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Reston, Virginia, May 6, 2015, PRNewswire: After three years of research and development by Public Interest Registry, the nonprofit operator of the .org domain, OnGood is now generally available to non-governmental organisations (ONGs) worldwide. Anchored by the new .ong and .ngo domain bundle, OnGood is a suite of online services exclusively for ONGs to help strengthen their online presence, improve visibility, and better connect with supporters.
Designed to be the first online global directory of ONGs, OnGood brings these organisations together through the .ong and .ngo domain names – brand new, exclusive domain names only available to validated ONGs. Now, registrants have the opportunity to create a customisable 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 organisations of interest, while having the reassurance that websites ending in .ngo and .ong represent genuine, lawful and independent ONGs.
“Since its inception, the Internet has been a forum to share information and connect with others, giving ONGs a much needed platform to promote their missions. But the landscape has become increasingly cluttered, making it difficult for Internet users to determine which organisations are truly trustworthy,” said Brian Cute, CEO of Public Interest Registry. “After speaking with more than 16,000 fellow ONGs and 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 ONGs of all sizes.”
In Brazil, it is estimated that there are more than 338,000 ONGs, for which it is important to have a strong online presence for visibility and fundraising. Yet many Brazilian ONGs, such as small organizations in remote Brazilian cities, do not have websites. In addition, international donors are critical for Brazilian ONGs considering Brazil ranks 90th globally for charity donations according to the 2014 World Giving Index by Charities Aid Foundation. OnGood will help ONGs of all sizes enhance their online identity so they can be easily found and raise funds by Internet users around the world.
“In a global world with global challenges, it is important to create an opportunity for reliable ONGs to interact as much as possible. We immediately joined OnGood, as it will expand our local, national, and international visibility and is also an important validation to Gestos’ credibility,” said Alessandra Nilo, president of Gestos. “I have no doubt that OnGood will support partnerships and dialogue between the third sector, donors and other stakeholders.”
Added Marcio Zempelini, president of Instituto Filantropia: “”Participating in OnGood means having a stamp of credibility that is valid all over the world and, with this validation, international visibility.”
Upon registration, members receive the .ong domain name and the .ngo domain name as a bundle. Both .ong and .ngo are reflective of the abbreviations for the term “Organização Não-Governamental” – ONG for Portuguese and other romance languages, and NGO for English-speaking audiences. 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 ONGs 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: Portuguese, English, French, German, and Spanish.
To become OnGood members, all ONGs must meet specific eligibility requirements and undergo a validation process. Public Interest Registry worked closely with the global ONG 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 comprised 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, please visit OnGood at www.OnGood.ngo. To register for OnGood, please visit an accredited registrar.
About Public Interest Registry
Public Interest Registry is a nonprofit organisation that operates the .org top-level domain — the world’s third largest “generic” top-level domain with more than 10.5 million domain names registered worldwide – and the newly launched .ngo and .ong domains and OnGood community website. As an advocate for collaboration, safety and security on the Internet, Public Interest Registry’s mission is to empower the global noncommercial community to use the Internet more effectively, and to take a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and other issues relating to the domain naming system. Public Interest Registry was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.
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