On March 16, 2020, exactly one year ago, U.S. Digital Response (USDR) began with a simple Slack conversation, a handful of government contacts, and a few people offering help to frontline teams responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within days, USDR grew to hundreds of volunteers with deep experience across tech and the public sector, and dispatched dozens to work alongside government and nonprofit teams. Today, USDR is supported by dedicated staff and powered by a community of 6,500+ pro bono technologists that have partnered with 200+ governments and organizations in 36 states and territories across the country.
The past year has been a challenging one for so many, filled with immeasurable loss, civil unrest, and isolation. But it’s also been one where we’ve seen incredible examples of resilience, dedication, and neighbors helping one another get the support they need — all while “supercharging” and accelerating the development, adoption, and need for effective digital services in government.
As unemployment insurance systems buckled under unprecedented demand, Departments of Labor across the country worked to optimize their tech stacks and call center operations to get benefits to people as fast as possible. When at-risk and homebound residents needed support to get safe access to food, Mayors sponsored local community efforts where volunteers could sign up online to deliver groceries to their neighbors in need. Faced with running an election during a pandemic, election officials found new ways to communicate with their constituents, recruit poll workers, and help people register remotely and vote by mail. Throughout it all, healthcare workers have continued responding to COVID-19, setting up large-scale testing sites, locating PPE, and doing everything they can to get vaccines to people as quickly as possible.
Thanks to the countless community leaders, public servants, and frontline workers that we’ve been lucky enough to partner with, USDR has been able to provide a space for dedicated volunteers to raise their hands and give their time and skills to help improve people’s lives. We’re proud to be building and growing alongside organizations and individuals who have long been working toward better service delivery and a robust public interest technology ecosystem, including: 18F, The Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, state and local digital services teams, Tech Talent Project, AnitaB.org, Aspen Tech Policy Hub, What Works Cities, Code for America, U.S. Digital Service, and many more. Together, we’ve helped write a new story about the past year — one where technologists dedicated their time and talent to serving their communities, organizations partnered across sectors to move faster than otherwise possible, and where people showed up, day after day, to “make the damn websites work” and help our communities vote, eat, and stay healthy.
USDR exists because of all of you — the partners who work tirelessly to serve their communities, the volunteers who go above and beyond what any of us expect, the supporters who make this work possible, and the community members who are on the front lines showing us what’s most important. Thank you.
Raylene Yung
CEO, U.S. Digital Response
Over the next six weeks, we’ll be sharing more stories that highlight the incredible work of our partners and volunteers, acknowledging the many people who have stepped up to help in innovative ways, and celebrating how this expansive USDR community has come together throughout the last year. We’ll recognize the work we’ve done together and share a vision for the year ahead.
Want to become a part of U.S. Digital Response’s community story in 2021?
- Apply for one of our 5 open roles
- Join our community of supporting funders
- Raise your hand as a volunteer
- Reach out to request pro bono technical support.
