Report: Nonprofit Domains Gain Traction Worldwide

"The Dashboard" Highlights the Immediate Popularity of New .ngo and .ong Domains and the Steady Growth of .org

RESTON, Virginia, Oct. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Interest Registry, the not-for-profit operator of the .org, .ngo and .ong domains, today released the results of its bi-annual domain name report "The Dashboard." For the first time, the report is issued in two parts – The .org Dashboard, detailing the continued growth of the world's third largest top-level domain, and The OnGood Dashboard, illustrating the widespread global adoption of the new .ngo and .ong domains in just the first two months of availability.

On May 6, the .ngo and .ong domains became generally available to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) worldwide with the launch of OnGood, a comprehensive suite of online services anchored by the new domains that help NGOs and nonprofits increase visibility, reinforce credibility and raise funds for their missions. As of June 30, 2,344 .ngo and .ong domain bundles had been registered across six continents. Meanwhile, the .org domain continued its trajectory of continuous growth with 130,865 additional registrations over the last 12 months, bringing the total domains under management (DUM) to 10,547,247.

Other findings outlined in The Dashboard include:

• While .ngo and .ong experienced popularity across numerous and diverse fields, children and youth, education, and health and nutrition are the three causes that are most commonly supported by the domains.  
• .org registrations in international markets demonstrate steady growth, particularly in Asia where China has 3.2 percent and Japan has 3 percent of the total .org registrations worldwide.
• After a year hiatus, India jumped back into the top 10 list of .org registrations by country, ahead of Spain, with 1.8 percent of worldwide .org registrations.
• Registrants are renewing their .org registrations at an average rate of 73.7 per year.

"The successful launch of OnGood has brought together thousands of nonprofit and NGO leaders around the world, helping to empower their voices and share their stories," said Brian Cute, CEO of Public Interest Registry. "The continuous growth of the .org domain, and the early adoption of the .ngo and .ong domains is a clear indication that organizations and individuals around the world understand the need for global collaboration and collective empowerment to successfully serve the public interest. We look forward to helping NGOs worldwide further achieve their goals as we continue to expand our portfolio of online resources."

In The OnGood Dashboard, Public Interest Registry provides an overview of its NGO community outreach efforts, which include webinars and online learning activities that have already been enjoyed by more than 18,000 participants. It also includes commentary from leaders at prominent, international NGOs – Kokoda Track Foundation, Gestos and Peuple Solidaire – detailing the positive impact of OnGood on their missions.

The .org Dashboard contains information about happy30th.org, which launched in celebration of the first .org domain registration on July 10, 1985. The anniversary celebrations will continue throughout the 30th year, and organizations using the .org domain are encouraged to share their stories on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by tagging their photos and videos with #ORGinAction, or to submit their .org websites directly on happy30th.org.

For more information on The Dashboard or to download a copy, please visit www.pir.org/dashboard.

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.

Contact:
Lindsay Hyman
+1-202-223-9260
pir@allisonpr.com