July 2021 211 Newsletter: 2020 Data Impact Survey Results, National 211 PSA Launch & More!

July 2021 211 Newsletter

In This Month's Newsletter

2020 Data Impact Survey Results
National 211 PSA Launch
211 Network Survey & Upcoming Webinar– Caregiving Work
Utilize DoorDash to Deliver School Supplies to Households in Your Community!
Special Feature: 211 & the Modern United Way - Develop Compelling Products & Solutions
ICYMI: Child Tax Credit Tools, SingleCare Digital Flyer & More!
What We Are Reading & Watching
Upcoming Virtual Events & Past Recordings

211 Data Impact Survey Results

Thank you to all the 211s who contributed data to the 2020 211 Impact Survey (previously known as the Big Count).

Key Takeaways:

The 211 Network continues to be a critical component of frontline support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 211 Network reported 7.2 million requests for COVID-19 information, testing, or vaccines.

By changing our collection methodology to asking about referrals or connections made, we are able to highlight the 27.8 million connections made by the network to help in 2020, whether by phone, text, or chat.

Though information & referral is our core service, there are many 211s that are providing direct services and assistance. For example, thirty-five 211 centers distributed CARES funding and provided $32,000,000 in financial assistance, performed more than 121,000 homeless shelter intakes, and scheduled 175,000 VITA appointments in 2020.

The data from 2020 reiterates what we know: even though 211 is not a crisis hotline, we support people in crisis every day. The 211 Network reported more than 470,000 calls from people in emotional distress, a mental health crisis, or experiencing suicidal ideation. 211s also reported 115,000 calls from people looking for help related to sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking. The 211 Network also made more than 600,000 connections to disaster services like shelters, D-SNAP, and clean-up services.

UWW has developed key messages and nationwide data points for the 211 Network based on data submitted and projections. You can view the data here . Additional marketing materials and templates for sharing this data will be available next month.

Thank you again for your time and dedication to this annual effort.

The New 211 PSA Campaign Has Launched!

The wait is finally over, the 211 National PSA has officially launched! The “Guiding Light” campaign is a 211 public service advertising campaign created by the Ad Council and underwritten 100% by the Rockefeller Foundation . The Walton Isaacson agency is donating its work pro bono to create the concept & executions and bring the PSA to life. The PSA encourages people to call 211 or visit 211.org.

Advertising in English and Spanish will run on digital and social channels (banners, mobile & social graphics), radio, video (broadcast, streaming & online) as well as print & out-of-home (billboards, bus stops, metro stations).

To view the English broadcast advertising, click here (for :60 PSA), or here (for :30). To view the Spanish :60 version, click here, or here for the :30 version. You can find tips, tools and templates to help you leverage the PSA campaign on United Way Online (for United Ways), or the gated 211 toolkit site (for independent 211s).

While we cannot pinpoint the exact times nor stations the PSA will air, we would like to track where you spot the new 211 PSA. Please use this form to let us know if you see the PSA air on television, spot a billboard, or catch any other form of advertising. 211 has long been recognized as the one-stop network to call during moments of need, we should all be proud to be recognized as the trusted guides for resources within our community.

211 Network Survey & Upcoming Webinar– Caregiving Work

First, a THANK YOU! We had half a dozen responses and Hilary Palotay will be following up with those teams this week, we wanted to keep this survey option in the newsletter this month as we’re using team responses to help build a prospective fundraising ask, so if this work is of interest to you and your team, please be sure to let us know!

In August 2020 the 211 Team launched a pilot project with AARP to support local teams in building a proactive engagement program that aims to reach informal caregivers within their service area. Each team built a unique implementation plan and is working alongside partners to identify, recruit and support caregivers in their community proactively via: text, email, phone, mail and/or IM providing. The goal of the project was to reduce stress and increase access to essential information and resources for the benefit of caregivers and their families.

This work supports not only this unique population but is helping to build insight and understanding for wider project development. Ultimately, we know that when the subject matter expertise of 211 navigators is applied proactively to upstream client needs, we can make a real difference in the lives of the communities we serve. As we look ahead, we would love to know more from you, the network, about the work you are doing and/or want to be doing in this area. If you could take a few minutes to have a representative from your organization complete the following survey, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you as always and if you have questions or would like to learn more you can reach out to Hilary Palotay . We are running a webinar on the project August 11th – Join Zoom Meeting [Meeting ID: 899 5588 6203; Passcode: wecare].

Utilize DoorDash to Deliver School Supplies to Households in Your Community!

