<aside> What’s this about? Your organization should have a name that reflects your brand identity and doesn’t clash with the service you offer.

What do I need to do? Combine creativity, market research, and feedback from peers to find a suitable organization name. Then, protect that name by registering it (e.g. as a domain name).

Contents

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<aside>

Further reading

• Nick Kolenda: Naming a Product
• GoDaddy

Regulator guidance

• USPTO: Trademarks
• IRS: Search for tax exempt organizations </aside>

Considerations

The name you choose will impact your brand identity and create the first impression with beneficiaries, donors, and other collaborators.

So, pick a name that accurately reflects your organization and is easy to remember.

When naming your organization, it can be helpful to consider two axes as a starting point:

• Descriptive vs. abstract words: varying from highly descriptive names to highly abstract names.
• Standard vs. non-standard words: capturing an entire spectrum, from the use of:
  • real words (e.g. “American Express,” “Against Malaria Foundation”);
  • combinations of words and numbers (e.g. “7 Up,” “80,000 Hours”);
  • portmanteaus of real words (”Facebook,” “GiveWell”);
  • portmanteaus including invented words (”Netflix,” “Febreze”);
  • entirely invented words (e.g. “Spotify,” “Suvita”).

There are pros and cons for each quadrant, and these are somewhat industry-specific.

Once you’ve drafted some options, consider running a poll with trusted colleagues and thought partners. Let people score and leave comments on potential names — this can flag issues you hadn’t previously considered, like a name that closely resembles another organization you weren’t aware of (or a name that brings to mind an undesired concept). If you plan to eventually operate internationally, check that your chosen name doesn't have negative connotations in other languages.

However, don’t anchor too strongly on others’ feedback. Your organization’s name represents its purpose, mission, and values — which you know best.

Once you’ve settled on a name, check it’s not already in use. For example, check it hasn’t already been registered with the IRS. Most states also have an online searchable database to find what names are available.

• Using a name that’s already in use

Registering your name

Meanwhile, it’s worth registering a domain, or URL, that reflects your organization’s name.

There’s no legal requirement for your domain to match the organization name, but it’s good practice to pick something that’s at least similar — to avoid confusing customers and collaborators.

You can use a domain provider like GoDaddy to find available domains. If you can’t find the exact domain you want, you can get creative — for example, by:

• using an initialism;
• hyphenating the name if it’s composed of multiple words; or
• using a less common extension, like .io or .ai (.org is generally our recommended extension, though, as it appears most credible).

Some states also have corporate suffix requirements you may have to follow. For example, Delaware requires organization names to end in one of a variety of specific words or abbreviations.

Protecting your name

You can protect your name with a trademark, which protects you at the federal level.

A trademark prevents others in the same (or similar) industry — in the US — from using your trademarked name.

Organizations in every state are subject to trademark infringement lawsuits, which can prove costly. So, it’s worth checking your prospective name(s) against the official trademark database.

However, we generally believe that trademarking your name at this stage is premature. Trademarks can cost thousands of dollars, and require annual fees to maintain. Plus, if you aren’t demonstrably protecting your trademark (e.g. by litigating those who infringe upon it), you may lose it.

We think trademarking your name is a sensible approach, but believe it’s best reserved for a later date — once your organization has proved itself to some extent, and it likely to survive the first few months (or years) of its “startup” phase.

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