How Be The Ones Turns Civic Life Into Community w/ Cate Mayer

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Civic engagement has a branding problem and Cate Mayer is done pretending it does not. When voting and local government feel dry, confusing, and closed-off, most people do what any normal person would do: they opt out. Cate, founder and executive director of the South Carolina grassroots nonprofit Be the Ones (BeTheOnes.org), makes the case that the issue is rarely apathy. It is often a broken user experience, missing information, and a lack of belonging.

We talk through how Be the Ones builds civic participation like a real community movement: hundreds of listening conversations, clear on-ramps to civic learning, and events that lead with joy through art, music, comedy, and even karaoke with legislators. Along the way, we unpack a marketing lesson that applies to every brand and mission-driven organization: attention is easy to buy, but trust takes time. If we want people to stay engaged after election season, we have to show up consistently, create dialogue, and give people meaningful roles.

Cate also shares how her learning disabilities shaped her leadership style and became a creative advantage in making complex civic systems easier to understand. We dig into third spaces, the loss of everyday community, what younger generations need from leaders right now, and how South Carolina organizing efforts around fair maps and high-visibility community coordination reveal where real power lives.

If you care about community building, nonprofit leadership, civic education, voter engagement, or marketing that actually earns trust, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who has civic fatigue, and leave a review with one thing you will do this week to help someone feel like they belong.

The Harbor House Party Vol. II brings together conversation, connection, and live music for one unforgettable night in Charleston - all while raising funds to support the Harbor Entrepreneur Center.

On September 23, guests can choose how they experience the night, from an intimate VIP gathering at Share House to the roundtable and live music at Music Farm featuring the Futurebirds.

HarborEC.org

Join Camp Happy Days on Saturday, September 19th for Happy Steps, a 5K run/walk on Sullivan's Island in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The race starts and finishes at The Island Club, where we invite you to stick around for the afterparty featuring food, drinks, raffles, auction items, music, and race awards — all benefiting Camp Happy Days and the children and families we serve. 

https://www.camphappydays.org/happysteps

How can Charleston businesses get noticed, found and chosen? The Charleston Marketing Podcast, brought to you by Charleston AMA and recorded at Charleston Media Solutions, answers the marketing and media questions local business owners are asking. We explore media buying, advertising budgets, radio, digital marketing, storytelling and the customer journey, with practical strategies for growing your business in today’s attention economy. CharlestonMediaSolutions.com

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

CAMACast Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen, 

Silicon Harbor Hot Take Host: Stanfield Gray, https://digsouth.com

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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