National Association of County Information Officers

02/23/2026

Join the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators Wednesday - "Communicating in a Divisive World."

Join MAGC for an engaging conversation with Sara Swenson, vice president of public relations at Goff Public, as she shares insights on communicating in a divisive world.

11/11/2025

hennepin.us

11/11/2025

Join the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators for an engaging webinar on Thursday. Free for MAGC members and only $20 for non-members. Check out all of our upcoming events at https://magconline.org/events

07/23/2025

Free Minnesota Association of Government Communicators (MAGC) Free Webinar — Accessible Social: How to Create Inclusive Content

Accessibility is often prioritized in web development, but what about your social media? Too often, accessibility is overlooked in marketing, leaving many users with disabilities excluded from fully engaging with digital content.

State and local governments with populations of more than 50,000 must ensure digital content, including websites, social media posts, and mobile apps, meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards by April 2026 (April 2027 for smaller governments).

Join us virtually for a free webinar where we'll focus on why accessible social media matters and how simple it can be to make your content inclusive for everyone. Whether you’re new to accessibility or looking to sharpen your skills, this session will offer practical strategies you can start using right away.

Date: July 25, 2025
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Registration: https://magconline.org/event-6257540

Speaker Bio:
Alexa Heinrich is an award-winning social media marketer in northern Illinois and the director of the website Accessible Social.
She is a passionate advocate for creating accessible and inclusive content for digital communications and for educating others about the realities of working in social media.

There is no cost to attend this webinar, so please feel free to share the details with your networks!

Accessibility is often prioritized in web development, but what about your social media? Too often, accessibility is overlooked in marketing, leaving many users with disabilities excluded from fully engaging with digital content.

07/16/2025

What a ride! National Association of Counties, 3CMA - City-County Communications & Marketing Association, and NACIO gathered in Philly for a weekend of insight, collaboration, and networking to help us all be the best communicators we can be!

The 3CMA and NACIO regional conference was a success with 50+ attendees and dynamic speakers on topics including Digital Accessibility, Trauma and Public Communications, and Storytelling.

The NACo Strategies for Communications workshop hosted by members of the NACIO Board was standing room only and received 100% positive feedback. The 2025 NACIO Award winners were notified and announced at our Annual Members Meeting and awards luncheon. The official announcement will be going out soon. Congratulations to all the winners!

We also wished our Immediate Past President, Jen Finch, a fond farewell and welcomed incoming President Schuyler Harding. What a fantastic group we have. We are looking forward to another year of education, collaboration, and supporting such excellent communicators!

06/02/2025

Great News! The 2025 NACIO Awards of Excellence nomination period is extended until 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 6.


With our annual awards program, we honor the innovative, creative, and outstanding work of county government communicators and state county associations' communications departments nationwide.

Visit https://nacio.org/Awards-of-Excellenc for all the details.

With our annual awards program, we honor the innovative, creative, and outstanding work of county government communicators and state county associations' communications departments throughout the nation. The categories have been revamped to better reflect the work of modern county communicators and....

05/31/2025

When you’re in the field of government communications, you have to 🐝 prepared to message everything! I’m guessing there were very few tabletop exercises where this was the scenario. Great work WasWashington Emergency Management Divisiond Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.

UPDATE (9a): 250 million bees are now loose. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

ALERT: Weidkamp Road is closed from West Badger to Loomis Trail Road due to the roll-over of a commercial vehicle full of bees.

AVOID THE AREA due to the potential of bee escape and swarming

WCSO deputies, Whatcom County Public Works, and a bee expert are on-scene with the truck-load of pollinating bees.

We will advise when the situation has cleared and Weidkamp is re-opened.

05/13/2025

Reminder: 2025 NACIO Awards of Excellence Open Through May 31!



With our annual awards program, we honor the innovative, creative, and outstanding work of county government communicators and state county associations' communications departments nationwide.

Visit https://nacio.org/Awards-of-Excellenc for all the details.

With our annual awards program, we honor the innovative, creative, and outstanding work of county government communicators and state county associations' communications departments throughout the nation. The categories have been revamped to better reflect the work of modern county communicators and....

05/05/2025

2025 NACIO Awards of Excellence—Nominations Period Now Open!



With our annual awards program, we honor the innovative, creative, and outstanding work of county government communicators and state county associations' communications departments throughout the nation. The categories have been revamped to better reflect the work of modern county communicators and PIOs. Show off your county's work by submitting a nomination today!

Submit Your Nomination Here: https://nacio-awards-of-excellence.evessiocloud.com/

What You Need to Know About This Year’s Awards Program

Nomination Period: Thursday, May 1 – Saturday, May 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Entry Fees: $50 per entry for NACIO members; $70 per entry for non-NACIO members. Work must be produced by county staff.

*Payment can be made online through NACo. You do not have to be a member of NACo or NACIO to enter this contest. You will, however, need to use the link above to make your entry payment(s).

When will winners be recognized?
Winners will be recognized at the annual NACIO meeting in conjunction with the NACO conference in July in Philadelphia. Further information is forthcoming.

What can you enter?
Work produced by counties and state county associations within the last year (January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024).

Updated Categories Better Reflect Your Amazing Work!

We’ve updated the award categories to better reflect the work of modern county communicators and PIOs. This year’s categories include:

Printed Publications

Short one-page/tri-fold
Multi-page education booklet
Annual report
Newsletter
Electronic Communications

Website
Email newsletter
Writing

Short article (less than 250 words)
Featured article/editorial (500-700 words)
Social Media

Social media campaign (use of multiple social media platforms)
Graphic Design

Logo
Special Graphics (t-shirts, posters, banners, ads)
Banners/buttons
Audiovisual

Short video (under 60 sec)
Medium-length video (1-5 min)
Long video (more than 5 min)
Video series
Podcast series
Podcast episode
Photo /photo series
Campaigns (All-encompassing using multiple communication tools such as social media, print, electronic, graphics, websites, etc.)

Public Safety
Utilities
PR Campaigns
Community engagement
Crisis (Response)
Quality of Life (e.g., parks, libraries, environment, etc.)
Budget

For tips on the entry process, please view the following video: https://vimeo.com/1056352405/0deef9e55d

Please send your questions about the awards program to: [email protected].

We look forward to recognizing all the wonderful work you do as Government Communicators.

02/14/2025

From the NACIO Board to all of our members and fellow county communicators: Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️!

01/30/2025

Congratulations to Carolyn Marinan, our long-time board member and friend from Hennepin County Government on this honor. Of course, we knew it all along! Great to see her recognized for her work in communications!

Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders in Communications for 2024. Hailing from some of the most influential media organizations, these leaders are experts in crafting narratives that drive both public perception and organizational success. As the media landscape undergoes r...

11/21/2024

Have you considered getting an advanced certification for public communicators? TCU offers the only Certified Public Communicators program in the United States for government communicators. Join us Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. EST to hear from three NACIO members who took the plunge and can share their experiences with the program from a county government communicator perspective. In addition, learn how as a NACIO member, you could receive a scholarship to attend! The webinar is free to all. Further details are available on the website.