Project Highlights

Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization

May 2022 - April 2023  |  Portland, Oregon

IRCO is a nationally-recognized leader in the provision of holistic, culturally specific, and culturally responsive services to immigrants, refugees, and mainstream community members alike.

NEED

IRCO wanted to design a more participatory approach to strategic planning and a way to involve both the community it serves and its nearly 500 employees. As a growing community-based organization, IRCO is committed to addressing community needs and creating space for staff collaboration and input.

APPROACH

Community and staff input informed a leadership retreat that was characterized as one of the best they had ever had. From this work we supported employee-led planning teams to update mission, vision, values, and build out new goal areas. We adapted the process as we went along - responding to needs for more opportunities for engagement.

IMPACT

By creating effective avenues for reflective input and meaningful engagement across the organization we were able to learn from and respond to multiple needs and growth areas to best support our client’s critical work. The result was unanimous board and high staff approval of updated mission, vision and values, and a strategic plan that will be a living guide for the next five years.

Testimonials

“Catalysis led the best retreat I have ever attended.”

—Participant, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

“Thank you, Catalysis for the great planning and implementation of this retreat. The multidimensional activities and methods were so helpful in moving us so far and deep.”

—Participant, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

Nutrition in Pregnancy Conference

June 2 – 3, 2022 | Washington, DC

Presented by the OHSU Moore Institute for Nutrition and Wellness, the conference gathered ~80 experts from all over the U.S. to make recommendations that address barriers to good nutrition in pregnancy. Of particular focus was the additional barriers faced by communities of color in prenatal care, dramatically impacting health outcomes. 

NEED

The opportunity to bring together such a diverse gathering is rare, and organizers want to ensure that the conference would be much more than presentations. Their hope was to find a way for all attendees to participate in robust discussions that would result in a set of prioritized goals.

APPROACH

We designed engagement opportunities that started from day one - using live group discussion and polling software. After participants heard from researchers, leaders of evidence-based programs, and stories of lived experiences, we facilitated a collaborative discussion that was the culmination moment of the conference.

IMPACT

Our work resulted in an engaging process that allowed individual voices to identify emerging priorities, and the full group to participate in setting goals for the future. We effectively captured and synthesized the emerging themes, considerations, and recommendations. The results will inform a future publication and planning session devoted to strategy development, and also had the immediate impact of strengthening professional connections and collaboration.

Abbott Fund

2021 - Present | Global Program

The Abbott Fund is the philanthropic arm of Abbott, a global healthcare company. Based in Chicago, Abbott’s 115,000 employees work to make a lasting impact on health in more than 160 countries.

NEED

The Abbott Fund views philanthropy as a powerful source for driving social innovations that lead to more resilient, healthier communities. Over the years it has been committed to inspiring the next generation of leaders. As part of that the Abbott Fund has provided STEM programs for students through volunteer-led programs. In 2014 Abbott initiated an effort to impact the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases.

APPROACH

We supported Abbott in the exploration and delivery phase of their program. We provide expertise and support for a global health-education and signature employee volunteer program, Future Well Kids. We conducted a multi-country needs assessment at the start of the program and continue to develop sustainable and responsive strategies for volunteer leaders and school partners.

IMPACT

The program empowers kids to make healthy decisions and lower their risk of noncommunicable diseases. We focus on empowering volunteer leaders to develop strong local school partnerships, deliver a high-impact program, and grow their leadership skills.

Our work to date has contributed to: 

• Over 20 successful school partnerships in the US, Mexico, Colombia, Ireland, and the UK
• A program designed with a deep understanding of partner needs and interests in mind, rooted in a community needs assessment
• Volunteer leaders who are fully supported with the resources and tools they need to thrive 

Portland Water Bureau

2017 – 2021  |  Portland, Oregon

organizational change and strategic planning, leadership transformation

The Portland Water Bureau serves water to nearly a quarter of all Oregonians. They are committed to great water sources, public health, community relationships, and planning ahead. Their mission is to serve excellent water every minute of every day.

NEED

The Bureau leadership decided to create a first-ever risk based strategic plan involving key staff from across the bureau - in all over 150 people of all disciplines. In a field with a history of hierarchical and engineering-centered approaches, PWB wanted to strengthen its leadership team and engage employees in a participatory planning process.

