How Do You Build Something That Lasts 20 Years? | Cat Corral

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8 minutes ago

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How do you turn an idea into something people keep coming back to for 20 years?

Get To Know Cat Corral

Cat Corral, Co-Founder & Artistic/Executive Director of transcenDANCE, joins Adventures in Business Live with Amani Roberts and Mandi Graziano. In 2005, 75 teenagers auditioned for 12 spots in her first dance program. There was no funding or dedicated space, just a vision. Today, the nonprofit reaches about 1,800 San Diego students annually, combining dance with mental health support, meals, college readiness and scholarships. Cat explains how she built a community that draws alumni back years after they leave.

Build Something That Meets a Real Need

When Cat Corral began recruiting students for a dance program in 2005, she had no dedicated space, funding or finished program to show them. She had a vision and 12 available spots. Seventy-five students from two San Diego high schools showed up to audition.

“It was a vision. It was an idea.”

That response gave Corral an early indication that young people wanted what she was trying to build. More than 20 years later, transcenDANCE reaches about 1,800 students annually through school partnerships and two studios. Keeping the organization running required learning how to fundraise, build a team and work with a board. Corral credits volunteers, mentors and supporters with helping her figure those things out.

For anyone developing an idea, her experience offers useful questions:

Who needs what you want to create?
What response are you getting from those people?
Who could help you put the idea into practice?
What skills will you need to learn along the way?

Corral connects the organization’s staying power to the impact students experienced and carried into their families, schools and communities. That impact gave people a reason to support the work.

Give People a Reason to Stay Connected

At transcenDANCE’s 20th anniversary celebration, former students traveled back to participate. Some were in college. Others had careers and families.

Mandi Graziano attended the event and noticed how many alumni returned to help. She asked Corral how those relationships lasted so long.

Corral said the work begins when a student first walks through the door. Staff and teaching artists intentionally create opportunities to build trust, talk about their experiences and get to know one another.

“We’re always revisiting the intentional work of building relationships.”

Adults model openness by talking about their own lives. Students participate at their own pace, with some spending as many as 10 years in the program.

For anyone leading a team or community, that approach can mean:

Making the welcome personal from the beginning
Giving people time to build trust
Creating opportunities to contribute beyond attendance
Helping longtime members welcome newer people

Over time, students begin taking responsibility for the experience of others. Corral sees that ownership when they work to make younger or newer students feel seen, heard and valued.

Consider a Partnership Before Starting From Scratch

Asked what she would tell someone who wanted to start a nonprofit, Corral first answered with a laugh: “Run!”

She then explained how much work it takes to build and sustain an organization. Her commitment to the mission didn’t mean she understood everything the job would require.

“I was very naive in what it would require.”

Her advice is to investigate existing organizations before taking on the responsibility of creating a new one. A partnership or fiscal sponsorship may offer a way to try a project without immediately building the full organization around it.

Before starting, consider:

Which organizations already serve the community you want to reach?
Where does your idea connect with their work?
Could you collaborate on a smaller project?
Is fiscal sponsorship an option worth investigating?

Corral spent years learning the operational side of nonprofit leadership. She encourages others to understand those responsibilities and look for people already doing related work before deciding how to move forward.

Protect Time for Your Own Creativity

Running a creative organization hasn’t always left Corral with time to create.

There have been periods when leadership responsibilities and motherhood took up so much space that her own creative practice diminished. She felt the effect in how she approached the work, supported her team and connected with students.

“It’s been a practice to carve out that dedicated time for myself and protect it fiercely.”

At the time of the interview, Corral was dancing twice a week and participating in a somatics practitioner training program. She also acknowledged that protecting that time still required effort.

For someone who feels too busy to begin, she recommends starting small:

Write in a journal for five minutes
Sketch something in the morning
Move your body in your living room
Choose a day or time you can realistically protect

The goal is to make a commitment small enough to keep, then build on it. Setting an ambitious schedule and struggling to follow through can leave people discouraged before they establish a practice.

Corral’s advice gives creativity a manageable place in the day, even when there isn’t room for a major project.