Skip to content

Our Approach

Innovation and collaboration are not mutually exclusive — they feed and build upon each other. Innovation happens through collaboration, and the future will likely be won by those who develop highly collaborative relationships that leverage the collective power of many.

For this reason, Change Often - Social Innovation Firm has developed a Service Fidelity Model that yields innovative products by maximizing collaboration, bridging gaps, and creating viable opportunities for much needed social change to take place.

The contents of this page will provide a look at this model approach — framed in our values and grounded by core competencies.

Modeled for Service Fidelity

Values - Competencies - Outcomes

Service Fidelity Model

Our Values

The values of Change Often are reflected internally in our company culture, as well as externally with our Impact Partners.

  • Growth Mindset 

    To improve is to change. To perfect is to Change Often.

  • Community Stewardship

    We serve our Impact Partners, protect their vision, and impact communities.

  • Integrity

    Do unto others… regardless of who knows it.

  • Quality Delivery

    We are what we repeatedly do, and anything worth doing is worth doing well.

  • Passion Driven

    We still believe that the world can be saved and that the decisions we make today will determine outcomes for generations to come.

  • Igniting Hope

    We inspire the potential for change that’s always been there.

  • Ownership & Accountability

    Together, change is our responsibility.

Core Competencies

The Change Often team’s services and standards are supported by our 3 established core competencies: (1) Project Management, (2) Research & Design, and (3) Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation.

About Change Often (Pitch Deck) - (rev. 08.21.24)

Project Management
Agile approach steeped in our core value of Growth Mindset, enabling us to navigate challenging projects and create unique solutions for change. Explained further, this looks like efficiently managing the facets of each project which include scope (work breakdown), communication (engagement), timeline (schedule), risks, budget (costs), and human resources (the team) in a manner that reflects attention to detail, maintains a bias for action, sources inspiration, chooses resilience, and leverages available resources. 


Research & Design
A Design Thinking and Action Research methodology that centers the community as experts and allows us to solve problems upstream. When activated, this includes us clearly defining the problem to be addressed and arriving at data-driven solutions founded on credible research, accurate interpretation of data, critical thinking, and effective reasoning, then articulating those solutions in a thorough and compelling manner.


Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation
Differentiated and Inclusive Collaboration that reflects and enhances equitable engagement to build consensus and gain buy-in. At our best, we spend time recognizing, being accountable to, and sharing ownership with key stakeholders; employing empathy, self awareness, integrity, and candor; communicating and facilitating proficiently through a DEI lens across multiple stakeholder groups in-person and virtually to build consensus and gain buy-in for change; working with stakeholder groups to turn big ideas into actionable plans that are detail-oriented and responsive to stakeholder wishes.

Upstream - kids in river
Upstream - community conditions
design thinking graphic

Upstream Social Innovation

At Change Often, we believe that true social impact begins with upstream innovation—focusing on the root causes of systemic challenges rather than just addressing symptoms. Upstream social innovation is about identifying potential issues before they escalate and designing interventions that prevent problems from growing.

By taking this proactive approach, we help organizations move beyond reactive measures and foster sustainable, long-term solutions. This forward-thinking philosophy is central to our unique approach, which allows us to empower our partners to create meaningful, lasting change within their communities and beyond.


Design Thinking

Design thinking is a human-centered methodology that focuses on empathy, creativity, and experimentation to solve complex problems. By prioritizing a deep understanding of the people and communities impacted, this approach enables us to develop solutions that are practical, innovative, and tailored to specific needs.

The iterative process of design thinking—exploring possibilities, prototyping ideas, and refining them through feedback—ensures that our solutions are both effective in addressing immediate challenges and adaptable for future needs. By leveraging this methodology, we help organizations implement sustainable, scalable changes that drive long-term success.

Change Often_72

Our Promise

Every project involving our team receives a unique and interdisciplinary approach to ensure that our work fits your needs—regardless of how challenging it may be. Using information from preliminary briefings and researched best practices, we will explain how our collaborative approach to deliver bespoke services can accommodate your needs and ensure successful completion of the project in the designated period.

We appreciate your organization taking the time to learn more about our Firm and look forward to connecting so that we can learn more about you!