U.S. Digital Response

About Us

U.S. Digital Response (USDR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that helps governments and organizations respond quickly and efficiently to support the critical needs of the public. Leveraging a network of pro-bono technical expertise and modern, resilient technology, USDR addresses and uncovers solutions for common, systemic challenges that public servants are facing, leaving them better equipped to deliver services and support to millions of people nationwide. We operate with humility and deep respect for our partners and believe that modern and resilient technology applied in the public interest can deliver people-centered services at the speed of need. As of February 2021, USDR has partnered with more than 180 government and nonprofit partners on 250+ projects, impacting 13 million people across 36 states and territories, and we’ve built a dedicated community of 6,500+ volunteers driven to serve in a time of need.

Why work at U.S. Digital Response?

We work in the public interest.

In order to best serve our partners and allow them to quickly deliver critical services to the public, USDR aims to deliver value in days, not months, by quickly demonstrating what’s possible. We design for sustainability and usability, always with the end-user in mind, and work to help partners build their technical capacity and deliver services on their own. Public interest projects belong in the public domain, so we abide by a set of [Data and Software Guidelines](https://policies.usdigitalresponse.org/data-and-software-guidelines) that promote openness and accessibility.

We work with humility and respect.

Governments and the people they employ operate under constraints that are not always visible to those outside of the public sector. Everyone involved in crisis response is under enormous strain—in order to be effective, we must check our egos and our judgment, without losing our critical thinking. All members of our team, volunteer and staff, agree to our Volunteer Oath which guides our work.

We foster a collaborative and inclusive culture.

In order to reflect the people we serve and work with, it is imperative that we create a culture that is inclusive for folks from all backgrounds and areas of expertise. We also foster collaboration and growth through our many internal programs including guest speakers, book clubs, and show and tells.

We embody an entrepreneurial mindset.

We are a relatively new organization with a bias toward action, impact, and continuous improvement. Driven by our curiosity and growth mindset, we are all empowered to define and shape the organization that we aspire to become.

We support how you work best.

We aim to be a supportive community where anyone can thrive and find a balance between working hard to make a difference and taking care of themselves in a difficult time. This means that we are committed to a fully remote work environment along with flexible schedules and time off. Want to learn more about U.S. Digital Response? You can watch [this info session](https://drive.google.com/file/d/19ybD7xnOVwnrYffeOoJ3v8PhviDClwOW/view) at your own convenience.

Learn more about some of the work we’ve been doing:

[The Good Tech Awards: To U.S. Digital Response, for pandemic-proofing our infrastructure](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/technology/2020-good-tech-awards.html), New York Times [U.S. Digital Response 2020 Highlights](https://medium.com/u-s-digital-response/u-s-digital-response-2020-highlights-a8039de4262c) [Public service as a service: how tech volunteers foster digital government in NYC](https://medium.com/nyc-mayors-office-of-the-cto/public-service-as-a-service-how-tech-volunteers-foster-digital-government-in-nyc-1e9805c86fc8), NYC Mayor's Office Of The CTO [How public-interest technologists can build government that works for everyone](https://www.fastcompany.com/90604086/public-interest-technology-government), Fast Company [COVID-19 Pushes Digital Services from Luxury to Necessity](https://www.govtech.com/civic/COVID-19-Pushes-Digital-Services-from-Luxury-to-Necessity.html), Government Technology You can also read more about us and [our recent press coverage](https://www.usdigitalresponse.org/news-media/).