Happy 3rd Birthday Catalyst!

So three years ago today, April 1, 2006, I incorporated Catalyst Long Beach in the state of California. Woooo hooooo!

At the time, it was an interesting season of my life. I was transitioning out of Kingdom Causes, the first non-profit I co-founded in 2002 and during that same time I was concurrently imagining broader things - things that eventually led to birthing a new organization that would hopefully continue bringing people together, much like KC is doing within faith-centered circles.

It's been a fun and crazy three years. I had to get a day job to pay the bills since my only previous income had been coming from KC (when I was with them). I'm still at that day job until Catalyst can get sufficient funding so outside of the work hours, I've been building relationships with folks in the evenings...getting to know people, hearing their passions, and sharing hearts and vision for what could be.

The vision for Catalyst Community is to see every area and region inspired with a greater sense of community, collaboration, and citizenship through meaningful relationships.

So in a nutshell, we catalyze collaborative communities to build relationships, establish partnerships, inspire growth, and encourage contribution.

"connect and affect"

Big thanks to Ryan Blanc and Dario Calderon who have been a huge part of shaping the direction that we are now going with Catalyst. Since 2008 they've been Board members and an awesome team. We could sure use the help!

Would you consider joining the Catalyst Team?
http://www.gocatalyst.org/page/CATALYST+TEAM

Thanks friends and Happy Birthday us!

Mission of Catalyst Community

Our mission is to provide tools for individuals and organizations that empower them to connect around shared interests and affect the broader community.

Our Slogan: “Connect and Affect”

We accomplish the vision by catalyzing collaborative communities to build relationships, establish partnerships, inspire growth, and encourage contribution.

To “Connect”:

* build relationships
* establish partnerships

To “Affect”:

* inspire growth
* encourage contribution

We catalyze collaborative communities:

* Creative Communities – Arts & Culture
* Green Communities - Eco- Friendly & Sustainability
* Faith Communities – Religious & Spiritual
* Growth Communities – Education & Learning
* Business Communities – Business & Professional Services
* Care Communities – Health & Support
* Recreational Communities – Sports & Recreation
* Neighborhood Communities – Residents & Neighborhood Groups
* Other Common Communities - Any other community of common interest

Common Community Values

As a diverse community, we may disagree about any number of things. But we can find our common ground in our Common Community Values. These are what bring us together.

Building RELATIONSHIPS - we believe that intentional connections that foster authenticity and understanding enhances the peaceful climate of our community.

Establishing PARTNERSHIP - we believe that the strategic partnerships of individuals and organizations in collaboration towards a common interest make us more effective in our community.

Inspiring GROWTH - we believe that experiencing a broader understanding of ourselves, the community, and our world enhances our potential.

Encouraging CONTRIBUTION - we believe that the strategic sharing of resources and the active participation of residents giving back to their community is the most effective way of addressing our practical and tangible needs.

Vision of Catalyst Community

Our vision is to see every area and region inspired with a greater sense of community, collaboration, and citizenship through meaningful relationships.

*community - the tangible experience of relationships within connected people

*collaboration - the cooperative partnerships of individuals and organizations around a common interest or purpose

*citizenship - the expression of hospitality towards our neighbors and the participation of residents in shaping our community

Our core approach to community development is through meaningful relationships. A common cause may bring people together, but it's relationships that keep people together. The goal should be something sustainable and long-lasting. Often times, organizations will host an event that brings people together but few stay meaningfully connected after the event. We believe that effective and long lasting partnership can't occur without trust; we can't have trust without relationships.

So that's where we start.

From "my"space to "our"space

In an age of social media, Web connections, and viral technology, people are increasingly using tools to stay connected with peers and partners, news and current events, trends and issues. As these “tech tools” become increasingly popular, we could easily replace important real world interaction with email, text messages, and social networking message systems. Instead of replacing relationships, we can find ways of using online tools as a way of facilitating and nurturing offline connections.

In addition to using the Web to connect with others, people are also finding ways of engaging the community. What does the pulse and personality of a city look like? How connected are the residents of a city? Do we celebrate the life of our city? Do we participate in the life of our city? How do we measure the life of our city? How do we map the relational infrastructure of our city?

Catalyst Community fills the gap. It’s where we connect, give back, promote events, and mobilize on common ground. It’s a place where we all hold a stake; a community that we all help shape. This is where we catalyze the shift from “my”space to “our”space.

Catalyst Community is a registered 501c3 non-profit grassroots organization with a vision to see every area and region inspired with a greater sense of community, collaboration and citizenship through meaningful relationships. Our mission is to empower both individuals and organizations with tools that enable them to accomplish their own passions for the broader community. We are a community of catalysts.

Our campaign is to “Connect and Affect” – to catalyze collaborative communities to build relationships, establish partnerships, encourage contribution, and inspire growth.

Often times, organizations will host an event that brings people together but few stay meaningfully connected after the event. We believe that effective and long lasting partnership can’t occur without trust; we can’t have trust without relationships.

So that’s where we start.