GovDelivery Client Newsletter
In This Issue December 2008

Contact Us

GovDelivery, Inc.
380 Jackson St., #550
St. Paul, MN 55101
www.govdelivery.com

U.S.: 866-276-5583
U.K.: 0800 032 5769
info@govdelivery.com

Resources:
  • Request an Online Demo
  • GovDelivery Brochure
  • Maximizing Subscriptions for Email and Digital Subscription Management Systems
  • Emergency Management Brochure


    • NEW CLIENTS

    Federal

    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

    USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA

    NIH Office of Communication and Public Liaison

    EconomicIndicators.gov (U.S. Department of Commerce)

    National Highway Institute (Federal Highway Administration)

    CDC en Espanol

    Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) (U.S. Department of Energy)

    U.S. Federal Courts

    Deployment Health and Family Readiness Library (Military Health System)

    Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

    Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)

    U.S. Army Environmental Command


    State

    Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

    Washington Department of Transportation


    County

    Miami-Dade County Public Library System


    City

    City of Palo Alto, CA


    Transit Authorities

    Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)


    Non-Profit Organizations

    Maricopa Association of Government

    For a complete list of clients visit http://www.govdelivery.com/clients.php

    Product News

    We help agencies like yours improve communication with the public and stakeholders. It is our mission to provide the most effective digital communication software and the latest innovations in personalization, automation and delivery technology.

    Please take a moment to learn more about our latest product updates and news. If you have any questions, let us know! You can always reach us at 866-276-5583 or email us at info@govdelivery.com.

    Click on the links below for more information on the GovDelivery product:

    Press Release: GovDelivery Launches New Web 2.0 Module for Government

    Product overview and feature sheets

    Webinar Presentations



    Federal News Radio on Gov 2.0

    GovDelivery CEO and Co-Founder Scott Burns was a featured guest on Federal News Radio's Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek. Burns discusses the progress that federal government has made in terms of embracing Web 2.0 technologies and collaborating with other agencies in content creation. Burns notes the increasing importance of web content managers as federal agencies continue to make use of complex Web 2.0 tools. He also highlights the success that many large federal agencies have experienced in working with GovDelivery on their Web 2.0 intiatives.

    Click here and scroll to the 5th story, or stream the audio here.



    Is Web 2.0 the End of Government-to-Citizen Email Communication?

    Not likely, but effective public email communication is the foundation of taking better advantage of Web 2.0.

    Consider this evidence:
    By most measures, email is the most effective communication channel in history.

    • Over 85% of citizen online time in the U.S. is spent using email (Jupiter)
    • Virtually all adults that are online use email; email is the #1 use of the Internet.
    • Even people under 25 say that they would rather get official communication via email; you don't want to get your financial aid application in your Facebook inbox.

    Still not sure how you can use Web 2.0 to enhance your communication efforts and increase and engage citizens? View a brief presentation to learn more: click here.  

    Check out how GovDelivery uses Web 2.0 social media:
    GovDelivery Blog: http://www.reachthepublic.com
    Client Services Blog: http://www.govdelivery.com/csblog/
    Twitter: http://twitter.com/govdelivery
    Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/GovDelivery/29640036059
    Plurk: http://www.plurk.com/user/govdelivery
    Identi.ca: http://identi.ca/govdelivery



    The Department of Defense (DoD) Experiences the Power of Collaboration and Web 2.0

    DoD uses email to promote multimedia materials and collaboration network for cross-agency promotion

    Maxine Teller, New Media Strategist for the Department of Defense (http://www.defenselink.mil), recently spoke at an FCG (Federal Consulting Group) event on social media.

    The Department of Defense understands the importance of email as a foundation of its communication strategy. The agency has invested resources into creating videos, audio podcasts and blogs to share top news stories from the Pentagon, updates on military missions and notable accomplishments of U.S. military men and women. The DoD automatically sends emails notifying citizens when new media is posted to the website and these alerts have been instrumental in driving traffic back to the website. The DoD has also begun utilizing the email alerts to increase interest in special events.  

