Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a tough spot here. I've recently joined the board of a local non-profit organization that's been pretty disorganized. We have an existing website, but no one knows who created it or where it's hosted. The previous executive director hired someone to set it up, but there's been no record left of their details. I've tried looking it up on who.is, but it only shows that it's registered with register.com and doesn't provide any additional info.
Meanwhile, the new executive director has launched a new website, but that old one is still live and causing some confusion in our community. It's also complicating our efforts to get verified as a non-profit in various places.
I'm reaching out to see if anyone here has suggestions on how to gain access to that old site, apart from waiting for the domain to expire in February and then trying to purchase it. This is a real headache, and I'm trying my best to sort it all out. I promise to take detailed notes about what I do and where access lies so that future board members won't have the same issues. Thanks for any help you can provide!
2 Answers
First off, definitely do a Whois lookup to check the registrar and any available contact info. It’s good to look for DNS servers too, as they can hint at where the site is hosted. Also, try using the Whois tool directly from the domain registrar, sometimes it gives you more info. You could also run a DNS lookup to see where the site points or check MX records for email setup. Other helpful tools are BuiltWith, Wappalyzer, and WhatRuns; they can identify the tech stack and may reveal hosting details.
From what you're saying, it sounds like you’ve identified the registrar as register.com. I've had decent luck in situations like this by emailing customer support and explaining your organization's situation. Be prepared to show any documentation that proves the organization owns the domain. And if you think the website was built with Weebly, it’s worth checking directly with them too.
I sent an email to their support but I'm not feeling overly optimistic about it. If the site's down now, it might complicate things, but keep pushing—it's a good step forward!
That's a solid plan! Just make sure you document everything you find, especially if you reach out to the registrar for access. Keep your fingers crossed that they respond positively!