.giving Domain Registration - .giving Domains - Register Giving Limited Domain Name .giving

MISSION/PURPOSE OF THE .GIVING TLD

The mission/purpose of the .giving TLD is to promote the business of the applicant, Giving Limited (which trades under the name and core brand ‘JustGiving'), whilst providing an authoritative, intuitive and cohesive online platform through which JustGiving's members are able to collaborate and raise funds for charity. Giving Limited is an innovator and leader in online fundraising, having created the UK's first online fundraising business. The .giving TLD will be an extension and continuation of this innovation and leadership. By being one of the first Top Level Domains dedicated to delivering content which meets the needs of a single organisation, the .giving TLD will fulfil the needs of JustGiving's growing base of charities and members, as part of the ever-changing, ever-expanding Internet landscape.

In transitioning its existing JustGiving business from justgiving.com to the clear and concise .giving TLD, Giving Limited will be able to improve its online presence, expand its global reach and build trust with current and prospective members. This will further strengthen the company's strong reputation for and commitment to innovation and leadership in the charity fundraising industry. Furthermore, the TLD will support the growth of the JustGiving business by allowing registrations which support campaigns and events in new markets. In endorsement of the JustGiving core business strategy, individual departments and affiliates of Giving Limited may also use .giving domain names to market the business and build an online corporate home for the company.

GOALS OF THE .GIVING TLD:

The core goals of the .giving TLD are as follows:

REPUTATIONAL GOALS

1 CREATE AN AUTHORITATIVE TLD

One of the goals of the .giving TLD is to develop the reputation of .giving as the authoritative online point of reference for the JustGiving fundraising platform, which members and Internet users will intuitively navigate to and trust.

Giving Limited intends to request an exemption from clause 1b of the Registry Operator Code of Conduct (Specification 9) pursuant to clause 6 of the Code of Conduct to enable it to register domain names in its own right in this TLD. Registrations will not be made commercially available; all domain name registrations in the TLD will be registered to and maintained by Giving Limited for its own exclusive use. Giving Limited will not sell, distribute or transfer control or use of any registration in the TLD to any third party that is not an Affiliate, as that term is defined in clause 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement.

It is thus planned that the TLD will be exclusively operated and controlled by Giving Limited and as such, it will leverage the power of the company's ‘JustGiving' brand and business to promote .giving as JustGiving's single point-of-reference online. Authority and trustworthiness are crucial to the JustGiving charity fundraising business; the .giving TLD will reduce confusion for internet users and reduce their likelihood of harm from interacting with online entities that falsely and fraudulently purport to either represent or impersonate the company in the online environment. Users will therefore be assured that content and charity donation transactions within the .giving TLD are genuine, legitimate and secure.

Giving Limited will ensure that content of the .giving namespace conforms to its well-defined existing terms of use, registration and usage policies, which apply to Giving Limited staff and members.

This goal to be an authoritative TLD will be achieved by ensuring all domain name registrations and content will be authorised and strictly controlled by Giving Limited at the time of registration and ongoing.

A benefit for Giving Limited will be the strengthening of the brand via the provision of a coherent company information channel and a reduction of the risk of consumers being misled by unauthorised or infringing content. Having this authoritative TLD will create an Internet ‘lighthouse' that clearly displays to consumers and Internet users without doubt that its websites are approved by and controlled by Giving Limited.

Such an authoritative TLD may also deliver financial benefits to the company by potentially reducing the need for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) costs, due to marketing and labour costs not being required for this activity. In addition, costs related to the maintenance of defensive domain name registrations to protect the brand in various TLDs will, over time, be reduced as they become unnecessary.

Consumers will benefit by having certainty that all content within the .giving TLD is authorised and company-approved. Within a single TLD, visitors to .giving domain names will be able to access information on Giving Limited, its platform and services, as designated by clear, logical domain names. The added confidence inherent in Giving Limited being the only eligible registrant will ensure a direct and trusted line of communication between charities, members, donors and Giving Limited. Internet users can be assured that any information they access through .giving is legitimate and supported by the strong reputation of Giving Limited and its JustGiving brand.

