NPOC Outreach Strategic Plan

I. Situation Statement NPOC

NPOC, the Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency, is the home for not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations wishing to have a voice and participate in ICANN’s policy making processes. NPOC’s role is to engage the ICANN community on how proposed and existing policies and initiatives uniquely impact those it represents, and ensures that their concerns, on how changes in DNS policies impacts their operations, are heard. Operational concerns within the context of NPOC are any concerns not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations might have on how policy making processes within ICANN and the way how ICANN operates like an organization, might affect their ability to deliver their mission related services. Specific operational concerns include the ability to register and maintain domain names fairly and efficiently, to protect against fraud and abuse, and to ensure security and privacy whilst using the DNS in order to serve members and communities.

Many not for profits are unaware of the risk that they face in the domain names system. That is the lack of protection under the existing Registrar Accredited Agreement. The lack of information of what to do how and whom to reach out for assistance is what needs to be addressed. NPOC, in its representation as the voice of this Constituency needs to increase its presence, and thereby its value with not for profits.

II. Goals

NPOC’s goal is it to be the best possible representation of Civil Society organizations related operational concerns within the ICANN Internet Governance ecosystem. Outreach is an important element to achieve this goal. The outreach goals are as follows:

1. Raise awareness of as many Civil Society organizations possible to their DNS related operational concerns.

2. Sensitize Civil Society organizations to DNS related operational concerns to such an extent that they become relevant enough for them to become NPOC members. (NPOC Value Proposal, see below)

3. Encourage and support the participation of NPOC members in all ICANN policy making related processes, such as working groups, .

III. Identify Target Audience(s)/Stakeholders

Not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations whether they are international or not, regardless of their internal mission, if they have a domain they have the right to make their voice heard on how the DNS will evolve in the future.

As every sector is influenced by the action of all the other stakeholders, NPOC has also the duty to reach out to all players in the Internet Ecosystem with the goal to understand their motivations and interests and to explain the operational concerns of Civil Society non-commercial Internet users.

IV. Message

To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer: a name or a number. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, coordinates these unique identifiers across the world and the functions, which are critical to the continued operations of the Internet's underlying address book, the Domain Name System (DNS). Without that coordination, we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN defines the policies for how the "names and numbers" of the Internet should run.

The work moves forward in a style that is described as the bottom-up, consensus-driven, multi-stakeholder model. Not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations rely on the Internet and Domain Name System policies to provide valuable services to their communities. Every DNS related policy making has an impact on their daily operations. This is the reason why every civil society organization should understand become deeply involved in ICANNs policy-making processes.

NPOC, the Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency, is the home for not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations wishing to have a voice and participate in ICANNs policy-making processes.

V. Incentives for People and Organizations to engage

The incentives for organizations to engage with NPOC, its value proposition is included in the rational for NPOC itself:

NPOC, the Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency, is the home for not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations wishing to have a voice and participate in ICANNs policy-making processes. NPOCs role is to engage the ICANN community on how proposed and existing policies and initiatives uniquely impact those it represents, and ensures that their concerns, on how changes in DNS policies impacts their operations, are heard. Operational concerns within the context of NPOC are any concerns not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations might have on how policy making processes within ICANN and the way how ICANN operates like an organization, might affect their ability to deliver their mission related services. Specific operational concerns include the ability to register and maintain domain names fairly and efficiently, to protect against fraud and abuse, and to ensure security and privacy whilst using the DNS in order to serve members and communities.

VI. How does NPOC fulfil its role?

NPOC members participate in the different spaces that ICANN has to develop and review policy-making process. This is generally by being part of a working group that develops policy or doing review and comments on policies or on going process. NPOC also creates an opportunity for NGOs to network and share concerns on the Internet ecosystem development. NPOC stands for:

• Empowerment: Providing a voice for Not-for-Profit organizations in Internet Governance.

• Transparency: Ensure the widest possible dissemination of information on Internet policies and operational issues that affect global users of digital communication technologies.

• Capacity Building: NPOC and its partners create capacities that enable individuals and communities to engage with and to participate in Internet Governance.

• Development and Sustainability: NPOC and its partners create capacities and opportunities that allow as Not-for-Profit organizations to take the fullest advantage of the DNS for community based just economic development.

• Multi Stakeholderism: NPOC is convinced that a fair and sustained development of the DNS is only possible on the basis of the equal participation and engagement of all its stakeholders and it will do everything in its powers to support the multistakeholder process within Internet Governance and to develop the manifold opportunities that multistakeholderism offers to respect the needs and abilities of all involved. Internet Governance as a multi stakeholder process is only sustainable when it is based on the awareness, knowledge and informed participation of all its stakeholders. Internet Governance as an open, legitimate and functioning multi stakeholder process is under threat if there is not a global general awareness about its function and the issues at its root.  

VII. Overall NPOC Methodology

1. Create strategic collaborations with larger organization that are membership based, or umbrella entities to help inform their members about NPOC’s remit. By identifying strategic partners - for example, regional and umbrella organizations who are already known to their own membership - to assist NPOC in effectively engaging Not-for-Profits and non-governmental organizations. By utilizing existing relationships, NPOC will benefit deeply and garner new members to increase its numbers and participation in relevant ICANN policy Working Groups.

2. NPOC efforts recognize that stakeholders are large and small organizations, which have different and diverse functions and financial capacity.

3. Design polls or surveys and seek the assistance of the strategic collaborations to promote and evaluate response.

4. Attending networking events to promote NPOC. Continuously network, promote and engage members with current info received from surveys and other types of participation.

5. Strengthen the NPOC Ambassador Program, (for further details see Ambassador Program document)          

VIII. Implementation Methodology

1. Identify and list on-going ICANN policy making issues relevant to NPOC’s existing and potential members.

2. Identify and list the organizations for which the policy making issues are relevant

3. Identify and list the best methods, capacity and information resources to address the policy issues

4. Identify events and methods to address policy issues at existing events

5. Seek and contact collaborative implementation partners

6. Implement

7. Evaluate

IX. Partnerships

NPOC’s remit is policy making and informing members by outreach is only one tool that NPOC uses to support its policy making function.  Awareness capacity building and strategic Partnerships assist NPOC to engage members to participate in the policy development process. They are a fundamental element of outreach, but it's not the main NPOC activity. For this reason NPOC needs to partner with other organizations and individuals to implement and support awareness and capacity building outreach.

X. Evaluation

•         What was the response; identify          

•         How many members did we gain;

•         What was the cost,

•         What have we learnt.

XI. Spokesperson(s) and Other Responsibilities

The Spokespersons and responsibilities are fully descriptive in the NPOC charter and it is NPOC goals to follow and use its internal governance structure to assign the specific outreach roles.

XII. Planned events 2016-2017

examples: NPOC Outreach event ICANN 57; IGF 2016, Guadalajara; WSIS Forum 2017

XIII. Tools and Measures to Assess Progress

1. Every NPOC Outreach program (As listed within the strategy must have an NPOC EXCOM in attendance in line with VI. to report back to NPOC constituency.

2. NPOC will use Media outlets to talk about its events in line with ICANN Media policy.

3. NPOC through its Web portal should establish a blog for members to share experiences about NPOC outreach activities / programs they attend.

4. NPOC twitter feed should be active with information on upcoming events and NPOC outreach programs on a regular bases

XIV. Media Outlets:

•  ICANN identified media outreach network
•  NPOC Mailing List
•  NPOC Twitter
•  NPOC Portal Web Blog
•  ICANN Communication Channels
•  Identified NGOS/NFPs communication outlets