Nearly four years ago, our team met around a conference table and decided to embark on a new journey—to devise and deliver a central space online that would forever change how nonprofits, NGOs and charities engage on the Internet. At the time, we were discussing what seemed like a simple concept, you know? NGOs, donors and volunteers taking action and making change for a better world; that sort of thing. The truth was, and still is, that organising a validated, digital and global landscape for the NGO community and those with little to no access to the online world isn’t so simple, but absolutely necessary and possible.

What we knew, or at least what we truly cared about, was that we wanted to help people because our mission is to empower, through the Internet, those who dedicate themselves to improving our world. This was the vision and the critical first step that got us to this point, right here, with people and organisations like you and yours.

With that, we want to say “thank you” to everyone who helped us take the in-between steps. To the leaders of the many rural villages in India who offered our team hospitality and insight into their daily work, thank you beyond measure. To the ONGs in Brazil and France who have helped us cultivate research and case studies that will ultimately help improve our service for nonprofits worldwide, thank you so much for your time and constructive feedback. To the tens of thousands of you—located everywhere from San Francisco to São Paulo, to Senegal, to Sydney—who have expressed your interest in .NGO and .ONG domain names, thank you for your patience over the past 4 years and for believing in this initiative. To the NGO and nonprofit technology leaders (e.g. Guidestar, Techsoup Global, NTEN, NetSquared, and many more!), thank you for setting such a high bar in this communal space, and for the in-depth conversations about technology, access and integrity. We couldn’t have done this without you all. THANK YOU.

Between that moment, when we all sat around that conference table, and right now, our team has traveled to over 40 countries, talking to more than 16,000 NGOs and ONGs to better understand their pain points and what they need to ultimately become self-sustainable. At the very least, we feel humbled—by the stories, the willpower, and determination of these NGOs to make the world a better place. We are excited to witness new communication channels emerge between NGOs, donors, potential business partners and volunteers in the grand effort to have a positive impact. We are grateful to be a part of this, period.

Starting today, March 17, 2015, NGOs and ONGs that have trademarks registered with the Trademark Clearinghouse can register their own .NGO and .ONG domains. If you have completed an Expression of Interest, we will send you updates on how to register your desired domain names during the Limited Registration Period (April 21-May 5, 2015). Thereafter, .NGO and .ONG will be generally available to the public starting May 6th.