FAQ & PARTICIPANT PORTAL
Welcome to the Participant Portal! This page is meant to be a living resource and will centralize all the things you will need to know for the National Season. If you are a Team Captain, save the date for the onboarding meeting on August 25th at 2 PM.
+ What is Catalyst Games?
Many companies do not have the internal resources to produce authentic team building experiences or corporate social responsibility tactics, yet we know they are both a vital part of recruiting, retention and overall employee engagement. This is where Catalyst Games comes in.
Our mission is to enhance companies’ culture and camaraderie through friendly competition that creates tangible impact in the community. We identify the most pressing cause area to support at the local level and work with nonprofits to create impactful experiences for the business community to engage. Each season culminates in an exciting “day of games”' where company teams compete to raise funds for select nonprofit organizations.
Catalyst Games was founded in Austin, Texas in 2012 and runs programs in Austin, Denver, and Atlanta with more coming soon.
+ How does the Catalyst Games model work?
Catalyst Games uses competition as a way to engage our participants and unify teams and communities. It’s embedded into every part of the experience.
- We Listen and Plan - we work with stakeholders to identify pressing issues to tackle
- We Connect and Rally - We kick off the season with a Pep Rally to galvanize teams around the cause area and gear up for the competition
- We Facilitate Action - we curate experiences and volunteer opportunities that create connective tissue between participants, teams, and our nonprofit partners
- We Play and Celebrate - the season culminates with a day of games where teams compete to raise funds for their chosen partner nonprofit and we celebrate our participants’ impact at a fun-filled awards ceremony
- We Learn and Do it Again - We facilitate ongoing connections, share updates and impact from the season and additive programming.
+ How has Catalyst Games pivoted during COVID-19?
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.” It’s even harder to engage employees, create opportunities for teams to build trust, and maintain company culture in a remote environment. We’ve pivoted to a unifying National Season where companies from around the country will play and compete in a virtual season of volunteering and immersive games. You can read more about the pivot here.
+ How do we help companies build stronger, more productive teams?
Catalyst Games offers a variety of shared experiences that engage the diverse personalities of our participants.
- Experiences with a layer of competition unifies teams and creates purpose
- Participation creates opportunities for contribution for a diverse range of personalities
- Shared experiences over the course of a season creates trust and fosters vulnerability, communication, and leadership
- Unifying and working towards a common goal while having fun bolsters morale and bonds teams
Some of our participants have been playing for almost a decade!
About Participating in the National Season
+ Why should my company participate in the National Season?
A brand new remote environment has drastically changed how companies build and maintain culture and more than ever, companies are looking for ways to keep morale high and their team engaged, communicating, and connected. Catalyst Games provides companies with a turnkey team-building solution using fun and immersive virtual games and experiences. We’ve done the research and tested the activities for you!
+ What’s the minimum number of employees needed to participate?
Teams as small as 5 can participate but we recommend at least 10 members.
+ There are a maximum of 25 athletes. Does that mean only 25 people can participate?
No, athletes are the players for just the game portion of the competition. Additional employees can participate in volunteer activities and fun team-building activities in September for bonus points.
+ It’s awesome that the National Season has multiple activities to choose from. How do we get organized?
The Catalyst Games program works hard to create and provide resources, tools, and playbooks for our participating teams. Each company will elect 1-2 team captains. The Team Captain’s job is to remind your employee participants for what’s on the schedule. The National Season Team Captain meeting is on Tuesday, August 25th. The Team Captain role is an amazing leadership opportunity.
+ How does the competition, games, and winning the National Season work?
Teams will earn bonus points for volunteering and participating in other activities for impact in September. The bonus points earned during this time will be added to each team’s overall score during the competition season.
There are 3 games during the Competition Season that will determine the National Championship bracket - The Cookie Relay Challenge, Virtual Trivia, and an immersive Escape Room for time. The top 8 competitors will move on to the National Championship bracket for 2 of the previous games and a mystery challenge. A Relay challenge will determine the top 4, the Escape Room will determine the final 2, and the Mystery Challenge will crown the winner.
+ Are there events during the National Season that gather all participants?
Yes! We’ll be kicking the Competition Season off with a galvanizing Pep Rally that anyone at your company can attend as well as the end-of-the-season Awards Party.
+ Are all event opportunities mandatory? What events do we need participation in?
September’s Volunteer Season for bonus points is not mandatory but very much encouraged. Your team is welcome to participate in as few or as many activities in September as you’d like. Volunteer hours are grouped for points so teams that do all the activities aren’t so far ahead in bonus points that the competition can’t catch up. Anything can happen!
