SBA Newsletter Feedback

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 3245-0398)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Small Business Administration Agency
Newsletter Feedback
PURPOSE:
SBA would like to solicit feedback from subscribers to its national newsletter on topics to
include within its weekly electronic newsletter in order to improve its usefulness. Subscribers
sign-up for weekly information about the agency’s programs and services and small business
material by providing their email. Subscribers can sign-up for the newsletter via SBA.gov and
the Gov Delivery network by providing their email address and zip code only.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:
Subscribers who would like to receive information concerning SBA’s programs and services.
TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)
[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form
[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software
[ ] Focus Group

[ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey
[ ] Small Discussion Group
[X] Other: Customer Feedback

CERTIFICATION:
I certify the following to be true:
1. The collection is voluntary.
2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.
3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal
agencies.
4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.
5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential
policy decisions.
6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have
experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.
Name: Kirk McElwain______________________________________________
To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:
Personally Identifiable Information:
1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No
2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the
Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No
3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Gifts or Payments:
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

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BURDEN HOURS
Category of Respondent

No. of
Participation
Respondents Time
105,000
2 minutes each

Newsletter Subscribers

Burden
3500
hours

Totals
FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $0.
If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please
provide answers to the following questions:
The selection of your targeted respondents
1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential
respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe?
[X] Yes
[ ] No
If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If
the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of
respondents and how you will select them?
Response:
SBA sends out a weekly newsletter to approximately 1.5 million subscribers who signed up via
SBA.gov and the Gov Delivery network. Of the 1.5 million subscribers, 7% of subscribers
(approximately 105k) open the newsletter. It is from this sub-set that SBA intends to solicit
feedback on future topics and the usefulness of the information within the newsletter.
Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[ ] Telephone
[ ] In-person
[ ] Mail
[X] Other, Explain: A feedback option will be available within the newsletter for
recipients to voluntarily participate. The link will be included in 4-8 weekly newsletters –
depending on how many responses are received.
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the
request.
Feedback Message – See attachment

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