Cruel, Vindictive Culture; Only "Yes Men" Rewarded - Anonymous employee Catalyst Employee Review

I had the privilege of working at Catalyst for 16 months, and it was a very rewarding experience. The small team I had the privilege of being a part of was incredibly supportive, fostering collaboration and a true sense of camaraderie. Though the organization, and my department specifically, went through a lot of change over my 16 months at the company, I felt the changes made sense strategically for the organization and were necessary for long term success of the org. My department had recently joined the larger marketing team and it was a shift I was excited about. I was very impressed with the leadership from the new Chief Marketing Officer as he genuinely cared about the team's culture and dynamic, in addition to its overall success. I think there are so many exciting things to come under his leadership. Another highlight of my time was contributing to the company's mission, which is both meaningful and important. The work we did at Catalyst truly made a difference, and it was inspiring to be a part of an organization dedicated to such impactful initiatives. There are so many kind and hard working people at this company, all driven by a shared commitment to a purposeful mission. It was wonderful to be a part of that. Additionally, as a working mom, I was grateful Catalyst offered a very flexible work schedule, allowing for a healthy work-life balance, and the flexibility I needed. The 35 hour work week was also a fantastic perk!

Opportunities for improvement within the org: I was looking for more career path opportunities and opportunities for longer term growth. I also think continuing to hone in on the best way to solicit employee feedback as well as communicate out updates and other important information out to the broader team, will be helpful. There are also some overly complex processes that hinder being able to move quickly or get decisions made.

I honestly don’t know anymore. The good people are gone. The rest of us are just trying to get through the week without losing it.

We just had another townhall, and I walked away more confused than when it started. Leadership announced a plan to grow our “community” by 5x. Nobody explained what that means, how we’re measuring it, or even where the starting number came from. It sounded made up, like someone just liked the way it sounded in a slide deck. We’ve been here before. A few years back, there was a push to double the number of Supporters. That plan nearly broke the place. Instead of growth, we got layoffs, burnout, and chaos. Now it feels like we’re repeating history, only bigger and with less trust left to spend. Every leader has their own version of the strategy. One talks about AI. Another about agility. Another about “right-sizing.” It’s all buzzwords. None of it connects or lasts longer than six months. Maybe they’re not aligned. Maybe they just don’t know. Either way, it’s chaos. The specialists are gone. The experts are gone. Everyone left is trying to do three jobs and keep their heads down. Nobody knows what’s real anymore. The people who’ve been here the longest look completely drained. The rest of us are just hoping to make it through another reorg.