Catalyst Games Kicks Off The National Season

It’s time! Welcome to the first-ever Catalyst Game National Season! We are excited to finally kick things off after a whirlwind of prep and recruiting over the summer. We’ve got an exciting roster of 20 teams competing to qualify for the National Champion title. A huge shoutout to these companies for coming together to engage and connect their employees while creating tangible impact with our 6 nonprofit partners. Their participation has enabled us to donate $25,000 to our season’s nonprofit beneficiaries working to create greater access to opportunity. 

Volunteer Pre-Season

The Volunteer Pre-season begins next Tuesday, September 8th and runs through Friday, September 25th. Participating teams can opt-in to virtual volunteering opportunities and other curated impact and team-building focused activities, all for points (10 bonus points max per team)! The goal is to get to know the nonprofits and select which organization your team would like to play for during the competition so make sure your volunteers are signed up to learn more about what access to opportunity means at the upcoming virtual Access to Opportunity panel on September 10th and the virtual Nonprofit Meet & Greets on September 15th and 16th! Happy volunteering!

Tips for Earning Points and Maximizing the Experience

  • Invite your whole company to volunteer but if you’re feeling competitive, identify a volunteer team and assign them the volunteer role. This creates ownership over earning those bonus points.

  • Get your volunteers set up and signed up for the POINTapp. You can manage and track your volunteer engagement and hours during the season through this. There’s even a way to nudge team members through the app to pump up engagement. 

    • Please follow the instructions outlined in the playbook to join your company’s POINT account and access the Catalyst Games network to sign-up for volunteer opportunities.

    • BONUS TIP: You have access to the POINTapp through the end of the year as a participant in the national season. Take advantage and explore the other organizations on the app outside of the national season and track and learn what cause areas your team cares about most. This is a great starting point for any company that wants to incorporate volunteering as a larger employee engagement strategy.

  • Sign up early AND go to the events. Volunteer opportunities are first-come first-serve.

  • Coordinate a cookie relay tryout or practice session with another team. Get ready for the competition by creating a competitive environment. Plus, you earn points for networking!

  • Access to opportunity is an issue area in every city. Learn about the effective solutions by volunteering and earning points with every nonprofit partner.

  • Poll your team - get them involved in the nonprofit selection process. This elevates buy-in and purpose during the entire season!

The Competition Season

Each team will participate in three qualifying games once a week every Thursday in October. The goal is to earn as many points as possible through these qualifying games to earn a Top 8 team post for the national bracket. 

Save the date! We’ll be bringing everyone together for a Pep Rally to kick off the competition and games on October 1st.

Tips for Winning and Having Fun

  • Purpose connects you and connected teams perform better together. Come together as a team by showing team spirit. Make Zoom backgrounds, coordinate outfits, wear that company swag, and host tryouts.

  • Communicate, communicate, communicate. Who’s the next person on the cookie relay line-up? Is the cookie in danger of falling off? Let your fellow teammate know! 

  • Keep your team engaged! Make sure that anyone and everyone that wants to be in the know is subscribed to the National Season newsletter and social media pages. We’ll be revealing the leaderboard standings weekly.

  • There is a wide variety of games so make sure your team is as diverse as what the games require.

The season concludes on November 12th with the National Championship and Awards party to reveal the winner of the Mystery Challenge between our Top 2 Teams and celebrate the impact of all our teams throughout the season! Let the games begin!

TEAM ROSTER

Shipwell - ATX
Cision - ATX
Hippo - ATX
Sage Foundation Partners - ATL
Zebra - ATX

Enverus - DEN
Saatva - ATX
Accruent - ATX
AmRisc - HOU
Carvana - ATL

Storable - ATX
SailPoint - ATX
Regions Bank - ATX
Auctane - ATX
CyberGRX - DEN

RetailMeNot - ATX
Everlywell - ATX
LogicMonitor - ATX
Silicon Labs - ATX
Expedia Group - ATX

Are you volunteering or playing in a game and need an answer for a question that’s not in the Team Playbook? Reach out to Donald Miller, your season producer, at donald@wearenotley.com.

Thank You to Our Event Sponsors!

Nicole Gandy