The TLD will also benefit the Internet, e-commerce and the online community by generating trust around the reputability of the content. It is in the interest of Giving Limited to ensure that the .giving TLD remains true to its mission and purpose.

Surveys will be conducted by Giving Limited to assess a site user's experience, alongside assessment of the authority and suitability of the information that .giving conveys.

This reputational goal will be considered achieved when the majority of survey responses in a reporting cycle reveal a positive trusting experience in using .giving TLD websites.

2 BUILD BRAND

Following the introduction of the .giving TLD, efforts will shift to transferring the brand reputation from justgiving.com to the .giving TLD in the marketplace, while promoting the additional benefits of the TLD. This will expand the attractiveness of the brand to charities, existing donors and Internet users. External marketing campaigns to promote JustGiving will be adapted to the .giving TLD and drive traffic to .giving websites only.

Brand building will be achieved through the organic usage and replacement of the existing justgiving.com domain name over time and the incorporation of .giving into existing global and directed marketing, to influence consumers. A period of transition is expected where areas within the existing justgiving.com website will be mapped to specific .giving domain names. Once established, the TLD's reputation will then serve as a springboard for efforts to promote the use of the TLD, facilitating the mission/purpose of the TLD. The promotion of .giving-based websites will also provide an efficient marketing model that encompasses both brand and platform. This is a more efficient marketing approach than currently employed with usage under existing TLD's, which are not brand or platform-related.

The benefit to Giving Limited will be in enabling the registration, via an ICANN-accredited Registrar, of domain names which support the core strategy of the company. The promotion of domain names will also enable more efficient marketing that encompasses brand, charity and donor-specific activities. The company will also benefit from maintaining a more easily marketable online identity. A website under the .giving TLD will assure Internet users that they are accessing authoritative and reliable Giving Limited (trading as JustGiving) information. As such, it is anticipated that more traffic will be directed to JustGiving sites and away from unreliable and illegitimate websites purporting to provide information relating to JustGiving campaigns and services.

Surveys will be conducted to measure the impact of the introduction of the .giving TLD against the existing domain name portfolio. Visit metrics will be utilised to measure the volume of traffic on .giving websites and subsequently compared to existing data on the current justgiving.com domain name.

3 CONTROL

Having the .giving TLD under the control of Giving Limited is an additional goal. This will be achieved when the TLD is delegated for use by ICANN and the internal policies described in this application are in place to manage the registration of domain names. As mentioned above, this creates numerous benefits to the company, consumers and the wider Internet community.

In meeting this goal of control, Giving Limited sees additional benefits such as:

Adaptability

As the Registry Operator, Giving Limited will benefit from having ultimate control of the TLD and the policy that underpins it. This will enable policy to be developed that serves the mission and purpose of the TLD but, at the same time, allows it to adapt to support the future direction of the JustGiving business on the Internet. Being in control of the TLD provides Giving Limited the comfort of knowing any future campaigns or services will have a dedicated TLD in which to reside. It allows the company a platform from which to innovate or adapt to any changes in Internet policy or best practice. Being in control of the TLD also provides Giving Limited with the ability to change direction and approach quickly and in line with the company's current goals.

Availability

Being in control of the TLD will enable Giving Limited to register domain names without the need to compete within other TLDs for domain names. This will benefit the company through allowing key marketing events to be undertaken which can promote shorter and more relevant domain names that are easier to remember. Thus, consumers and Internet users will be able to intuitively navigate and find relevant domain names.

The benefits to consumers will be similar to those mentioned above. Surveys will be used to measure user experience and determine that the goal of control has been met.

4 LEADERSHIP

Another goal of the TLD is to promote and further identify Giving Limited as a leader in innovation and charity fundraising. By securing the .giving TLD, Giving Limited creates a platform by which the company can lead innovation in online charity fundraising and related marketing initiatives.

Success will be achieved by tightly integrating the .giving TLD into Giving Limited's existing online fundraising model, while using the TLD as an innovative marketing and communications industry tool and actively involving itself in adding to the development of the Internet. As Internet usage evolves and new TLDs emerge, it is Giving Limited's intention to be a leader in this new era of the Internet's development.

An additional benefit will be in furthering the company's existing reputation as an innovator in maximising the use of technology to benefit the needy. This will enhance the JustGiving brand as a whole.

