NGOs

May 17, 2015; Nonprofit Tech for Good

On May 6th, the entity known as Public Interest Registry (PIR), which administers the .org top-level domain, the world’s third-largest “generic” top-level domain, officially launched the new .ngo and .ong domains, now available to nonprofits internationally.

Already over 1,400 .ong and .ngo domain names have been registered by non-governmental organizations, nonprofits, and charities around the world. These unique domains could give an organization more trust and credibility online in a space where charity scams are becoming increasingly more common.

All organizations that purchase new domains will also gain membership to PIR’s new online directory, OnGood, where nonprofits can create profile pages and accept online donations. OnGood has released a graphic that maps out the international usage of NGO and ONG:

 

NGO and ONG graphic

 

Public Interest Registry has also shared four reasons why nonprofits should consider registering with the new .ngo and .ong domains:

  • Validation: Domains will only be available to genuine NGOs, as compared to .org domains, which are open to purchase by anyone.
  • Establish Trust: Given the exclusivity of receiving these new domains, donors will be able to know and trust the organizations they are giving to.
  • Visibility: All domain holders will be added to PIR’s exclusive online NGO directory. 
  • Global Reach: This packaged domain allows organizations to register their name “in both Romance and non-Romance languages simultaneously, thereby maximizing your reach.”

Has your nonprofit considered getting its .ngo/.ong domain yet?—Aine Creedon

Correction: This newswire has been altered from its original form. The number of .ngo and .org domains was confused for the number of .org domains, as both are administered by PIR. Nonprofit Quarterly apologizes for any confusion.