Introducing the Goodwill Ambassador Commission

The Goodwill Ambassador Title: A New Era for a Great and Distinguished Honor

In the Public Realm the Honorific Appellation of the Title Represents Commissioned Civil Authority, Integrity, and the Public Diplomacy for the State Designating the Honor

The Goodwill Ambassador Commission of each legal jurisdiction separates and regulates this Honorable Title distinguishing it independently from the unofficial and uncommissioned good-will ambassadors of churches, nonprofit organizations, sports teams, and manufacturer retail brand ambassadors. In Arkansas they have the Arkansas Traveler, in Kentucky it is the Kentucky Colonel, both of these honors recognize the recipients as its Commissioned Goodwill Ambassadors with their "rights, privileges, and responsibilities appertaining thereto" with "letters patent" signed by the governor. 

Group of Goodwill Ambassadors, Arkansas Travelers, Knights of Honor, Orinoco Admirals, Kentucky and Tennessee Colonels discussing the significance of the Honorable Title and necessity for the use of introductory honorifics, social protocol, and courtesy titles.

Clarifying, Protecting, and Celebrating a Legacy of Service

The title of "Goodwill Ambassador" has a long and storied history, dating back to the 1920s with Colonel Charles Lindbergh before becoming a mainstay institution of the United Nations with the introduction of the title's first official uses in the 1950s by individual US states. 

It's a title that carries immense honor, signifies a commitment to serving others, and represents advocates struggles to resolve the world's greatest issues. However, the last few years have seen an alarming rise in the misuse and appropriation of this seemingly innocent honorific title including deceptive scams involving the United Nations departments and confusion with them. But moreover, there are 25,000 or more uncommissioned and unofficial global goodwill ambassadors on LinkedIn that are often confused with real "Goodwill Ambassadors" working for organizations and international commissions.

To address this, we're establishing the first official assembly for the association of legally designated Goodwill Ambassadors by officials governments and organizations authorized to create them. Our goals are to protect the integrity of the title, support current and future Goodwill Ambassadors, and provide clear guidelines for using the title. Currently it is against the law in the United States to impersonate a Goodwill Ambassador generically with the legal title in a commercial sense, goodwill ambassadors can only be created by universities, state institutions, and civil society organizations. 

• Did you know that the Goodwill Ambassador title is synonymous with many other honorable standing awards granted by US Governors?
   
• Did you know that Goodwill Ambassadors often naturally enjoy some diplomatic privileges when traveling abroad? 
  
  
• Did you know that there are many ways to be recognized as a Goodwill Ambassador based on other types of official recognition?

Our Action Plan

• Verification and Licensing: We will verify the credentials of individuals and organizations claiming the title "Goodwill Ambassador." We will issue licenses identifying those who have been officially designated by a competent jurisdictional authority, ensuring the title's proper use by a public figure.

• Handbook and Manual: We will create a comprehensive "Goodwill Ambassador Handbook and Manual" to guide the professional conduct and activities of Goodwill Ambassadors. This resource drawing upon the policies of the European Commission, the United Nations, and the United States will provide clear guidelines and best practices for using the title effectively. The handbook will be intended for limited circulation among Goodwill Ambassadors, departments of government, law enforcement, and border protection officials.

• Education and Advocacy: We will educate the public and media about the proper use of the "Goodwill Ambassador" title. We will advocate for laws, policies and regulations that protect the title's integrity and prevent its misuse.

Benefits of Joining

• Community and Networking: We will foster a vibrant community of Goodwill Ambassadors, providing opportunities to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other.
  
  
• Advocacy Support: We shall provide resources and guidance to amplify your advocacy efforts and maximize your impact.

Clarifying the Role of a Goodwill Ambassador

• Advocacy: Goodwill Ambassadors advocate for issues and struggles facing the world's children to governments, businesses, and the public. They also educate the public through the media and events. 
  
  
• Fundraising: Goodwill Ambassadors can launch initiatives and campaigns in their own name or the name of their embassy as the executive in charge. They can also stay to witness the impact of their work by traveling to the field. Goodwill Ambassadors are trusted to receive and apply donations to their causes and therefore be transparent in the social media. 
  
  
• Best Practices: Goodwill Ambassadors are committed to the values and principles set forth in the UN charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Sustainable Development Goals through 2030, and other humanitarian guidelines.
  
  
• Ambassadorship: Goodwill Ambassadors are granted special benefits, rights, privileges, and responsibilities that only a head-of-state or international organization or jurisdictional representative can grant in office. It is up to each ambassador which of these extraordinary powers they officially exercise.

Cost of Participation

• New Ambassadors: The cost to become a certified, verified, or vetted Goodwill Ambassador through a third-party facilitator was previously in the range of $3,500 to $25,000. This included professional services such as profile development, mission training, getting news coverage, creation of a Google Knowledge Panel, and addition as a subject in Wikipedia.
  
  
• Existing Ambassadors: With the introduction of the new Goodwill Ambassador Guide, Handbook and Manual, individuals can manage these aspects for themselves, eliminating the need for external professional services. From the book any organization can manifest a greater presence and increase the temperature of their public diplomacy efforts.
  
  
• Chapter Designation Fee: To be listed as a permanent delegate member or start a chapter of the Goodwill Ambassadors Association or a Goodwill Ambassador Club, (goodwillambassadors.org) for your a particular territory, city, state, country, interest, or cultural region there is a one-time patronage of $1,250 USD for a commission certificate. This charter and licensing fee can be donated or pledged in installments over the course of the first year, it also assures that your full name and designation will appear in the handbook and your biography as a goodwill initiative leader on our website. 
  
  
• Listing and Registry Fee: To be listed independently as a Goodwill Ambassador Title Mark user and member of our association you can join us by donating $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 and paying dues of $13.00 each month. The donation includes registration of your title in a searchable database and a listing under our  Unified List of Goodwill Ambassadors. Members at the introductory level that are current in their dues for three consecutive months are automatically listed in the handbook being published near the end of 2025. See the Registration Form.  
  
  
• Sponsor a Featured Goodwill Ambassador: Goodwill Ambassadors have their fans, friends, and admirers that document and follow some of the world's favorite Goodwill Ambassadors like Katy Perry, Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, and many others which we routinely use as our role models. Sometimes this person is the public relations secretary of the celebrity themselves. By sponsoring an unrepresented celebrity article you can take the credit for the article as a Goodwill Ambassador Consular Officer or a Friend of a Goodwill Ambassador, which are one step away from becoming a Goodwill Ambassador (in theory and practice) yourself. Depending on the background of the work being distinguished up to three authors can contribute to a single work edited by our team.  

Call to Action

Join us in our mission to safeguard the integrity of the Goodwill Ambassador title. Your donation, no matter the size, will make a difference. Together, we can ensure that this title remains a symbol of service, dedication, and global goodwill.

There are different ways to help. You can become a Goodwill Ambassador or you can become a Friend of Goodwill Ambassadors or a Fan.