What timelines should I be aware of?

• Applications must be received at least 1 week prior to the event start date, but 2 weeks’ notice is recommended in case any adjustments need to be made.  
• Once a request has been submitted, customers will receive acknowledgement from Validity within 48 business hours.  
• Validity is required to provide our partners with 48 hours’ notice prior to the event start time.  
• IPs added to a Certification account specifically for a Mandated Event can take advantage of Certification benefits for up to 2 weeks.  

What types of campaigns qualify for Certification for Mandated Mail?

Certification for Mandated Mail is designed for time-sensitive messages that are intended to inform customers of critical, non-promotional information related to a triggering event. These essential messages are an exception to normal sending practices.  

Campaign types must be non-promotional, including, but not limited to...  

• Emergency or imminent threat to public
  • Severe weather conditions (tornado, tsunami)
  • Human-caused disaster (chemical spill)
  • World crisis (terrorist attack)
  • Dangerous person(s) in local area
• Security breach notifications 
  • Database breach that places sensitive data at risk of exposure
• Product safety or recall notices  
• Amber Alerts
• Class action lawsuits
• Significant change
  • Privacy policy update, legal agreement update, product change
• Critical "duty of care" notifications 
  • The responsibility of a person or organization to take all reasonable measures necessary to prevent activities that could result in harm to other individuals and/or their property
  • The legal obligation to safeguard others from harm while they are in your care, using your services, or exposed to your activities
• Critical infrastructure notifications (municipalities, school districts)  

What is the vetting process to become Certified for Mandated Mail? How long does the vetting process take?

The vetting process takes place upon application. We will verify your business entity and you’ll be provided with the steps to formally initiate your temporary Certification when a triggering event occurs. Then we will review your campaign and email creative to ensure it meets our eligibility criteria for Certification for Mandated Mail. We will also conduct baseline infrastructure checks.  

For a list of all requirements, please see Certification for Mandated Mail Requirements document. All requirements must be met in order to become Certified. If this is not the case, our team will provide insight into the changes that need to be made. IP(s) will not be added to the allowlist until all required changes are completed.  

Since many mandated mailings are time-sensitive, the vetting process is expedited compared to standard IP Certification. Applications must be received at least 1 week prior to the event start date, but we highly recommend 2 weeks’ notice in the event any adjustments need to be made. This time allows us to review your campaign and email content to ensure it fits the criteria and then notify our mailbox provider partners, who ask for 48 hours' advance notice. 

What are the main differences between IP Certification and Certification for Mandated Mail?

IP Certification and Certification for Mandated Mail provide distinct benefits and are appropriate for different circumstances. 

IP Certification provides a thorough audit of your email program and 24/7 monitoring to help you maintain email communication with your customers throughout the year. IP Certification helps preserve your inbox placement rates for your standard email cadences by implementing and maintaining best sending practices.

Certification for Mandated Mail provides insurance in the case of a triggering event that requires you to send a mandated, bulk email send that is outside of typical best sending practices. With Certification for Mandated Mail, we will provide advance notice to mailbox providers of your upcoming mandated mailing, so the message is not treated as spam. This helps increase your notification rate to customers. 

If I already have IP Certification, can my IP become Certified for Mandated Mail as well? Are there additional benefits?

Yes, your dedicated IP can be Certified for Mandated Mail in addition to standard IP Certification. By Certifying your IP for a mandated mail, you will receive benefits for your one-time campaign. This includes the benefit of giving mailbox providers advance notice of your specific mandated event, which is not done with IP Certification. During the timeframe that the IP is Certified for Mandated Mail, it is strongly recommended that you halt all other email communication sent from that IP. 

Can I leverage an existing Certified IP?  

Yes; however, we recommend suspending email deployment of all campaigns for IP(s) that are not related to the mandated event for reporting purposes. These include, but are not limited to, legacy campaigns, promotional content, and free-form content. In doing so, you will have reporting specific to the event.   

Does the IP address used to send a Mandated Event need to be dedicated?  

No; however, to receive full Certification benefits, not just Mandated Mail benefitts, the IP address must be dedicated. Customers who are leveraging a shared IP address can still be audited and communicated with our partners, just not Certified.   

How do I notify Validity when a triggering event occurs?

When a triggering event occurs, complete the application and select Certification and Mandated Event.

The application asks standard questions about your mandated campaign (reason for sending, volume of send, time of send, etc.) and your sending infrastructure (IP to be Certified, sending domain, etc.). Our Certification Analyst team will be in touch within 48 business hours of completion. All requirements must be met in order to become Certified. If not all requirements are met, you will be informed of any changes that need to be made. Once changes are complete, we will need an additional 48 hours to notify mailbox providers before you can send your campaign.

How long do I have to send my mandated campaign once I become Certified?

Once Certified, you will have up to 2 weeks to send your mandated campaign. We will notify MBPs of the expected send timeframe so they can treat your campaign accordingly. 

At what Mailbox Providers will I receive benefits?

We have broad partnerships with leading mailbox providers across the globe. This includes prominent mailbox providers like Microsoft, Comcast, Verizon Media, Orange, and Mail.ru. 

What happens after my mandated campaign is sent?

Once your send is complete, you will receive a formal Certificate of Coverage that shows you fulfilled your duty of care responsibilities as a sender by leveraging this solution to send your mandated campaign. The Certificate shows that your IP was covered during a specified time period to send your campaign. The Certificate can be shared with auditors to demonstrate compliance with your obligations. 

Will you provide any performance data after the campaign is sent?

At this time, Certification for Mandated Mail will provide a Certificate of Eligibility and a Certificate of Completion to confirm the campaign has been sent and advance notice was given to mailbox providers. Reporting  specific to the Mandated event will not be available unless the IP is dedicated and all mail streams unrelated to the event were paused for the length of the send. Only then can the Certification daily data be reflective of and specific to your mandated mailing.   

Do I need to have other Validity for Email products to be eligible for Certification for Mandated Mail?

Yes, Mandated Mail requires you to have purchased the Certification Validity product.

Will my Certification usage be impacted by mandated events? 

Yes, customers who leverage existing Certified IPs for mandated sends will see their sends reflected in usage.  

How do I get updates on the status of the event? 

When an application is submitted, a support ticket is created. A Validity representative will provide periodic updates in your support ticket. As always, you can respond to the ticket and ask for updates as you see fit.   

Where do I go if I have questions? 

If you have any questions or concerns about this offering, please contact certification@validity.com.