Posted on Tuesday, 5th January 2010 by chris wignall

As we enter our third year, Catalyst is becoming more committed than ever to encourage and support the dreams of our partners and the many other organizations, students, leaders, and friends that we interact with. We long to share in, hear, and tell amazing stories.
We are currently preparing for our annual strategic planning process. As [...]

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Posted on Monday, 9th November 2009 by chris wignall

A few weeks ago I posted an explanation that Catalyst is not a “Christian Foundation”. That has prompted some conversations both outside and within our organization.
Today I read an article from Dr. John Stackhouse that provided a well reasoned explanation of similar thinking. In part he writes:
I deliberately did not support the United Way Campaign [...]

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Posted on Monday, 9th November 2009 by chris wignall

It may be the economic issues, poor strategy, or just circumstance; but there are a lot of charities struggling to overcome revenue gaps these days. Over and over again I hear people describing the current fundraising climate as unprecedented. What none of us seem certain on is whether we’re in a period of chaos that [...]

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Posted on Friday, 6th November 2009 by chris wignall

I have been waiting to be able to announce this:
(Click image for link to more info)
8 Canadian funders have together pledged $1Million to support capacity building for Canadian Christian charities next year. A single application process will give access to all the funders and grants of between $5000 and $30000 to support projects related to [...]

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Posted on Tuesday, 29th September 2009 by chris wignall

The short answer is no.
The slightly longer answer is that while both the Executive Director and the founders of Catalyst are deeply committed to a life-changing experience of Jesus Christ we don’t work with only organizations that label themselves as “christian” and we don’t label Catalyst that way either. We are eager to work with [...]

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Posted on Tuesday, 29th September 2009 by chris wignall

In a couple hours I’m meeting with about 100 high school students inviting them to join in our Leadership Program where they’ll be challenged to discover, explore, and take action on their dreams of doing good for others. I really love the time I get to spend with tenagers in this program.
One of the stories [...]

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Posted on Thursday, 10th September 2009 by chris wignall

Next month I will be participating in the Why Everything Must change conference in Oakville, ON. It promises to be an excellent gathering of some of the most intriguing people involved in global matters of justice and spirituality.

I’ll have the chance to be among an inspiring gathering and also lead a post-conference session on what [...]

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Posted on Friday, 21st August 2009 by chris wignall

The global humanitarian crises are desperate and sadly appear all too permanent. Statistics and stories from boooks like Billion Bootstraps, Out of Poverty, and Dead Aid reveal the lasting ineffectiveness of the billions we’ve poured into the developing world for decades. There has to be a better way.
At the recent Willow Creek Leadership Summit Andrew [...]

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Posted on Wednesday, 10th June 2009 by chris wignall

On June 7th we celebrated with the 5 recipients of Catalyst Scholarships for graduating students from the Halton Public School board. Pictured above with Catalyst founders Shirley and Doug Alexander are: KJ Lukas, Ashley Haick, Haylee Bloxham, Neel Dhingani, and Bhavini Tailor. In addition to a financial gift (administered by the good people at the [...]

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Posted on Thursday, 21st May 2009 by chris wignall

A couple quick comments to non-profit leaders on how to get funding from Catalyst and most other foundations that I communicate with.
1. Don’t send me an uninvited, impersonal, and obviously form letter requesting funds. I will not respond positively. Take even a few minutes to give me a call or read some of our website [...]

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