The Social Change Diaries

What does it take to build a durable democratic future in which people can know that their government is working to make their lives better?   In this episode of the Social Change Diaries, Dr. Carmen Rojas, president and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, reflects on philanthropy's role in doubling down on protecting communities clearly under attack by investing in community power to advance...

What would it take to reimagine democracy? In this episode of the Social Change Diaries, Nwamaka Agbo, CEO of Kataly Foundation, explores the relationship between democracy, wealth, power, and repair. Nwamaka challenges philanthropy to move beyond traditional models of control by redistributing resources, trusting communities, and supporting community-led approaches to building a more just and sus...

How can philanthropy move money at the speed of change? In this episode of the Social Change Diaries, Ruth Shaber, Founder and President of Tara Health Foundation, reflects on the foundation's decision to spend down by 2030 and what it means to move money with urgency, flexibility, and purpose. Ruth and Vanessa also explore philanthropy's role in advancing gender equity, protecting democracy, and...

In this episode of the Social Change Diaries podcast, Glen Galaich, CEO of Stupski Foundation challenges us to reimagine philanthropy's role in protecting our democracy by breaking the fake rules that preserve a system, but not the people it was designed to serve. Glen shares details of Stupski's spend-down, what he and his team envision for philanthropy, and all of the ways fake rules are getting...

Righting and Writing History: Episode 8, Vanessa is joined by Richard Tate, President and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation. Together, they explore why philanthropy must mobilize more than money, the role of voice, influence, and community power in advancing social change, and what it means to build the power to be well. They also discuss the importance of creating space not only to addres...

Righting and Writing History: On Episode 7, Vanessa is joined by Angelique Power, President & CEO of The Skillman Foundation. Together they discuss the four pillars of community change, the role of foundations to serve as connective tissue for the future-building youth who are driving change in Detroit, why public schools should be at the center of policy change, and the strength that comes from D...

Righting and Writing History: Episode 6 Vanessa is joined by Jen Ford Reedy, President of the Bush Foundation. In conversation, they explore the importance of long-term thinking, strategic communications understood as programs work, and the way that multiple narratives enrich our understanding of our democracy.

What can philanthropy do to bolster the power of people to participate in our government for the people and by the people? What role has the information environment played in the deterioration of our democratic guardrails? What can we learn from periods like this before, or elsewhere, to map out how we can build a stronger democracy and economy that simultaneously advances human well-being?  This...

Righting and Writing History: Episode 4, Vanessa is joined by Keenya Lambert, President and CEO at the Chicago Foundation for Women. Together they explore the incredible change that has been advanced to this moment through our democratic history, and what it will take to build the infrastructure for lasting change for women and gender expansive people.  

In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Alesha Washington, President & CEO of the Seattle Foundation. At the foundation, Alesha leads efforts to inspire transformative philanthropy with the objective of fostering a joyful region of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice. With her leadership, the foundation has set a refreshed strategic direction, elevated its positioning on key issues like afford...

In this discussion, Vanessa sits down with Kevin Walker, President of Northwest Area Foundation, who leads efforts to advance racial, social, and economic justice across eight states and 76 Native nations, including a longstanding commitment to Native-led organizations. Their conversation explores lessons learned in periods of crisis, and how foundations can contribute to a strong democracy. Exami...

Vanessa kicks off season seven with Supriya Lopez Pillai, President of the Libra Foundation. As a philanthropic leader with nearly three decades in social movements and 20 years in institutional philanthropy, Supriya contributes to an inspiring discussion about how philanthropic leaders can meet the challenges we face today. Their conversation touches on the importance of reflection on the origins...

In our final episode for season 6 of the Social Change Diaries Podcast, Communications Strategist and Wakeman Agency CEO, Vanessa Wakeman sits in the interviewee chair, sharing her latest insights. Joined by Camaro West, Executive Director of Peace is Loud, a nonprofit that uses the power of storytelling to advance gender justice, Vanessa dives into how nonprofits can surface narratives to prompt...

Listen in for a fantastic conversation on the growing field of nonprofit news and how this model transforms how stories are told, and information is shared in our society. In this episode of the Social Change Diaries podcast, Vanessa is joined by Courtney Lewis, Chief of Growth Programs at the Institute for Nonprofit News, an organization that works with over 500 nonprofit news organizations commi...

In our most recent episode, Vanessa dives into how to bring narratives to life, with our guest Anat Shenker-Osorio, Principal and Founder of ASO Communications. Their conversation examines how social change communicators can approach language, specifically when it is contested, and how to increase impact for meaningful and transformative change on social issues. See this episode on our website .

The Social Change Diaries podcast does it again—bringing you crucial conversations about what's driving today's social change communications landscape. In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, a consultancy that partners with organizations to drive narrative change and civic engagement, especially with, and for, communities of color. Together, they...

In this episode of our newly launched Social Change Diaries Podcast, we dive into the question of how social change can use storytelling to change culture through narratives. The discussion features Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, in conversation with Vanessa Wakeman, and explores the power of storytelling to tackle deeply held beliefs, language as a medium of cultural...

In another engaging conversation, we tackle the question: What would narrative ecosystems look like if we could totally redesign who participates in crafting the story? In this important conversation, Vanessa is joined by Tracie Powell, CEO and Founder of The Pivot Fund, which works to shift power through equitable journalism funding by investing in independent community-led news organizations. Re...

Our first episode features the conversation between Vanessa and Dr. Safiya U. Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, as she shares the impact of algorithmic injustice and how it shapes storytelling.

At no point in recent history has civil rights been so loudly at the forefront of everyday life, in multiple ways. The tidal wave of shared trauma ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent slew of racially motivated murders presents glaring questions  and implications around civil rights and how this moment can be a springboard for true systemic change. As an expert in policies, laws and...

In this episode, Global Press Founder, Cristi Hegranes, shines a powerful light on solutions to institutional, ingrained problems that underly today's news media. She outlines key differences between action driven reporting and its more informative, impactful alternative: consequence driven reporting. Learn why trained local journalists, equipped to provide precise narratives that accurately infor...

How nonprofits can successfully and efficiently secure corporate giving is a more important issue than ever before. This conversation with Becky Ferguson, VP of Global Philanthropy for pioneering powerhouse, Salesforce, provides key insights and concrete information for nonprofits to consider when strategizing, securing and sustaining corporate partnerships.

We kick off our 5th season with Rohit Talwar, the CEO of Fast Future, a UK based research and insights business that specializes in the fields of futures and foresight. In this dialogue, Rohit and Vanessa discuss the implications of the groundbreaking events that have occurred in the first half of 2020. In Rohit's words: "This has been quite a good rehearsal for how we prepare better for the futur...

Another must listen to episode from our Celebrity and Influencers season. For nonprofits looking to elevate their impact through communications and messaging, The Social Change Diaries provides a peek behind the curtain. In this episode, GLAAD's Chief Communications Officer, Rich Ferraro, shares "aha moments" and first hand experiences, including how GLAAD has evolved with the changing media lands...

Today's episode was recorded live at the 2019 Hispanics in Philanthropy conference in Washington D.C. In this dialogue, VICE Media's, Paola Ramos, shares unusual insights that elevate our conversations this season about celebrity and influencers. She asserts that the true influencers making an impact are everyday people. This perspective helps us consider where the opportunity is for nonprofits to...