    One example of how DoD uses email for promoting special campaigns or events is "Warrior Care Month." The entire month of November has been dedicated to Warrior Care as a DOD-wide effort designed to educate the military and to increase awareness of DOD's Warrior Care programs and resources. The DoD was able to promote "Warrior Care Month" to stakeholders with focused communications to its subscribers, especially those of Pentagon Channel Reports and DoDvClips. During the month of November, the Department of Defense sent an estimated 112,000 emails specific to Warrior Care programs and resources.

    The Department of Defense experienced the true power of GovDelivery's network of clients in its efforts to raise awareness for its annual "America Supports You" Freedom Walk. The Department was able to partner with USA.gov to send roughly 3 million emails promoting the event.


    "This is just an example; that there really is tremendous power in cross-agency network and GovDelivery is a great conduit for that. We really appreciate all the work they've done for us in communicating with our internal and external audiences."
    -Maxine Teller, New Media Strategist (Department of Defense)

    Since launching GovDelivery's Email and Digital Subscription Management solution in July 2007, the Department of Defense has achieved a total of 48,000+ subscribers and sent more than 84 million emails. Some of its most popular subscription options include: News Releases, Press Advisories, American Forces News Articles, Pentagon Channel Reports, and DoDvClips.

    To hear more about how the Department of Defense is using GovDelivery, click here.



    Return on Investment (ROI) Becomes Increasingly Vital as Budget Cuts Persist

    Government agencies are tasked with keeping citizens informed and up-to-date on general information, as well as emergencies, road construction, weather advisories, and the like. Now with limited budgets, it's even more difficult to allocate new resources.
    GovDelivery provides government agencies a government-to-citizen communication tool that cuts costs, simplifies communication and provides an average positive return on investment in 9-12 months. For specific examples of how GovDelivery is helping our clients achieve this, click here.

    California Department of Insurance has experienced 200% ROI using GovDelivery's Email and Digital Subscription Management solution.

    "We have identified $250,000 in annual printing and distribution cost savings from using GovDelivery. This is an ROI (Return on Investment) of over 200%."
    –Kevin Brown, E-Government Policy Advisor
      California Department of Insurance (http://www.insurance.ca.gov/)

     For more resources on dealing with budget cuts, follow the links below:



    Congratulations! The City of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the City of Riverside, California are recognized by the Center for Digital Government as 2008 Digital Cities Survey Winners.

    e.Republic's Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities magazine released results of the eight annual Digital Cities Survey which examines how cities use technology to create a seamless environment between local government and constituents.

    Read more about what these cities have done to receive this honor:

    The City of Ann Arbor and the City of Riverside invite you to visit their websites and experience GovDelivery's email and digital subscription service for yourself.

    To learn more about the Digital Government Achievement Awards, visit the Center for Digital Government.



    Winter Weather Demands the Attention of State and Local Governments

    When important events happen – for example, road closures and weather alerts during the winter season – residents expect the most up-to-date information to be available immediately.
    Organizations using GovDelivery provide citizens with better service and access to relevant weather-related information by proactively delivering information through email, wireless alerts and RSS.

    The City of St. Paul used GovDelivery to send over 54,000 emergency notifications to 14,500 residents during the 2007-2008 winter season.

    To learn more about how GovDelivery is helping the City of St. Paul communicate winter weather-related information to its residents, click here.

    For more about emergency notification capabilities and how our clients use GovDelivery for this purpose click here and visit http://www.govdelivery.com/emergency/ .



    Oakland County, Michigan Devotes Resources to Improving Communication with Residents

    Oakland County's portal was named the top county portal in the nation at the Center for Digital Government's Best of the Web event in Hollywood, Calif. on Sept. 12, 2008. The County has made its mission to improve communication with its residents. In doing so, the eGovernment team recently launched GovDelivery's Email and Digital Subscription Management solution on the County's public web site http://www.oakgov.com . This new service allows web site visitors to sign up for automatic notifications via email or wireless text message when new information is posted on the County's web site.

