Written by Heather Mansfield who works as an Ambassador for the Public Interest Registry – the nonprofit operator of the .ORG, .NGO and .ONG domains.
Unlike the .ORG domain which can be bought and used by any brand or individual, the new .NGO domain is only available for purchase by nonprofits, charities, and NGOs. Once bought, the nonprofit, charity, or NGO must then complete a verification process at OnGood.ngo to begin using the domain. Like .EDU and .GOV, the .NGO domain verification process carries with it a credibility that helps instill trust in the minds of your donors and supporters. Once donors and supporters understand that .NGO domains are exclusively for legally verified NGOs, they will begin to pay more attention to NGOs that use the .NGO domain
That said, switching your NGO’s website and email communications from .ORG to .NGO is not an easy task and requires planning. In the meantime, however, your NGO can start building the SEO of your new .NGO domain by simply redirecting the domain to your .ORG website. Even if your NGO currently has no plans to use the .NGO domain, it’s still wise to be proactive and register – then redirect – the first choice of your new .NGO domain. For example, the Asia Foundation owns both asiafoundation.org and asiafoundation.ngo and has redirected their .NGO domain to their .ORG website.
There are only a select number of registrars worldwide that sell the .NGO domain and all them provide an easy method for redirecting your new .NGO domain to your .ORG website. One of them is Enset.ngo – the world’s only nonprofit registrar and below a two-step process is visualized to demonstrate how easy it is to redirect your .NGO domain(s). It’s worth noting that when you buy a .NGO domain, you are provided for free the .ONG domain as well. “ONG” means “non-governmental organization” in Latin-based languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian). Here is how to redirect your new .NGO (and .ONG) domain on Enset:
Step 1: Login to Enset > Navigate to My Domains > Select Your Domain(s) > Select Options.
Step 2: Select “Redirect” as the “Forwarding Type” and enter the .ORG website that your .NGO domain name should redirect to > Select “Create.”
That’s it! Your new .NGO domain now redirects to your .ORG website (example: asiafoundation.ngo). And again, every registrar offers a redirect service, not just Enset.ngo (where if you enter code TECH4GOOD25 at checkout, you’ll receive 25% off through December 31). ?
