The Public Interest Registry (PIR) is pleased to announce partnership agreements with four organizations in support of its newly launched public awareness campaign—Protectyour.org: Protecting and Preserving the Value of Your .ORG Domain. The campaign was announced in November as part of an effort by the nonprofit registry to raise awareness of the increasing value of the .ORG top-level domain and of the dangers of allowing .ORG domain names to expire.

The campaign partners are Alfa-Redi, a Latin American-based scientific community that focuses on information society policies and regulatory frameworks as well as Latin American civil society; the U.S.-based Grassroots.org, which disseminates information through its network of socially focused Web sites and provides nonprofit organizations with free resources to increase efficiency and improve productivity; the Internet Society, an international professional membership society that provides leadership in addressing issues that confront the future of the Internet and that serves as the organization home for several key groups responsible for Internet infrastructure standards; and the North American Consumer Project on Electronic Commerce (NACPEC), a Mexico-based nonprofit organization that provides online information about public policy issues that affect consumers on the Internet.

As partners, the organizations will actively promote the campaign’s message through their Web sites and publications. They also agree to disseminate and distribute materials that help noncommercial enterprises avoid the unintended consequences of allowing .ORG domain names to expire.

“We’re extremely pleased to have Alfa-Redi, Grassroots.org, the Internet Society and NACPEC participate in the Protectyour.org campaign,” said Michael Ward, PIR’s director of marketing. “As partners, they bring a unique perspective to the program and their enthusiasm demonstrates that the campaign’s mission is gaining momentum.”

Angela Stuber, executive director of Grassroots.org, says she believes there is a critical need to educate the nonprofit sector about not compromising the value of the .ORG domain. “Within a small or medium-sized nonprofit, staff members, volunteers and board members wear multiple hats,” she said. “Whoever registered the organization’s domain may have a variety of responsibilities within the organization. Too often, renewing domain names is regarded as an ‘I’ll do it later task.’ The Protectyour.org campaign will help nonprofits recognize the importance of the task and raise awareness regarding the dangers of postponing it.”

The Protectyour.org Campaign Partnership program seeks to enlist the support of organizations that serve the needs of nonprofit and noncommercial enterprises for the purpose of spreading the campaign’s message to .ORG domain name holders around the world. A Web site provides information and guidance aimed at both registrants of .ORG domains and registrars.

For more information on the Protectyour.org campaign, or to become a campaign partner, contact Wendy Rickard at The Rickard Group, Inc., either by phone at 609-466- 4343 or by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).