The leadership goal will be measured by survey results relating to the perception of JustGiving in terms of industry leadership.

SERVICE LEVEL-RELATED GOALS

5 A CENTRALISED LOCATION FOR JUSTGIVING CONTENT AND INFORMATION

A goal of the .giving TLD is to make information easily accessible online. Clients and partners, both prospective and existing, require readily available and easily accessible information about the JustGiving platform and Giving Limited's services. The .giving TLD will facilitate this by offering a centralised location for the JustGiving platform, services and information pertaining to Giving Limited. As previously stated, this will also be authoritative and governed by Giving Limited.

Giving Limited will benefit from having a cohesive and dedicated online space serving as a digital hub for all of its activities on the Internet. This will support the diverse global approach Giving Limited utilises in its operations and serve as a basis for its corporate operations. As previously stated, this will potentially reduce the costs of SEO and reduce company-related expenditure on marketing as a whole.

The consumer will benefit from the naming conventions employed in the .giving TLD (for example, donorpage.giving or charityname.giving), enabling a better user experience for online consumers searching for causes, charities and information, while also reducing confusion. The .giving TLD provides for intuitive navigation which, coupled with the introduction of other TLDs, will enhance the overall navigability of the Internet.

Surveys will be conducted to assess a site user's experience and the ease of accessing .giving TLD websites. Visit metrics will be utilised to measure the volume of traffic on .giving websites, where the traffic has originated from and where it is being directed to. This will be compared to traffic data from the current domain name portfolio and analysed for performance.

INNOVATION

6 COMPETITION

The .giving TLD also seeks to encourage competition on the internet. By creating its own TLD, Giving Limited hopes to drive innovation, not only to its own market segment, but to the internet as a whole. Having already demonstrated this innovation and leadership in its own business, Giving Limited now hopes to provide existing and potential customers and other Internet users greater levels of service through the creation of the .giving TLD. This innovation, service level increase and trust in the TLD will promote more competition on the internet and thus drive overall levels of service across the industry.

The success of this goal will be tied to the success of the new gTLD program as a whole. As new gTLD's are delegated to the root, more competition will be created with a consequent increase in service levels following.

Giving Limited will not have a specific measure in place for this goal, but will rely upon the post-program analysis to be conducted by ICANN and the GAC to assess the program's success.

DIFFERENTIATION

Anticipated Contribution to the Current Space

The .giving TLD will make a significant contribution to the current space in the following ways:
- This TLD primarily differs from existing TLDs in relation to its unique mission/purpose - to promote Giving Limited, its JustGiving brand and business. No other TLD currently exists that is specifically devoted to the needs of a single brand or company. The .giving TLD will be one of the first TLDs added to the root in which a brand's digital operations and very image are communicated by and through the TLD via authoritative channels.
- Giving Limited intends to request an exemption from clause 1b of the Registry Operator Code of Conduct (Specification 9) pursuant to clause 6 of the Code of Conduct to enable it to register domain names in its own right in this TLD. This planned operating model will allow the .giving TLD to be one of the first TLDs added to the root in which domain names are not commercially available but rather are registered only by, and in the complete control of, the Registry Operator via an ICANN-approved Registrar. This will bring added benefits to the DNS by preventing abuse and infringement, thus increasing reliability and trust. Consequently, the .giving TLD and other new gTLDs adopting this model will contribute to the development of a new level of trust and confidence on the Internet.
- The use of an authoritative space will help to reduce or eliminate the number of domain names that are registered for the purposes of infringing Giving Limited's JustGiving trademark. When end users are educated as to the benefits of the .giving TLD, the reliance on vast portfolios of defensive domain name registrations will be less warranted going forward.
- Where existing TLDs often apply to diverse and broad markets, with no imposed cap on the number of registrations made available, the .giving TLD will be differentiated by having a concentrated number of domain names. This means that users searching for content related to a particular JustGiving charity, donor, campaign or service will be easily directed to that content via a potentially small global number of applicable sites.
- With restrictions placed on registrations, their use and content, the .giving TLD will distinguish itself as a TLD with an online brand identity reflecting the unique and diverse JustGiving brand.
- The .giving TLD addresses the needs of Internet users by providing an easily identifiable and dedicated TLD with assurances regarding the legitimacy of content. Websites providing unauthoritative information via infringing domain names in other TLDs will be easily identifiable, as they will not have a .giving domain name. This will reduce consumer reliance on unauthorised and infringing JustGiving-related content provided by unauthorised third parties.

