Check out our 2024 year in review.
This year, we find it particularly important to reflect back, before we step forward.
What began as crisis response in 2020 has matured into a sustainable model for strengthening government's capacity to serve all people effectively. We're struck by how governments are increasingly embracing innovative approaches to service delivery—from developing responsible generative AI implementations to improving language access for millions of residents. Projects that might have seemed experimental just a few years ago are now becoming standard practice, thanks to forward-thinking public servants willing to try new approaches.
As we approach a presidential transition, the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, and USDR's own fifth anniversary, we're witnessing the lasting impact of that watershed moment when governments had to rapidly transform how they serve their communities. We’re humbled to serve alongside our partners as they’ve focused on the monumental task to make government more responsive and effective for everyone.
Here are just a few highlights from an extraordinary year
Powering democracy
Our elections work helped improve voting experiences for 35 million voters—approximately 10% of America's electorate. From helping Michigan clerks implement early voting to strengthening ballot processing infrastructure in Georgia, election officials showed up to make voting more accessible and secure.
Breaking down language barriers
In partnership with New Jersey, and with support from Google.org, we launched groundbreaking Large Language Model training materials that help government agencies create their own generative AI translation assistants. This innovative approach has already tripled translation speed while maintaining quality nearly on par with expert human translators.
Building technical teams
The launch of our Talent Toolkit marked a milestone in helping governments build strong technical teams. Since July, it has attracted over 6,000 views across nine countries, supporting roles from senior front end developers to technical product owners.
Strengthening community connections
Governments tapped us to help with user research initiatives so they could better understand and serve their communities. As one partner noted, “USDR helped with a critical project when we had no staff on the team to dedicate. This effort is helping us build early momentum to get quality information to veterans and military families in a user centered and accessible way.”
Behind these achievements is our remarkable volunteer community, who contributed nearly 50,000 hours of expertise in 2024—equivalent to 23 full-time staff members. Their dedication to public service continues to inspire us and shape the future of government technology.
These highlights only scratch the surface of USDR's impact in 2024. To learn more about our work and the partners and volunteers who made it possible, read our full Year in Review report here.
As we approach our fifth anniversary in March 2025, we're energized by how far we've come and the work ahead. The challenges that brought USDR together in 2020 showed us what's possible when we combine technical expertise with public service. Today, we're helping governments build that capacity not just for moments of crisis, but for everyday resilience.
