New .ngo and .ong Domains Now Available to NGOs Worldwide
After three years of research and development by Public Interest Registry, Reston, Va., the nonprofit operator of the .org domain, OnGood is now generally available to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide. Anchored by the new .ngo and .ong domain bundle, OnGood is a suite of online services exclusively for NGOs and nonprofits to help strengthen their online presence, improve visibility and better connect with supporters.
Designed to be the first online global directory of NGOs, OnGood brings these organizations together through the .ngo and .ong domain names—new, exclusive domain names only available to validated NGOs. Now, registrants have the opportunity to create a customizable online profile to showcase their missions, campaigns, multimedia content and other information, and even collect donations. Additionally, Internet users around the globe can easily search OnGood for organizations of interest, while having the reassurance that websites ending in .ngo and .ong represent genuine, lawful and independent NGOs.
"Since its inception, the Internet has been a forum to share information and connect with others, giving NGOs a much needed platform to promote their missions. But the landscape has become increasingly cluttered, making it difficult for Internet users to determine which organizations are truly trustworthy," said Brian Cute, CEO of Public Interest Registry. "After speaking with more than 16,000 fellow NGOs and nonprofits in more than 40 countries, we learned that credibility was one of their biggest challenges, so we developed OnGood to be part of the solution. By combining the value of a validated domain name identity with a comprehensive community website, OnGood will be the online home for nonprofits and NGOs of all sizes."
In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 1.5 million nonprofit organizations. According to the 2014 Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report, online giving was up 8.9 percent in 2014, compared to the overall giving increase of 2.1 percent. With the increase of mobile Web access, it's likely this number will continue to rise, making it important for organizations to have a strong online presence. OnGood helps NGOs enhance their online identity so they can be easily found and raise funds.
Upon registration, members receive the .ngo domain name and the .ong domain name as a bundle. Both .ngo and .ong are reflective of the abbreviations for the term "non-governmental organization"—NGO for English and ONG for Romance languages. For each domain bundle registration, members receive one profile page in the OnGood directory, allowing them to have different pages for various causes and campaigns, and the ability to link them or keep them separate.
Internet users can use OnGood to search for NGOs by cause, geography, keyword and more. Search results display in multiple viewing options based on user preferences, including a global map. OnGood is optimized for desktop, tablet and mobile viewing and is available in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
To become OnGood members, all NGOs must meet specific eligibility requirements and undergo a validation process. Public Interest Registry worked closely with the global NGO community to develop a validation process which requires all OnGood members to: (1) act in the public interest; (2) be non-profit-making; (3) have limited government influence; (4) be made up of independent staff or members; (5) be actively pursuing their missions; (6) operate in a structured manner; and (7) be lawful. Ongoing audits will be conducted to ensure the credibility of the OnGood community and users will be able to report questionable activity.
For more information, visit www.OnGood.ngo.
