Example 1: My organization already has a domain name registered
Let's say you have already registered the domain: www.somename.org
And when you signed up for your RescueGroups.org website service, you chose www.somename.rescuegroups.org as your url.
You can "point" your existing domain name so that when users type in your domain name it will take them to your rescuegroups.org website, and they will see www.somename.org and not the url with .rescuegroups.org
See the instructions below Adding a Domain Name
Example 2: My organization would like to register a domain name
When you signed up for your RescueGroups.org website service, let's say you chose www.somename.rescuegroups.org as your url and now you would like a custom domain name like www.somename.org
A) You can register for a domain name through our service and we will "point" it so that when someone types in www.somename.org it will bring up your RescueGroups.org site and they will see www.somename.org and not the url with .rescuegroups.org.
See the instructions below Registering a Domain Name
B) You can register for a domain name through another registrar, then "point" the domain yourself.
See the instructions below Adding a Domain Name
Adding a domain name you have already registered
 | Where do I find it? You can find the Add a Domain Name page by going to Services > Add a Domain Name. |
RescueGroups.org will host your domain's DNS service for free with your RescueGroups.org web site service. This allows you to have a fully functional website, without having to register for a domain name.
DNS hosting also allows you to point a domain name you own to your RescueGroups.org web site.
Step 1: The first step is to add the domain name to your RescueGroups.org service.
You can do that by logging in (with a Site Admin account), and go to Services > Add a Domain Name.
Click Add a Domain Name and enter the domain name you already own and have registered with another registrar.
Step 2: The next step is to "point" the domain name.
To do that, login to your current domain name registrar (example: GoDaddy, Network Solutions, etc) and look for the option for "Name Servers," and enter the following name servers:
dns1.rescuegroups.org
dns2.rescuegroups.org
 | If you have email services or any other configurations on your domain name with your current DNS provider/registrar, they will stop working when you change the name servers. The most common example is email services or Google Apps. To prevent any interruption of service, please contact us before changing the name servers on your domain name if you're not sure. |
Save the changes, and within a few hours, your domain name will begin to use the RescueGroups.org DNS services, and when you browse to your domain name you should see your RescueGroups.org web site.
 | We would strongly recommend that you consider transferring the domain name to RescueGroups.org. This allows us to take technical and billing responsibility for the domain while your organization remains the owner of the domain. |
Registering a domain name
| Where do I find it? You can find the Domain Registration page by going to Services > Domain Registration. |
Transferring a domain name
| Where do I find it? You can find the Domain Transfer page by going to Services > Domain Transfer. |
You have two choices to get your domain name working with your RescueGroups.org web site.
A ) Transfer the registrar of the domain name to RescueGroups.org or
B ) Manage the domain yourself using your current registrar.
If you transfer the domain name, RescueGroups.org becomes the registrar of the domain (taking the place of your current registrar like GoDaddy, Network Solutions, etc). This allows RescueGroups.org to handle technical and billing aspects of the domain. You remain the owner of the domain.
The transfer/renewal fee would be added to your web site service bill (this takes the place of the registration fee you are paying your current registrar).
If you don't want to transfer the domain, you can update the domain using the technical information we give you. We can often walk you through making the changes to the domain. You may have to make changes to the domain in the future if we make changes to our service, which can be an inconvenience to you depending on the timing.
A) If you want to transfer your domain name, there are two steps you need to complete:
- Unlock the domain. Login to your current registrar's web site and unlock the domain (or take the domain out of secure mode). This allows a domain transfer request to be sent to you.
- Get a Transfer Authorization Code. Look on your registrar's web site for a transfer authorization code (auth code). RescueGroups.org needs that code to request the transfer. Sometimes you have to call or contact the registrar directly. Email that code to domains@rescuegroups.org.
Once you complete items #1 and #2, contact us and we will request the transfer!
| Please Note:
When the domain name transfers it does not automatically point to your RescueGroups.org web site. It will continue to point to your current web site. We can change the domain at any time after it transfers. If you currently have email addresses on your domain we will need to set those up with RescueGroups.org. Please request either forwarders or mailboxes. Please contact us for our current service fees. |
B) If you want to manage the domain yourself using another registrar:
Please follow the instructions at the top of this page for Adding a domain name you have already registered.