Principles
Six principles guide what Civica Systems builds and how we build it. They are not a platform or a program. They are the commitments we hold ourselves to.
Technology should increase people's ability to understand, choose, and act.
Good tools leave people more capable than they found them. We design products that help people understand their situation, see their options, and act on their own terms, rather than products that decide for them or compete for their attention.
A better society begins with people willing to take responsibility for their own lives and communities.
Responsibility is not a burden we place on others; it is a capacity we can help people build. Our products are meant to support the commitments people choose for themselves and to make following through a little easier.
People accomplish extraordinary things when they are free to form relationships, organizations, and communities around shared purposes.
Clubs, congregations, nonprofits, teams, and neighborhood groups are some of the most effective institutions people have ever built. We want to help people find them, join them, and start new ones.
Many meaningful opportunities to improve society exist close to home.
The neighborhood, the school, and the town are where most people can see the results of their efforts most clearly. We build with local life in mind, because that is where participation usually begins.
People and institutions can become better through learning, reflection, experimentation, and practice.
Growth is usually gradual. We favor tools that reward steady practice and honest reflection, and we hold our own work to the same standard: learning, adjusting, and improving over time.
A free society makes room for disagreement while preserving the ability of people to live and work together.
Civica Systems does not take sides in partisan politics. Our products are for people of every background and viewpoint, and we design them to help people work together on shared goals even when they disagree about much else.