Nonprofits Are Messy Podcast

Ep 240: Neighbors First: How to Find Common Ground with Garrett Cathcart

by Joan Garry

We say we “know” our neighbors, but do we really talk to them? Army vet and civic entrepreneur Garret Cathcart joins Joan to share a hopeful, doable model for bringing people together across differences. If you’ve been craving belonging (and a practical path forward), this episode will give you tools and hope.

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Confession time: my wife and I know everyone on our block (names, dogs, grandkids), but do we really talk?

Not about current events. Not about how it all impacts our lives.

And, I’m sure we’re not alone.

Naturally, we all stick with “our people.” After all, it’s safer. Or, at least, it feels easier.

My guest today thinks we can all do better. Garret Cathcart, an Army veteran and co-founder of More Perfect Union (MPU), believes most of us have far more in common than we think. Instead of arguing policy, MPU convenes neighbors for simple, social gatherings, logical service projects, and practical civic action at community “Brickyards.”

There’s no red v. blue. No litmus tests.

Just people showing up for each other – and the places we call home.

Garrett’s model caught my eye (and the Ford Foundation’s). It’s a concrete, replicable, and – dare I say – fun way to build community. Think potlucks, park cleanups, blood drives, and “how city hall works” nights that actually fix potholes. 

The goal isn’t conversion. It’s connection, trust, and ownership of our shared place.If you lead a nonprofit, or you’re just a neighbor who wants your town to work again, this conversation offers a blueprint you can start using today.

TUNE IN TO LEARN:

  • The Brickyard Model’s 3 Pillars: Social to connect, Service to build trust, and Civic Action to build local ownership, all without debating politics.
  • From “Us v. Them” to “We”: How shoulder-to-shoulder service (yes, even barbecue and clothing drives) rehumanizes people we’re told to fear and strengthens our communities.
  • Measuring What Matters: Early outcome metrics (intergroup empathy, intellectual humility, values-based listening) and MPU’s new tool with Stanford.
  • How To Make It Stick: Cadence, budgets, and “ownership moments” that turn one-offs into a community habit (and create a thriving new town square).

  • A Playbook Any Nonprofit Can Borrow: Stop preaching to the choir; convene the middle 80% with practical, non-performative ways to help build connection right where we live.

KEY QUOTES:

  • “[S]ocial connections first, right? We do that to build understanding with each other.”
    – Garret Cathcart
  • “[T]hen service is how… we build trust with each other and the community.” – Garret Cathcart
  • “I want this to be a place where the middle 80 goes. And when there’s a place that the middle 80 goes, the majority of people have power, collective power.” – Garret Cathcart

  • “[I]t is going to repair and rebuild the social and civic fabric of the country.” – Garret Cathcart

  • “[T]here is, in fact, something you can tangibly do to actually take this polarized world of ours and try to make it feel human and American, truly American in the fullest sense of the word.”
    – Joan Garry

ABOUT GUEST:

In 2021, Garrett joined + More Perfect Union as the Co-Founder and Executive Director. He leads the mission to establish the nonprofit as the next-generation civic and service organization. + MPU’s mission is to build connections with people who would not otherwise meet, through social gatherings, service and civic events at local chapters called Brickyards.

Prior to joining + MPU, Garrett served as the founding Executive Director of Mission Roll Call, a national organization that provides veterans a powerful and unified voice in public policy, and as the first Southeast Regional Director of veteran service organization Team Red, White and Blue. Garrett served 9 years as a United States Army Cavalry officer and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. His awards include three Bronze Star Medals, an Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device and a Meritorious Service Medal.

RESOURCES:

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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