Don’t Just Be the Change – Build It
December 11, 2025 | By David M. Wagner
Yesterday I got to hang out with about 60 amazing nonprofit professionals – all because I saw a need and wanted to fill it.
As a leader, I hope you can apply my experience to creating the change you’d like to see in the world.
You’ve heard the adage before: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I think that’s good advice. And I want to add to it with this challenge:
Don’t just be the change you want to see. Build it.
There’s likely a lot in the world you would change if you could. And you can’t.
But there are some things you have the capacity, the knowledge, and the drive to change – whether in your region, your profession, your mission, your organization, or just in your own day-to-day experience.
Do Your Research
When I moved to Portland, ME, this summer, I was looking forward to meeting other people in the area who work in and with nonprofits.
So I asked a bunch of people about where I could go – I talked with the Maine Association of Nonprofits, the Portland Chamber of Commerce, and every local nonprofit person I met.
They all confirmed two things:
There weren’t existing, local networking opportunities geared toward nonprofit professionals, and
There was a lot of interest in attending (though less energy for creating) those opportunities.
I also learned about some resources I had considered offering, like workshops or leadership roundtables, that already existed to some extent.
When you think about something you’d like to change, ask around: What’s already working? Where is there an unmet need? What interest is there in the thing you’re considering building?
Find Aligned Helpers
I have some experience with organizing events…but I am not an event planner. On top of that, I’m new here and barely know my way around.
Fortunately, many of the same people who confirmed the need for a nonprofit networking event also offered their help.
They helped brainstorm ideas for a format for the event. Venues. Catering. Ways for attendees to quickly identify their mission areas or roles. Suggestions for prompting meaningful conversations.
They promoted the event. Even volunteered their time to help check in attendees.
It takes a small village to make anything happen – this event was no different!
When you’ve confirmed that there’s interest in the change you’d like to build, seek out people who can help you. Who knows what you don’t? Who has capacity or experience you need? Who shares your goals and vision?
Start Small, Learn, Adapt
I heard a lot of brilliant ideas for what this event could look like, all of which I would love to make happen…someday!
But I know that starting small is the fastest way to having a big impact.
So I decided:
Any size event (even just a few people!) would be a success.
I would use the experience to try things and learn what worked and what didn’t for this kind of event.
I would ask attendees to help shape the design of future events.
Each time I considered making the event bigger or more complex, I came back to those three principles. Just get the first one under my belt – I can always do more in the future.
That helped keep the event planning manageable. And I did learn a lot – and got a ton of amazing feedback from everyone who came out.
When you’re ready to start building with your helpers, start small. What’s the smallest, easiest version you could build first? How can you structure it to learn and adapt in future iterations?
At its core, leadership is about spotting opportunities to make the world (however small you define that) a little better and taking the initiative to seize those opportunities with others. Do your research. Start small. And don’t do it alone. If you need a sounding board for the change you want to build in the world, let’s connect.