Delivery status
Updated Sep 9, 2026
Open a person's record. The Email history card on their profile lists the ten most recent messages the org has sent them, each with its current status.
Where to see it
Email history is staff-only — contractors don't see the card. It only appears once at least one email has been sent to that person, and its statuses refresh the next time you load the page; there's no live updating while the page stays open.
Statuses only move forward
An email's status advances as the mail provider reports back, and it never moves backwards. Once an address has bounced, a later "delivered" report for an earlier attempt does not overwrite it. The worst outcome an address has produced is the one you keep seeing, because that is the one that matters.
Email delivery statuses
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Failed | The send itself failed before the provider took it. | Try again. If it repeats, contact support. |
| Complained | The recipient marked it as spam. Suppressed permanently. | Cannot be overridden from inside GIG. Do not try to reach them another way. |
| Sent | Accepted by the mail provider. | Nothing yet — accepted is not the same as delivered. |
| Delivered | The receiving server accepted it. | Nothing. |
| Delivery delayed | The receiving server asked for a retry. | Wait. Retries are automatic. |
| Bounced | The address rejected the message. Only a permanent rejection also suppresses future sends — a temporary one (a full inbox, a momentary block) does not. | If it's suppressed, correct the address; the person record is untouched. If not, no action is needed. |
| Suppressed | Not sent, because the address was already suppressed. | Clear the underlying bounce, or use a different address. |
| Queued | Written to the log, not yet handed to the mail provider. | Nothing. It is about to send. |
A Bounced status only records that a bounce happened. Whether it also blocks future sends to that address depends on whether the bounce was permanent — see Bounces and suppressions.
A Suppressed row is not a failed send. It means the org already had a bounce or complaint on file for that address, so the message never reached the mail provider at all — the row records what would have gone out, and why it was refused.