Welcome to “Behind the Name: Origin Stories,” our series dedicated to sharing the journeys of entrepreneurs and purpose-driven organizations. At name.com, we are a customer-first registrar, and our goal with this series is to shine a light on name.com customers, empowering businesses like theirs to establish their online identity through intuitive domain registration and essential web products. Your story deserves to be told, and your online presence begins with us.
Today, we’re thrilled to introduce you to Renee Williams, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Victims of Crime. Make sure to check out the full interview video on our YouTube!
The Evolution of the National Center for Victims of Crime
The National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) has an interesting background in its name. The organization was originally founded as the Sonny Volo Victims Advocacy Center. Sonny Volo was an heiress in the 1980s whose husband attempted to kill her. Her children, appalled by how their mother was treated within the justice system, took their inheritance and founded the center because they “never wanted another victim to go through that”.
As the organization grew and expanded its scope in the field, it changed its name. This change was made not to lose the part of Sonny, but to better reflect the scaling scope of the organization. Today, the NCVC’s website strives to connect victims immediately to services and its hotline. Furthermore, the NCVC also attempts to connect anyone who has an impact on a victim throughout the justice system to best training practices and other types of resources.
An Interview with Renee Williams, CEO of the National Center for Victims of Crime
Being a registrar, we’re all about domain names here, so I am interested to see how you chose .ORG over some of these other domain names that you might have.
Renee: We are a nonprofit, and we are a registered 501(c)(3), so most nonprofits are going to go with .ORG. I think even if we had the choice, we’d be selecting .ORG because it does signal to the public that you are a nonprofit. I think it also signals a certain level of trust.
What kinds of resources or information have made the biggest impact on survivors?
Renee: Most of the time, it’s oddly emotional support. You think that they actually need victim compensation. They do. Victim compensation is hugely important because when you’re a crime victim, it’s incredibly expensive ’cause you are responsible for all of your bills. So compensation is important, but really at the end of the day, what makes the biggest difference to people is the willingness to listen to them and the emotional empathy that we show.
If someone is struggling and finds your website, what is the most important thing that you want them to know?
Renee: That they should call our hotline, that our resources are 100% free and 100% confidential, and they will at least get you started in the right place.
What keeps you hopeful and motivated to continue this work?
Renee: We actually just had a round table today with victims of gunshots, and homicide family members, and it was to discuss the services they received and other things they thought they needed. But every time a group of victims come together, there’s so much healing that happens just for them and the ability to discuss it. Almost every single person who I’ve interacted with has said the same thing, which is, I just wanna make sure this doesn’t happen to somebody else. They absolutely give me hope.
So what’s your dream for the future of NCVC?
Renee: I would like for us to have private endowments. I would like to see us be about 25% federally funded and 75% privately funded with unrestricted funds because there are so many projects that we want to do, and we know that they’re needed, but we just don’t have the cash. Our goal is to be a recognized program that turns out new programs that are actually changing the needle on crime, not just victimization.
Conclusion: Choosing .ORG as a signal of trust
Establishing a strong online identity is crucial for organizations serving critical needs today. For nonprofits and purpose-driven entities, the domain choice is highly significant. The .ORG domain is typically selected by most nonprofits, particularly registered 501(c)(3) organizations. Choosing .ORG is strategic because it conveys to the public that the organization is a nonprofit. Also, the .ORG domain signals a certain level of trust.
The National Center for Victims of Crime exemplifies this choice, utilizing the .ORG domain to support its mission of connecting victims immediately to essential services and its hotline. Their resources are 100% free and 100% confidential. Whether used for connecting victims to services or offering emotional support, the indispensable role of a focused organizational identity, anchored by a trusted domain like .ORG, is clear. Watch the full video on our YouTube channel, and stay tuned for more Origin Stories!
Dark mode
Let's keep in touch.
You can opt out at any time. By clicking “Subscribe”, you agree that you have read, understand, and consent to the Privacy Policy with regards to the use of your personal data