Because domain name registration in the .giving TLD will be the exclusive reserve of Giving Limited, internal departments who register a .giving domain name will have an advantage compared to registering domain names in other Top Level Domains in terms of value proposition, due to the synonymous relationship between the .giving string and the registrant and its aims. The .giving TLD will be recognised by Internet users as the dedicated, authoritative online space for Giving Limited, as supported by its inclusion within the company's marketing activities.

REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE .GIVING TLD

All domain names registered within the .giving TLD will be registered and maintained by Giving Limited for the exclusive use of Giving Limited, its internal departments and its Affiliates (as defined in Article 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement). Giving Limited will not sell, distribute or transfer the control or use of any registration within the TLD to any third party that is not an Affiliate of Giving Limited. All domain names will be registered via an ICANN-accredited Registrar.

Departments within the Giving Limited will be able to request to register .giving domain names that reflect JustGiving-related activities, products, services and other initiatives with authority. The registration policy in this TLD will require that domain names registered within the .giving TLD further the published strategic goals of Giving Limited and its JustGiving business.

The authority to register domain names will be vested in a limited number of Giving Limited staff members. A Marketing Manager within Giving Limited will be responsible for pre-approving all domain names before their registration, and will perform a monthly audit of all domain name transactions to verify that they were authorised, and that the use of domain names complies with the Acceptable Registration and Use Policy. The Marketing Manager will also conduct internal information sessions to improve awareness of the threat of domain name hijacking and fraud as well as raising awareness of the Acceptable Registration and Use Policy.

Safeguards against allowing for unauthorised or infringing domain name registrations and abusive uses of domain name registrations are discussed in the responses to Question 28 and 29.

These restrictions underpin the achievement of the goals of the .giving TLD, in particular enhancing trust in the interaction between Internet users and Giving Limited and forming an authoritative, strictly controlled source of information relating to Giving Limited and its JustGiving business.

PROTECTION OF PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

All domain name registrations in the .giving TLD will be registered to and maintained by Giving Limited for its own exclusive internal use. No measures need be taken for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants in the .giving TLD because no information of a private nature will be collected during the registration process.

Giving Limited will not distribute or transfer control or use of any registrations in the TLD to any third party that is not an Affiliate. Use of .giving domain name registrations will be reserved for the exclusive use of Giving Limited and its Affiliates. Accordingly, Giving Limited consider that no measures need be taken toward protecting the privacy or confidential information of users of domain name registrations in the .giving TLD.

OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES

The outreach and communication activities incorporating the .giving TLD will be conducted in two different formats, below the line (closed and directed) marketing initiatives and above the line (public) marketing initiatives.

The first format will focus on internal communications and be directed towards internal departments and affiliates of Giving Limited for the purpose of communicating the introduction of the new TLD and the opportunities this presents. It is envisaged that this will be implemented by initiatives such as internal communiqués, email communications from marketing and speaking opportunities at company sanctioned events.

The second format will focus on launching the new TLD to JustGiving target audiences and customers. This will be executed via an initial awareness campaign designed to notify and educate target audiences and customer groups on the introduction of .giving and its respective benefits. The .giving TLD will be introduced as the primary online destination for high profile advertising activity within pre-selected market and geographic segments, driving end user utilisation and starting the process of behavioural change within the target audience.

INTRODUCTION

All domain name registrations in the .giving TLD will be registered to, and maintained by, Giving Limited for its own exclusive use. Giving Limited will not distribute or transfer control or use of any registrations in the .giving TLD to any third party that is not its Affiliate (as that term is defined in Article 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement). As such, Giving Limited will maintain complete control over the .giving TLD registrations, as facilitated by the imposition of eligibility restrictions and internal policies and processes. Giving Limited has interpreted this question broadly and prepared this response taking into consideration social costs and other negative consequences facing the consumers and Internet users who will access content through the .giving TLD; likewise, these are considered eliminated or minimised by the manner in which Giving Limited will operate the .giving TLD.

