Creating the Future’s Integrity Body (Board) Meeting:
Monday, September 8, 2025
10am-12pm Pacific time / 1pm-3pm Eastern time / 6pm-8pm UK time
Topic:
Shifting Plans in a Changing World
Watch the meeting LIVE at this post. Just scroll to the very bottom of the page.
Details about how to participate are below.
Changing Plans as the World Changes
In 2023, Creating the Future charted a course for what’s next for our mission. That path was clear (and still is).
- Our mission: to make the powerful questions of Catalytic Thinking ubiquitous
- To accomplish that within the 10 years of our mission (year-end 2026), we would create a library of Catalytic Thinking resources, leaving that library as our legacy.
- We would also engage deeply with folks who are already teaching about social change, so that people can learn Catalytic Thinking where they are already learning
- As part of that library, we will document the learnings from the 30+ demonstration projects we have done in our 10 years, creating case studies that folks can consider in their own work.
- The first step in that process is therefore to fundraise, to gather the resources needed for a team to do that documentation work – interviewing folks, writing up the case studies, posting them to the library
That resourcing piece has been a big part of our work this year, researching and talking with foundation leaders as we seek the right fit. Because Creating the Future’s work does not easily fit into most funding categories, even in normal times this has not been simple.
As the year has progressed, it is clear we are no longer in normal times. That has made the search for funds even more challenging.
Our plans therefore need to adapt. Not just our funding plans, but also how we will do the work. Since crafting those plans, AI has burst onto the scene in a huge way. That could change how the project happens, and could significantly alter our funding needs.
All of that is what our Integrity Team will begin discussing at our September meeting. And as always, the conversation will be a whole lot richer if you are at the table with us!
How to Prepare
First, let us know if you plan to attend by sending a note at this link.
Second, please look through the links throughout this post, to familiarize yourself with the topic at hand. Our planning to get to this point has been extensive and community-driven, so those links will help you be up to speed for this important conversation.
Third, if you are not familiar with Catalytic Thinking or the Integrity functions of our board, the following will be helpful:
The Catalytic Thinking Framework is described at this link, with links to videos and other documents that can help you understand the framework. You can also check out the questions that guide Catalytic Thinking at this link and in this Catalytic Thinking overview. We recommend having those questions available during the meeting, to spark your thinking during the discussion.
To get a sense of the context of our Integrity Board, this post introduces our thinking about that.
3 Ways to participate
If you have never been part of Creating the Future’s work, all our strategy and board meetings are open and participatory, for anyone who wants to be part of the discussion. You can see more about that at this link.
Where we meet:
The board meeting will take place online via Zoom. You can watch it right here at this post. If the video does not appear precisely on time, please be patient – we are probably just running a few minutes late.
There are 3 ways you can participate in our meetings.
- If you are already familiar with and committed to Creating the Future’s work, and you would like to be actively involved in the meeting discussion side-by-side at our online “meeting table,” let us know, and we will send you an invitation to join us online. Read more here about what it means to participate in that way. (Please note that these seats are limited, to ensure everyone’s voice can be heard. If you are not able to be in the room with us, no worries – there are still two other ways to share your insights with us!)
- If you want to participate but are unable to be in the meeting itself (perhaps you’re at work, or maybe at home with kids running around, etc.), watch the live-stream in real time and share your questions and ideas to us in the chat stream in YouTube. We read those comments aloud during the meeting, just as if you were there. This is a great first step for those who are not as familiar with our work, but want to get more involved.
To participate in this way, come to this page at the time of the meeting. You will see the meeting streaming at the bottom of the page here. At the bottom of that video, you will see the words “Watch on YouTube.” Click through, and you can follow directly on YouTube and comment there.
(Please note: We will only see your comments if you write them on the Youtube page with the live stream. In addition, during the meeting, we will not look at blog comments here at this post. While we will check those comments later, during the meeting we will only be following the comments at Youtube.)
- Lastly, if you want to simply watch, or you want to think about what you’re hearing and respond later – or if you will be watching the recording after the meeting happens – please add your thoughts into the comments here at this post. We will include that thinking into the mix of things.
We look forward to your being part of the discussion!
* All Creating the Future’s board meetings are open for anyone to participate, or to watch afterwards. To learn more about the thinking behind this openness – and our experiences with being open – click here.
Logistics: The meeting will happen right here at this post. Details are below.
Watch the meeting HERE on Monday September 8th
Note: if the meeting does not start on time please be patient as we may be running a few minutes late.