The Only Team Building Experience You’ll Need in 2020
This February, Austin’s beloved Startup Games rolled out a new name and a refreshed ethos; Catalyst Games, where companies could continue to come together in friendly competition with a renewed commitment to supporting their nonprofit partners and community. The program kicked off the year strong. The Austin season in January brought together 36 companies to donate $120,000 to our partner nonprofits and 3,600+ health kits to Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. Already, Catalyst Games was breathing fresh air into a landscape of corporate social responsibility - or CSR - that can sometimes feel stale or routine. The games were set for the rest of the season, and the Catalyst Games team was ready to deploy to Denver in the spring and Atlanta in the fall. Then COVID-19 hit. What a time to be the new CEO of an event-driven program.
As the dust was seemingly settling in April, we spoke to most of our stakeholders to understand the challenges they were facing and a few trends emerged. CEOs and leadership in People and Culture, Sales, and Product had similar concerns. How do they keep morale high? How can they keep the team engaged and connected to collaborate and maintain productivity? How can they translate to maintain and build company culture in a remote environment? These concerns were found at both companies fighting for stability and those flourishing.
Catalyst Games found ourselves in a unique position - with a focus on team-building, employee engagement and camaraderie, which in the face of COVID suddenly went from “nice to have” to “need to have.” While the pandemic presented a challenge for a program built on in-person experiences and game play, the uncertain environment we all found ourselves in also served as a great reminder of exactly why supporting communities and building strong, connected teams matters more than ever. This was an opportunity for us to adapt and provide deeper value to our corporate customers while creating meaningful connective tissue for our nonprofit beneficiaries.
We took our learnings and pivoted to launch the virtual National Season for Catalyst Games July 8th, a first of its kind. After testing and innovating and hosting a virtual trivia night that donated 21,000 meals to food banks, our team is confident that the National Season translates all the fun, connection and community building of the Startup Games experience, while keeping everyone safe at home. The National Season is an immersive 8-weeks of curated volunteering and game experiences. I’m excited about our new virtual season model and ability to provide and scale much needed employee engagement and team building experiences to companies while they adjust to this new remote way of working.
It’s no secret that CSR is top of mind right now; people are looking to their employers to take a stand on current issues and give back. After conversations with the larger Catalyst Games community, the team identified a passion for tackling important issues where they often begin; in childhood. The upcoming national season is estimated to raise over $50,000 for nonprofit partners tackling opportunity access for individuals and families. The support will be going towards STEAM education, early childhood development, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship. Organizations include Code2College and E4Y in Austin, A Precious Child and a Youth on Record in Denver, and Sheltering Arms in Atlanta, with more nonprofits to be confirmed soon.
I’m proud of this pivot and our timely response to what our customers want and need. More importantly, this virtual model is built to be evergreen and for scale, putting Catalyst Games on a more sustainable foundation and positioning us to come out of the pandemic stronger than ever. I look forward to watching the season unfold and companies across the country compete, have fun and create impact this Fall.
Get Involved
Companies from anywhere in the country can attend a Q&A on August 7th, and sign up their employee teams at the Early Bird registration of $2,500 to compete in an 8-week series of virtual games and volunteer opportunities benefiting nonprofit organizations. Catalyst Games will be using a collaborative volunteer platform, POINTapp, that will allow teams to choose and connect with nonprofit volunteer activities directly. The virtual competitions will take place weekly from October through November and include events like Trivia, immersive Escape Rooms and a virtual twist on relay races.
Get the Q&A on your calendar ASAP - the first 30 company representatives to sign up will receive their choice of $20 gift cards to a locally-owned business partner in one of our major cities. Visit the National Season Eventbrite Page to register for the FAQ event and learn more about the National Season.