Social Movements for Good: How Companies and Causes Create Viral Change

Chapter 3Creating a Movement…Finding Value in Every Individual

Adam Braun

Founder, Pencils of Promise

In 2008, Adam Braun, then an analyst for Bain and Company, founded the organization Pencils of Promise, with a mission to provide quality education to children in various countries to ensure they could excel and lead a prosperous life. The model he created focuses on the development of an educational environment in which locals provide quality education with a manager who deeply supports each child and nurtures their ability to learn and grow. This story of Adam is shared in his book, The Promise of a Pencil.

Although the full story of why he founded Pencils of Promise can be discovered in his book, the focus of our time together was on what he learned from creating the Pencils of Promise movement. This organization has grown to have more than 200 schools supporting more than 30,000 students. After a careful review of the Pencils of Promise model and in talking with Adam, it was clear that the organization was built on the power of the individual to affect change and believe in the concept of education Adam was able to convey. Adam's core work around movement building also yielded its most success when he was able to help the individual donor and activist in the circle of the organization understand the power of their action. All of this can be found in the excerpts and concepts that follow.

Movement Message

From the beginning, Adam was intentional about never using the word ...