We highly recommend playing in all the Qualifying games, attending the Pep rally to create excitement internally, and celebrating with us at the Awards Party. Even if you don’t win the competition, we’ll also be celebrating your team spirit with culture and impact awards!
+ We want to win! Have any tips?
Absolutely! Below are some of the ways our winning teams get one up over the competition.
- Come to have fun on purpose! Teams that come to have fun together recover from setbacks faster and cheer each other on. This creates a safe environment for people to do their best.
- Put a diverse group of people together. Bigger isn’t always better in a competition. Many a team has been surprised by the quiet accountant’s dodgeball moves or creative problem solving in the virtual escape room!
- Communicate, communicate, communicate. Help each other out. If you’ve played sports, it’s about calling for the ball, shot, turn, etc.
- Show your team spirit! Coordinate outfits, make a branded Zoom background, meet-up for a virtual lunch before the cookie challenge. Staying connected and keeping the energy up makes for better teamwork!
- Take turns leading and following. Different challenges require different skills!
About the Nonprofit Partners and Donation
+ What nonprofits are benefitting from the National Season? How were they chosen?
Companies participating make recommendations for nonprofit partners and our team vets and creates experiences with the beneficiaries. The National Season’s nonprofit beneficiaries are:
- Code2College from Austin
- A Precious Child from Denver
- Sheltering Arms from Atlanta
- E4Y from Austin
- Youth on Record from Denver
- Computer Museum of America from Atlanta
Our goal is to create experiences that provide an opportunity for companies and employees to get to know what solutions exist and provide a positive experience. This creates connective tissue that exponentially increases the likelihood of a company using philanthropy and volunteering as a way to enhance culture and engage employees. We work with nonprofits that have the capacity to intake a large amount of volunteers and are able to provide a variety of volunteer opportunities for our corporate partners.
+ What volunteer activities are available in September?
Participants will be able to:
- Attend nonprofit partner meet-and-greets to learn more about the impact our beneficiaries are making in the community
- Mentor up-and-coming high school and college engineers and creatives
- Review resumes and support a virtual career fair
- Facilitate skills-based workshops
- Create supply kits and host supply drives
- Learn how technology has create opportunities and innovation
+ How much money will the National Season donate?
The National Season’s goal is to donate $50,000 back to our nonprofits. The end-of-season donation amount will depend on the number of participating teams. We estimate that the total donation amount will be between $25,000 - $50,000.
+ Will my company be able to track volunteer hours?
Yes! The POINTapp will track each company’s volunteer activities. You will be able to see who volunteered, how many hours, which activities, and see how your company is stacking up. This is great data for companies that want to refine their CSR strategy or companies interested in launching volunteer programs.
+ Can employees or my company donate additional dollars to the nonprofit partners?
Yes! The menu of volunteer opportunities will live in the POINTapp. Employees can personally donate through there. If you have a donation matching program, you will be able to track what employees donated. Additionally, companies can choose to donate additional dollars to the nonprofit(s) of their choice, which will be presented at the Awards Ceremony. This is a great option for companies that want to maximize exposure and brand awareness.
About the Volunteer Pre-Season
+ What is the Volunteer Preseason?
Philanthropy and friendly competition is the heart of Catalyst Games. In addition to 3 interactive virtual competitions taking place during the Competition Season in October, teams are also challenged to partake in a series of virtual volunteer events throughout September to earn “bonus points” to help them during the Competition Season.
This season, Catalyst Games is rallying teams around supporting nonprofit partners that are creating greater access to opportunity by tackling issues like STEAM education, workforce readiness, early childhood development, and entrepreneurship to create generational change in underserved communities.
We are encouraging teams and players to support and interact with our nonprofit partners by participating and volunteering in opportunities that foster leadership and community engagement in their community. Each team will select one of our nonprofit partners to play on behalf of during the Competition Season.
+ How do Teams / Players Sign Up to Volunteer?
Teams will access the menu of volunteer opportunities via the POINTapp, an intuitive volunteer platform that not only enables individuals to sign up for their desired volunteer opportunities, but also allows competing teams to view and track activities participated in, the number of hours, and how they’re faring compared to other teams. Teams should receive their POINTapp registration information from their Team Captains.
+ There are a maximum of 25 athletes. Does that mean only 25 people can participate?
No, athletes are the players for just the game portion of the competition. Additional employees can participate in volunteer activities and fun team-building activities in September for bonus points.
+ Why Should Teams/Players Volunteer?
