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Email configuration

GreekManage sends a lot of email — sign-up invites, password resets, dues reminders, election notifications, foundation receipts. Without working email, the platform is broken for new users.

Open email settings​

Platform → Settings → Email.

The platform email config screen. The platform email config screen.

Pick a provider​

ProviderProsCons
AWS SESCheap, scalable, AWS infraDomain verification setup; sandbox by default
SMTPUniversal; works with any providerLess observability; potential deliverability issues
SendGridRobust deliverability toolingHigher cost; account setup required

Configure AWS SES​

You'll need:

  • An AWS account
  • A verified sender domain in SES
  • An IAM user with ses:SendEmail and ses:SendRawEmail permissions

Steps:

  1. In AWS:
    • Verify your sender domain in SES (add the required DNS records).
    • Create an IAM user with email-send permissions.
    • Generate access keys for the IAM user.
    • Move out of sandbox mode by requesting production access. Otherwise you can only send to verified addresses.
  2. In GreekManage Platform → Settings → Email:
    • Choose AWS SES.
    • Enter:
      • Region (e.g., us-east-1)
      • Access key ID
      • Secret access key
      • Default "From" email (e.g., notifications@greekmanage.com)
      • Default "From" name (e.g., GreekManage)
    • Click Test connection. The test sends an email to a destination you specify and verifies the delivery.
  3. Save.

Configure SMTP​

For Postmark, Mailgun, your own SMTP server, or another provider:

  1. Get from your provider:
    • SMTP host
    • Port (587 for TLS, 465 for SSL)
    • Username
    • Password
  2. Platform → Settings → Email → SMTP:
    • Enter all of the above
    • Set the default From address and name
    • Choose security: TLS (recommended) or SSL
  3. Click Test.
  4. Save.

Configure SendGrid​

  1. Create a SendGrid account.
  2. Verify your sender domain (DKIM, SPF records).
  3. Create a SendGrid API key with Mail Send scope.
  4. Platform → Settings → Email → SendGrid:
    • Paste the API key
    • Enter From address and name
  5. Test and save.

Per-org "From" override​

Each org can override the platform-default From name and reply-to:

  • The platform default ("GreekManage") sends generic system emails
  • Per-org overrides ("Phi Beta Kappa") send org-specific notifications

Configured by org admins in Org → Settings → Email.

Email templates​

Email templates are platform-managed. Org admins can:

  • Override the From name
  • Add their logo (via branding)
  • Set their primary color (drives button colors)

Org admins cannot rewrite template bodies. This is intentional — keeps deliverability and compliance consistent.

Bounce and complaint handling​

GreekManage processes bounces and complaints automatically:

  • Hard bounces (invalid address) — recipient flagged; no further sends until verified
  • Soft bounces (mailbox full, etc.) — retry with backoff
  • Complaints (recipient marks as spam) — recipient unsubscribed, all email types disabled

The bounce/complaint log is at Platform → Settings → Email → Deliverability.

Sending volume​

Default sending limits are set per provider. Monitor usage in Deliverability:

  • Daily send count
  • Bounce rate (target: under 2%)
  • Complaint rate (target: under 0.1%)

If your bounce or complaint rate climbs, your provider may throttle or suspend you. Investigate immediately — usually a poorly cleaned member list or a typo in a bulk email.

Tips​

  • Verify your domain with DKIM and SPF. Without them, deliverability is much worse.
  • Don't use a free email domain (gmail, yahoo) as the From. It flags as spam.
  • Monitor bounce rate monthly. A creeping bounce rate is the early warning of bigger problems.
  • Test outside sandbox before opening sign-up flows. Sandbox-mode SES sending only to verified addresses is a common deployment-day surprise.