Your organization
plays a vital role
in this campaign.

Please call:
(952) 346-6055
with any questions
on partnering with
Go Direct.

	Go Direct Public Service Announcements (PSAs) can be easily incorporated into your organization's existing educational programming. The campaign's Hurricane PSA promotes direct deposit as the safest, most convenient way to receive Social Security and other federal benefit payments.

Visit the
Partners Section
of our Web site and enter the password: 4partners

May 2008

	Help your Community Prepare for Hurricane Season – With Direct Deposit! Partner Spotlight – Emigrant Savings Bank Promotes Direct Deposit Encourage People with Disabilities to switch to Direct Deposit to Achieve Greater Independence and Security In the Media

Help your Community Prepare for Hurricane Season – With Direct Deposit!

With hurricane season fast approaching, Go Direct is working with partners to urge Social Security check recipients in hurricane-prone areas to safeguard their payments by switching to direct deposit. With direct deposit, people can protect themselves against disruptions in mail service and ensure seamless delivery of their federal benefit payments in the days following a hurricane or severe weather event.

Currently, about 10.5 million people continue to receive their Social Security and SSI payments by paper check. While paper checks make up only 20 percent of the total number of Social Security payments, they account for more than 90 percent of reported problems.

Go Direct partners can make a difference. It's as simple as adding information about Go Direct to your disaster preparedness programs and resources. Visit Go Direct's Disaster Preparedness Program for tools you can download.

To learn more about opportunities to support the campaign during the hurricane season, visit www.GoDirect.org, contact your local campaign representative or call (952) 346-6055.

back to top

Partner Spotlight – Emigrant Savings Bank Promotes Direct Deposit

Ever since Go Direct was introduced at Emigrant Savings Bank's regional branch manager meetings in January, the New York City-area bank has been heavily promoting direct deposit in its 35 branches. From hosting Go Direct days in branches during the first week of the month to highlighting the advantages of direct deposit in local community outreach and educational seminars, Emigrant Savings Bank has found Go Direct to be very beneficial to its senior citizen clients.

"For over 150 years, Emigrant has been committed to providing the best possible products and services to meet the needs of our customers and to support the local communities in which we operate. Go Direct provides both convenience and safety for our customers, making it a natural addition to the Bank's community outreach program," said Emigrant Savings Bank Community Development Officer Linda Coluccio.

Since February 1, Emigrant Savings Bank branches have ordered and distributed more than 2,000 Go Direct brochures. In addition to materials distribution to customers during Go Direct days, some Emigrant branch managers have engaged customers in one-on-one conversations about the advantages of direct deposit.

To learn more about ways your organization can support the campaign, visit www.GoDirect.org, contact your local campaign representative or call (952) 346-6055.

back to top

Encourage People with Disabilities to Switch to Direct Deposit to Achieve Greater Independence and Security

Millions of Americans with disabilities receive federal benefits, either directly or through a caregiver such as a parent or other relative. The Go Direct campaign wants people to know that receiving a federal benefit by paper check can expose them to check fraud and identity theft. 

In 2007, nearly 60,000 Treasury-issued checks – totaling an estimated $56 million – were fraudulently endorsed. Switching to direct deposit is a small but significant way to help individuals simplify their lives, gain more control over their money and protect themselves from identity theft and fraud.

Go Direct shares your interest in helping people with disabilities achieve greater independence and security. Your organization can encourage people with disabilities to take the simple step of switching to direct deposit for their Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

To learn more, please visit the Individuals with Disabilities and Caregivers tool kit on the Go Direct Web site, call (952) 346-6055 or send an email to GoDirect@webershandwick.com today.

back to top

In the Media

• In February, the Social Security Administration distributed an article featuring Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, the nation's first baby boomer, which mentioned the Go Direct campaign. The article has run more than 40 times in print and online publications across the country, garnering more than 1.5 million impressions.
• To recognize Financial Literacy Month in April, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias authored a letter to the editor encouraging people to sign up for direct deposit for their Social Security and SSI payments. To date, the letter has run in print and online editions of six local Illinois newspapers, reaching an audience of more than 200,000 people.

back to top