Volunteering is a unique opportunity to engage your company and team with issues facing their community and provides them with the resources and opportunities to interact with the organizations and community leaders fostering change. Volunteering is also a great way to show off your team spirit and company culture! Nothing brings people together like a common purpose - it’s even more fun with a little competition. Did we mention the bonus points?!
About the Competition Season
+ What is the Competition Season?
During the month of October, teams participate in 3 interactive virtual competitions.. The better a team does in each challenge, the more points they earn. After all 3 virtual competitions are complete, the Top 8 teams with the highest point totals (including bonus points from the Volunteer Season) will move on to a three round, single elimination National Championship bracket.
The National Championship bracket will include a new relay challenge to help whittle down the competition and identify the Top 4. The next challenge will bring back an even harder virtual escape room as teams battle it out for the Top 2 spots. The Top 2 teams will be tasked with completing a week-long team-building challenge before facing off in a live-streamed National Championship & Award Show. The National Championship will be partially judged via a live audience vote.
+ When are the competition challenges?
Qualifying Rounds presented by Titos Handmade Vodka
- October 08th - The Cookie Relay Challenge sponsored by Bennet Thrasher, LLP
- October 15th - The Virtual Trivia Challenge Sponsored by Titos Handmade Vodla
- October 22st - The Virtual Escape Room Challenge Sponsored by Bold Lega, LLC
National Bracket
- October 28th - Top 8 - The Extreme Cookie Relay Challenge
- October 29th - Top 4 - The Virtual Escape Room Challenge
- October 30th - Top 2 - Mystery Challenge Announced
November 12th - Live-Streamed National Championship & Awards Party
+ How are points allocated during each Qualifying Round?
The Cookie Relay Challenge and Escape Room Challenge will be timed and the teams with the fastest times earn the most points. The Trivia Challenge will be determined by the teams who correctly answer the most questions. Each competition will award the following point totals:
- 1st Place - 5 points
- 2nd Place - 4 points
- 3rd Place - 3 points
- All other participating teams - 2 points
+ How many players are eligible to compete in each competition?
While companies are encouraged to recruit and engage as many employees as they like to participate in the Volunteer Season, team-building activities, Pep Rally and Awards Party, companies are limited to recruiting 25 players to compete in the Competition Season. Teams as small as 5 can participate but we recommend at least 10 members.
Teams may utilize any of the 25 players from their official Team Roster to compete in each challenge. Each challenge is limited to a specific number of players:
- The Cookie Relay Challenge - 10 Players (minimum of 5 required)
- The Virtual Trivia Challenge - 8 Players
- The Virtual Escape Room Challenge - 7 Players
Other Frequently Asked Questions
+ What is the Virtual Pep Rally?
Catalyst Games is kicking off the competition with a Virtual Pep Rally on Thursday, October 1 at 4:00 PM CT! The Competition Season launches with a party to help galvanize your team and connect our participating companies, nonprofit partners, and sponsors. The Pep Rally is open to any employee at any participating company.
+ How do “game days” work - how do players login for a challenge?
Catalyst Games will distribute a weekly newsletter to all teams with instructions and links to each week’s challenge. Joining a challenge will be as simple as clicking a link.
All events will be hosted via the online cloud-based peer-to-peer video and social platform, ZOOM. All Catalyst Games National Season participants will need a ZOOM account to participate. Sign up for your free ZOOM account here.
Teams should only send the maximum allotted number of players to “game day” competition.
+ What is the National Championship & Awards Party?
We encourage all of our companies and their volunteers, players, and employees to join the National Championship live-stream and Awards Party on Thursday, November 12 at 4:00 PM CT,, as we celebrate the season’s accomplishment, distribute Spirit & Cultural Awards, and crown our National Champion LIVE! Our audience will be essential to determining the National Champion between our Top 2 teams via a live vote! The National Championship and Awards Party is open to any employee at any participating company.
+ When and how does my team select our nonprofit to represent during the season?
All teams are required to select one of our nonprofit partners to play on behalf of during the competition season. Teams are encouraged to get to know all of our nonprofit partners during the Volunteer Preseason. Teams will announce which nonprofit they’d like to play for by submitting a brief Team Video by Monday, September 27. All videos will be screened during the Pep Rally on October 1st.
+ What is the Team Video?
The Team Video is designed to introduce your company, team, and chosen nonprofit to the world. It’s also an opportunity to show off your company culture and team spirit! All teams must record a brief Team Video and submit to the Catalyst Games team on or before Monday, September 27th. All videos will be screened during the Pep Rally on October 1st. Use our How to Create & Submit a Team Announcement Video Guidelines & Requirements.