INTRODUCTION
Welcome! By engaging with this Framework for Action you are taking the first steps on your
quest to being fearless. We created the Framework—complemented by a series of Stories
of Action that highlight fearless, real world organizations—as a tool to help change agents at
nonprofits and other social sector groups understand what actions they can take to implement a
fearless approach.
THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF A FEARLESS APPROACH TO SOCIAL CHANGE
1
2
4
REACH BEYOND
YOUR BUBBLE
5
MAKE BIG BETS
AND MAKE HISTORY
LET URGENCY
CONQUER FEAR
EXPERIMENT EARLY
AND OFTEN
3
Set audacious, not incremental, goals.
Don’t be afraid to go first.
MAKE FAILURE MATTER
Failure teaches. Learn from it.
It’s comfortable to go it alone.
But innovation happens
at intersections.
Don’t overthink
and overanalyze. Do.
We designed this Be Fearless Framework for Action to provide social sector leaders,
practitioners and others with tangible and tactical steps on their journey to take risks, be
bold and fail forward. We hope it empowers change agents within an organization to better
understand the extent to which their organization’s actions and behaviors reflect one or
more of the Be Fearless principles. This Framework offers a range of ideas about how an
organization’s actions may change over time as it becomes more fearless. While exploring these
recommendations, you may discover even more ideas for how your organization specifically may
embrace the Be Fearless principles.
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