APPROACH

Catalysis supported an inclusive planning approach that 1) addressed risks, 2) embedded equity, and 3) directed focus for the organization. Catalysis worked with LynxSe LLC, an organization equity consultant, in developing an equity framework and training for planning participants. The result is an ongoing planning process that is grounded in results-based accountability, incorporates an equity framework, and has broad participation by employees serving on strategic plan scoping teams guiding the implementation of the strategic plan. We continued to provide support in leadership development and implementation planning after the plan was adopted.

IMPACT

We designed and supported a process that resulted in:

• Wide employee participation in the creation of a new mission, vision, equity statement, and values.
• Risk assessment approach that incorporated an equity framework into strategic plan.
• Employee-led strategic plan scoping teams guiding the implementation of the strategic plan.
• Stronger leadership team with increased ability to collaborate and make complex decisions.

Testimonials

“Chris and her team have a unique ability to understand the complexities of a large water utility and its organizational dynamics.

She also, on a more personal level, can relate to the wide variety of educational backgrounds, training and personalities inherent in an organization with science, engineering, technical and field personnel—engendering confidence across the board among our staff.”

—Mike Stuhr, Director, Portland Water Bureau

Headwaters Farm

February - July 2022  |  Corbett, Oregon

organizational change, community conversations

The Headwaters Incubator Program seeks to jump-start new farm businesses by reducing barriers related to accessing capital, farming knowledge, farm networks, and markets. The core of HIP’s services revolve around making farmland, equipment, infrastructure, and learning opportunities available to program participants in a cohesive, community environment. The program is offered by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.

NEED

Bringing together new and developing farmers working together on a 60-acre farm requires a thoughtful approach to defining a community that can work together effectively across different farmer needs and experiences. Headwaters brought us in to create a space for farmers to work together to develop a set of community agreements and a process for addressing concerns or conflicts.

APPROACH

We started by getting a better understanding of the history of the farm and conflicts that had arisen as a result of power differences between farmers and staff, especially BIPOC farmers. Recognizing these dynamics, and the demands on farmers for their time, we offered multiple ways to participate including one-on-one conversations, surveys, and virtual meetings. We culminated with an in-person gathering to develop strategies to put their new agreements into practice.

IMPACT

With the farmers and staff we:

• Created space for farmer conversations about rebuilding trust and increasing farmer empowerment
• Facilitated a set of Community Agreements to increase farmer inclusion and equity in the program
• Developed an anonymous feedback reporting system and a process for requesting third party facilitation

Testimonials

“Chris and her team have a unique ability to understand the complexities of a large water utility and its organizational dynamics.

She also, on a more personal level, can relate to the wide variety of educational backgrounds, training and personalities inherent in an organization with science, engineering, technical and field personnel—engendering confidence across the board among our staff.”

—Mike Stuhr, Director, Portland Water Bureau

AbbVie Foundation

2013 – present  |  Global Program

organizational change, community impact

The AbbVie Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to making a remarkable impact around the world through a commitment to building sustainable health care systems, effective educational programs and strong communities. They collaborate with organizations and individuals who share the same mission—changing lives.

NEED

The AbbVie Foundation wanted to develop a program that would align the company’s commitment to community, match up the STEM curriculum with our employees’ expertise, and ensure robust volunteer opportunities for AbbVie employees. 

APPROACH

Catalysis led a collaborative process with AbbVie scientists and engineers to design the program, which is aligned to STEM education standards and provides meaningful role models for students. The program design was informed by best practices in how industry can support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education, as well as using the best strategies to engage employee volunteers to deliver programs with confidence and cultural responsiveness.

IMPACT

Our work to date has resulted in:

• A robust and sustainable program model that can be adapted for global locations and easily implemented locally
• Expansion of the program throughout the US, Puerto Rico and 12 additional countries, with program materials in 12 languages
• Recognition in 2019 by PR News as Best Volunteer Program of the Year 

Testimonials

“I grew up in a marginalized community where STEM was underrepresented. To put this in perspective, I was bussed to a different school for my high-school AP chemistry classes.

Executing the SEEK program was beyond meaningful to me – these children reminded me of my younger self.

This program is so impactful and can help kids raise the expectation of what their life could be if only they imagined.”

—AbbVie Employee Volunteer