September 24, 2020
Navajo Nation 2020 Census Newsletter
Response rates going up!

We have some good news to report for the Navajo Nation - the self-response rates are going up! As of September 23, the response rate for Dinétah is now 20.4%. This is due to your hard work and members of the Navajo Nation completing the 2020 Census by mail, by phone at 844-330-2020, or going online to my2020census.gov.

Each day we talk about the 2020 Census and encourage our family members, our friends and our community is another day that we have more people who complete the questionnaire that only takes 10 minutes and helps the Navajo Nation for the next 10 years.
Outreach ideas
As we head into the last few days before the nationwide Census deadline of September 30, here are a few ideas for outreach that are online-based and don't require close physical contact or in some cases minimal coordination for Chapters that have Facebook pages:

  • Host a Watch Party

Chapters can host a Watch Party by uploading videos and sharing it with those who follow your page. For example, the NM Native Census Coalition recently hosted a Come to Your Census Comedy Show with four Diné comedians. This video or any of our videos can be uploaded to your Facebook page for the Watch Party. During the Watch Party, if you have items to give away for a drawing as incentives, you can ask folks to comment in the chat box to enter in the drawing.

To invite several people at once to the Watch Party, you can also create a Facebook Event and place the details within your Event page.

  • Host a live event

There are several ways to engage people when hosting a live event on Facebook and incorporate information about the 2020 Census. One suggestion is to invite a U.S. Census Bureau Tribal Partnership Specialist to the live event to talk about the Census by using Zoom or Facebook's Rooms feature. The Rooms feature also can in some cases be used to broadcast live. Another suggestion is to have the host of the event read some talking points from the toolkit before or during some of the following activities:

  • Cultural demonstrations - A weaving or language class or similar cultural activity.
  • Bingo - Have a grocery bingo, if there are items to give away.
  • Karaoke - Some organizations have hosted Census karaoke and had Census information in between songs.
  • Concerts or DJ - Some groups have had local musicians play live music, had a dance party, or a DJ host a session with Census information in between breaks.

If you need help setting up any of these events, please contact your Navajo Nation Chapter House representative, Paula-Marie Herbert, Petulia Vandever, Percy Anderson or Marie Herbert.

We also have event flyer templates in a Word document or Canva if you'd like to get the word out about your event in your newsletters, websites or your Facebook pages.
Complete the 2020 Census and receive a prepaid Mastercard®
Please tell your family and friends that when they complete the 2020 Census, they can receive a prepaid Mastercard, which will be delivered to their cell phone. A video to the right shows details on how to receive the card.

A prepaid Mastercard can also be received via text when you submit your Census confirmation.

To receive the card, follow this three step process:

  1. Complete the Census. Then take a screenshot, photo or copy your Census confirmation number for submission.
  2. Submit the confirmation. Submit the screenshot, photo or confirmation # when filling out this form at newmexico2020.org or text it to 505-207-3211. Once you have submitted your confirmation number, the prepaid Mastercard® will be delivered directly to your phone.
3. Use your card. The card can be used where debit Mastercard is accepted on online, such as phone or mail orders, or in stores that accept mobile wallet.

Resources to help
In addition to flyers, social media memes as seen on the right and videos, we also have a toolkit to help you with talking about the 2020 Census, which is available on our website under our special section labeled Navajo Nation.

And please don't forget to join our weekly NM Native Census Coalition Zoom call every Friday from 10:30 am to noon. Here is the the information to join:


By phone # 346-248-7799

Meeting ID: 885 2562 0248
Password: tribal

Please email us at nmnative@censuscoalition.org if you have trouble signing onto this meeting.
How to fill out Census in Navajo

The U.S. Census Bureau has created a page in Navajo to help those on the Navajo Nation fill out the questionnaire.

The Bureau also has created a video, which is seen on the right to take residents through the process.

The video and related materials can be seen on the Bureau's website at: 2020census.gov/nv.html.
The NM Native Census Coalition is a product of the NAVA Education Project.