Member Guide Org Admin Guide Site Admin Guide

Email Configuration

Set up email delivery so fellos can send notifications, password resets, and invitation emails to your members.

Email is a critical integration for fellos. Without it, members can't receive email notifications, reset forgotten passwords, or receive invitation emails. fellos supports two email providers: SMTP (works with any email server) and SendGrid (a dedicated email delivery service). You only need to configure one.

Email Configuration Set up email delivery for notifications, password resets, and invitations SMTP SendGrid Host smtp.gmail.com Port 587 Username notifications@yourorg.com Password •••••••••••• From Address noreply@yourorg.com From Name Benevolent Order of Eagles Send Test Email Save Changes Email is configured and working. Last test: successful (2 minutes ago)
The Email Configuration page — SMTP and SendGrid tabs, connection fields, from address settings, and a test email button.

Why Email Matters

Email must be configured for several fellos features to work:

  • Email notifications — Members who opt into email delivery for their notification preferences need a working email provider.
  • Password resets — The "Forgot Password" flow sends a reset link via email. Without email configured, members who forget their passwords will need an admin to manually reset them.
  • Invitation emails — When you invite new members, fellos sends them an email with a link to set up their account.
  • Workflow notifications — Approval requests, status updates, and other workflow-related emails.
Good to know

In-app notifications (the bell icon) work without email configuration. Email is only needed for notifications delivered to a member's email inbox. Push notifications are also independent of email — they're configured separately on the Push Notifications page.

SMTP Configuration

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the standard way to send email. It works with virtually any email provider — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, your own mail server, or any hosting provider with email service.

  1. Select the SMTP tab on the Email Configuration page.
  2. Enter your SMTP Host — this is the server address your email provider gives you (e.g., smtp.gmail.com, smtp.office365.com, mail.yourserver.com).
  3. Enter the Port — typically 587 (for TLS/STARTTLS) or 465 (for SSL). Check your email provider's documentation for the correct port.
  4. Enter your Username — usually your full email address.
  5. Enter your Password — your email account password or an app-specific password if your provider requires one (Gmail, for example, requires app passwords when two-factor authentication is enabled).
  6. Set the From Address — the email address that appears in the "From" field of outgoing emails.
  7. Set the From Name — the display name that appears alongside the from address (e.g., "Benevolent Order of Eagles").
  8. Click Save Changes, then use Send Test Email to verify the configuration works.
Tip

If you're using Gmail, you'll need to create an App Password rather than using your regular Gmail password. Go to your Google Account settings, navigate to Security, then App Passwords, and generate a password specifically for fellos.

SendGrid Configuration

SendGrid is a cloud-based email delivery service designed for sending high volumes of email reliably. It's a good choice if your organization sends many emails or if you want delivery analytics.

  1. Select the SendGrid tab on the Email Configuration page.
  2. Enter your API Key — you'll get this from your SendGrid account dashboard under Settings > API Keys. Create a key with "Mail Send" permission.
  3. Set the From Address and From Name as with SMTP.
  4. Click Save Changes, then Send Test Email to verify.

SendGrid requires that you verify your sending domain or email address in their dashboard before emails will be delivered. Follow SendGrid's domain authentication process before configuring it in fellos.

From Address Best Practices

  • Use a dedicated email address like noreply@yourorg.com or notifications@yourorg.com rather than a personal email.
  • Make sure the from address is a real, deliverable address at your domain. Some email providers reject mail from unverified addresses.
  • The From Name should be your organization's name — members will see this in their inbox and should immediately recognize it.
  • If possible, use an email address at the same domain as your fellos site. This improves deliverability and reduces the chance of emails being marked as spam.

Testing Your Configuration

After saving your email settings, always send a test email:

  1. Click Send Test Email.
  2. fellos will send a test message to your admin email address.
  3. Check your inbox (and spam folder) for the test email.
  4. If the test succeeds, you'll see a green status indicator confirming email is working.
  5. If it fails, check your credentials, server address, and port number. The error message will usually indicate what went wrong.

Troubleshooting

  • Connection refused — Double-check the host and port. Make sure your server allows connections on that port.
  • Authentication failed — Verify your username and password. If using Gmail, make sure you're using an App Password.
  • Emails going to spam — Set up SPF and DKIM records for your domain. Use a from address at the same domain as your fellos site.
  • Timeout errors — Your email server may be slow to respond. Try a different port (587 vs 465) or check if your hosting provider blocks outgoing email connections.