Deferred Compensation Provider Transition Plan

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

In July 2008, the County of San Diego selected Nationwide Retirement Solutions (Nationwide) to serve as the exclusive service provider for the County’s Deferred Compensation Plans. It would be the first time in the 26 year history of Deferred Compensation that the County would see a complete shift to a new provider. The County and Nationwide collaborated closely to effectively communicate the transition to over 24,000 employees, participants, and retirees. Unique to this transition was the in-depth involvement of the County in every step of the process as well as a decidedly top-down approach creating unified support across the board. An outreach program was implemented with the goal of having personal face-to-face meetings with each of the County’s 57 department heads and each of the members of the Board of Supervisors and their staff. These targeted meetings were important in confirming the County’s support, from the highest levels, for the new service provider, and conveying the new benefits and advantages of Nationwide to employees.