land. This must use your authenticated domain (ex: [email protected]).
Be sure to select Save when you're done.
FAQs
Q: “Verify now” says my records can't be found. What now?
A: No worries — DNS changes take a little time, usually 5–15 minutes (occasionally up to 24–48 hours). Give it a few minutes and try again. Double-check that the records were added to your root domain and match exactly.
Q: My host/name looks doubled (ex: s1._domainkey.yourorg.org.yourorg.org). Is that right?
A: Good catch — some providers (like GoDaddy) automatically add your domain to the Host field. If yours does, just enter the first part (s1._domainkey) and let the provider fill in the rest.
Q: My campaign still won't send. Why?
A: Campaigns stay disabled until your domain shows Verified on the Email Domain page. Once you see the Active badge, you're good to go. In the meantime, your transactional emails keep sending from [email protected].
Q: Can I change my sending domain later?
A: Absolutely. On the Email Domain page, select Reset & change domain and run through these same steps for the new domain.
Still need help? Chat with us via the bubble in the bottom left corner of your screen or email us at [email protected].