METHOD OF RESOLVING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS

Multiple applications are not anticipated in the .giving TLD, as domain name registrations will be for Giving Limited's exclusive use and in the interests of its business. Registrations will not be made commercially available and eligibility to register domain names will be limited to specifically authorised individuals under Giving Limited's control. There are thus no competing interests and or opportunities for competing applications to be made. The decision-making authority as to which domain names will be registered and for which purposes will be vested in a single individual; this will be addressed through internal processes regarding domain name registration, requiring approvals within established reporting lines and the use of username and password to register domain names. Compliance with these processes will ensure that multiple applications for the same name are not made.

COST BENEFITS TO REGISTRANTS

Registrations will not be commercially available in the .giving TLD; cost benefits to registrants are therefore not applicable to the TLD.

CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS TO REGISTRANTS

Registrations will not be commercially available in the .giving TLD; contractual commitments regarding price escalation are therefore also not applicable to the TLD.

OTHER OPERATING RULES WHICH ELIMINATE OR MINIMISE SOCIAL COSTS

By imposing strict eligibility restrictions and internal processes regarding domain name registration and restricting the .giving TLD to uses that clearly support its mission/purpose and thus Giving Limited's JustGiving brand and business, it is anticipated that vulnerabilities to the registrant and the Internet public who access content and make charitable donations through the .giving TLD can be eliminated. This will be safeguarded through internal policies and procedures which ensure that registrations are made by authorised representatives of Giving Limited using established reporting lines. Further, abusive registrations and use of registrations will be prevented by having in place and enforcing a robust Acceptable Registration and Use Policy; this policy is described in detail in the answer to Question 28.

We have engaged ARI Registry Services (ARI) to deliver services for this TLD. This response describes protection of geographic names as implemented by ARI.

1 PROTECTION OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

In accordance with Specification 5 of the New gTLD Registry Agreement, the registry operator must initially reserve all geographic names at the second level, and at all other levels within the TLD at which the registry operator provides for registrations.
ARI supports this requirement by using the following internationally recognised lists to develop a comprehensive master list of all geographic names that are initially reserved:
- The 2-letter alpha-2 code of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, including all reserved and unassigned codes [http://www.iso.org/iso/support/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/iso-3166-1_decoding_table.htm].
- The short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, including the European Union, which is exceptionally reserved on the ISO 3166-1 List, and its scope extended in August 1999 to any application needing to represent the name European Union [http://www.iso.org/iso/support/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/iso-3166-1_decoding_table.htm#EU].
- The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardisation of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World. This lists the names of 193 independent States generally recognised by the international community in the language or languages used in an official capacity within each country and is current as of August 2006 [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn%20tech%20ref%20manual_M87_combined.pdf].
- The list of UN member states in six official UN languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the standardisation of Geographical Names [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/9th-uncsgn-docs/econf/9th_UNCSGN_e-conf-98-89-add1.pdf].
Names on this reserved list in ARI's registry system are prevented from registration.
A corresponding list of geographic names will also be available to the public via the registry operators website, to inform Registrars and potential registrants of reserved names. The lists noted above, are regularly monitored for revisions, therefore the reserved list (both within the registry and publicly facing) will be continually updated to reflect any changes.
In addition to these requirements, ARI are able to support the wishes of the Governmental Advisory Council (GAC) or any individual Government in regard to the blocking of individual terms on a case by case basis. ARI's registry system allows such additions to be made by appropriately authorised staff, with no further system development changes required.
The following applies to all Domain Names contained within the registry's reserved list:
- Attempts to register listed Domain Names will be rejected.
- WhoIs queries for listed Domain Names will receive responses indicating their reserved status.
- Reserved geographic names will not appear in the TLD zone file.
- DNS queries for reserved domain names will result in an NXDOMAIN response.

2 PROCEDURES FOR RELEASE

We understand that if we wish to release the reserved names at a later date, this will require agreement from the relevant government/s or review by the GAC, and subsequent approval from ICANN.