This August, UWW and DoorDash are partnering to provide United Ways and 211s in the U.S. with free contactless deliveries to help your organization get your already-secured donated backpacks and other school supplies directly to students via the Ride United: Last Mile Delivery program. Consider blending volunteers to assist with school supplies pick-up and free DoorDash deliveries this year for your Stuff the Bus initiative or other school supply drives. If your organization is interested, please fill out this form by July 20 and the Ride United team at UWW will be in touch with additional details!

Special Feature: 211 & the Modern United Way - Develop Compelling Products and Solutions

This is the ninth installment in a series highlighting how your 211 can evolve and complement a Modern United Way and highlight network best practices.

Featuring: Develop Compelling Products and Solutions

Developing compelling products and solutions means using information on both individuals and corporate partners’ interest and data on the nature of community issues to create an effective impact agenda and meaningful products and solutions. These three components; individual needs, corporate donor interest and data driven research, all help shape product development so it is truly integrated with your 211. 211s have the ability to use the transformational data that is collected and ultimately drive the innovations that result in a better provision of service.

One example of this is the Ride United program. Across the United States, a lack of reliable, safe, convenient transportation hinders hundreds of thousands of peoples’ abilities to get to good jobs, access healthcare, seek healthy food, apply for public benefits, and more. Due to a lack of public transportation, the high cost of car ownership, and other barriers, 211 navigators are often unable to meet transportation needs for callers. Through Ride United, United Ways and 211s are working to close these transportation gaps.

Since its launch, Ride United has expanded into many iterations to address the growing needs of the community. We want to highlight these impactful products and their use cases across communities. Some examples include:

Ride United: Transportation Access (RUTA) - In June of 2018, United Way, in partnership with Lyft, launched RUTA to address transportation gaps by providing rides that help people access essential medical services, obtain healthy food, get to job interviews, apply for assistance, and more. Since inception, the program has served clients in over 930 towns and cities and has provided over 67,000 free and discounted rides.

In April 2021, rides to/from COVID-19 vaccine inoculation were added as a use case in response to COVID-19, leading to the creation of RUTA’s Vaccine Access Campaign (RUVAC), which has attracted a wide range of national and local donors.

Ride United: Last Mile Delivery (RULMD) - In 2020, when COVID-19 began to impact millions of households, limiting physical access to healthy food services, United Way and DoorDash partnered to launch RULMD, which provides deliveries that help people access essential items like food pantry boxes and meals. Since inception, the program served over 350 towns and cities and has provided more than 447,000 free deliveries.

Pets Eating Too – In response to pet owners experiencing increased anxiety about caring for pets during the pandemic, United Way launched the Pets Eating Too (PET) pilot program. It brings together local 211 and United Way teams, DoorDash delivery services, and the philanthropic support of PetSmart Charities to ensure that pet owners can keep their pets healthy during these tough times.

211 remains at the forefront of response as it pertains to needs within the community both met and unmet. Through our client interactions we have a front row seat in identifying needs and we are instrumental in the development of products and services that will meet needs within our community. Our strength is that we collect all the relevant information and have the insight that drives us to find solutions. Possibilities for innovation exist everywhere as evident in the evolution of the Ride United programs. To realize them, be willing keep an open mind and develop the capacity to look at things with fresh eyes.

ICYMI: Child Tax Credit Tools, SingleCare Digital Flyer & More!

Child Tax Credit Tools
IRS announces two new online tools to help families manage Child Tax Credit payments; one of three tools now available for the upcoming advance payments:
New The Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant allows families to answer a series of questions to quickly determine whether they qualify for the advance credit.
New The Child Tax Credit Update Portal allows families to verify their eligibility for the payments and if they choose to, unenroll, or opt out from receiving the monthly payments so they can receive a lump sum when they file their tax return next year.
The Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool English | Spanish (new)

SingleCare Digital Flyer
Our partners at SingleCare wanted to share their new flyer which can be easily reproduced and posted. The flyer can be downloaded by scanning the QR code. While we are still navigating the new normal, this allows agencies and recipients to receive the card in a safe manner (no touch approach). Check out the new flyer here.

NDP Webinar/Q&A Open Hours
We will host monthly NDP Open Status Update/QA Sessions starting July 29, 2021 at 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT. Additional sessions will also be hosted on August 19th, September 16th and October 21st. During these meetings we will provide an update on the work of the National Data Platform and troubleshoot/answer any questions you may have. We will also share use cases, how to navigate style-guide concerns, national listings, and bi-directional updates.