    Oakland County has experienced great success since the launch of GovDelivery, achieving an estimated ROI of more than $250,000.

    Since launching GovDelivery in June 2008, Oakland County has:

    • Added more than 20,000 subscribers.
    • Implemented the service on more than 130 unique subscription items including:
      • E-Focus Newsletter
      • Health Division News & Events
      • Critical Water Notifications and Beach Closings
      • Pet Adoption News
      • Family Events & Festivals
      • County Job Opportunities and more…

    To learn more about how Oakland County is working with GovDelivery check out the County's Information Technology Quarterly newsletter.

    Read more from Government Technology® about Oakland County's most recent efforts to improve government-to-citizen communication.

    Complete details and subscription signup instructions are available online at http://www.oakgov.com/subscribe/ .



    Chicago Transit Authority Changes the Way It Communicates

    The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) launched GovDelivery's Email and Digital Subscription Management solution in October 2008 in efforts to keep passengers better informed.

    Riders can sign up at www.transitchicago.com to receive planned service-change notifications because of construction, special events and other situations.

    Beginning early next year, CTA customers can subscribe to emergency alerts sent as text messages to mobile phones or as emails to BlackBerry-like devices, officials said. The new efforts mark an acknowledgment that the CTA is in the communications business as well as being a transportation provider.

    CTA President Ron Huberman conceded that providing accurate and frequent communications, especially when needed the most, has been a chronic failure at the CTA. "Over the last year, it has been very clear we have to change the way we communicate," he said.

    For more information on CTA's launch of GovDelivery, click on the links below:

    To find out more about how transit authorities, nation-wide, are using GovDelivery to communicate with riders click here and visit http://www.govdelivery.com/transportation.html .

    News & Events

    Fall 2008 Product Release Series Beyond mass email: GovDelivery's new On-Demand Mailer – Make every email you send an ‘Express' package with assured delivery and tracking

    GovDelivery's On-Demand Mailer (ODM) makes one-to-one communication between government agencies and the public more effective and reliable. GovDelivery ODM turns email into an electronic 'Express' package with assured inbox delivery. In this webinar National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) Akbar Hamid explains how the agency utilizes ODM to send out critical communications to their stakeholders.

    To view the recorded presentation or to download GovDelivery ODM and product feature sheets, please click on the links below:



    FCG Event: Proactive Communications Roundtable with DoD, EPA and USA.gov's Gov Gab "Compelling Content and how the Presidential transition will affect how government agencies communicate."

    The event was a huge success, with much interest in how email is the 'backbone' used to deliver compelling content and supports Web 2.0 and social media technologies. Panel speakers from DoD, EPA and USA.gov's Gov Gab shared real-life examples of how they are using email to push compelling content and support their mission to improve communication with their stakeholders.

    To download the presentations, please click on the links below:

    To download more information on GovDelivery:



    GovDelivery Technology Webinar Series Getting to the Inbox: How email messages go through a virtual maze to get to your target audience.

    This webinar covers the details of how emails are delivered: how emails get through to the intended recipients in a safe and efficient manner. The webinar also discusses certified email delivery, avoiding spam traps, phishing, bounce processing, open and click through reporting, and the GovDelivery On-Demand Mailer.

    To view the recorded presentation or to download GovDelivery product feature sheets, please click on the links below:

    For more information on upcoming events, visit http://www.govdelivery.com/events.php.



    GovDelivery Named 19th on Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal Fast 50

    GovDelivery was named one of the region's fastest-growing privately held companies for the third consecutive year. The Business Journal's Fast 50 ranks companies based on year-over-year revenue growth for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

    Read the full article here.

    Read the GovDelivery press release announcing the award here
    copyright © 2008 GovDelivery, Inc.