Insights

Why You Really Want to Be a Thought Leader Now
If you’ve been reading my emails over the past couple of months, then you know how strongly I feel about helping to develop more women thought leaders in the nonprofit sector. But, the question I probably haven’t answered yet is why you really need to be a thought leader now. So here are 5 very simple yet persuasive reasons why you do, even if you don’t know it yet.

Me and My Roommate, Resistance
In August, I made my way to France for a writing residency, to work on my book about my favorite topic: thought leadership for women. I was so excited to be there, away from work, away from my day-to-day distractions. I just wanted to write. This book is the next step in my thought leadership journey but more importantly, it’s the resource that I want women to have.

A Note from Vanessa Wakeman
Time really does fly when you are having fun. This week, Wakeman turns 14! It’s hard to believe that the baby I birthed in 2003 is growing up.

A Note from Vanessa Wakeman
Dear Friends,
Next month, I’ll be speaking at Hive’s Global Leadership Conference, about thought leadership for women in social change. I’m excited to present my framework for thought leadership, but even more important to hear from women about how they want to use their expertise and voices to change the world.

Announcing: She Roars Training Programs
You’ve read our She Roars emails, you’ve shared your thoughts, and you may have pledged your commitment to bringing your thought leadership to the world, and now, it all comes down to this: the moment when you decide whether to sit on the sidelines, or leap head first into building your Thought Leadership Platform.

A Note from Vanessa Wakeman
Dear Friend,
I’ve been thinking about the evolution of our agency. Over the years we’ve continued to identify areas where we can add value to our clients, while also challenging ourselves to do increasingly great work. There have also been those occasions that we were so head down doing the work, that we completely missed what was in front of us, and had to play catch up.

Real World Scholars at Capitol Hill
When people think about public relations, they usually think of agencies helping clients get positive coverage in the media. And while that is a majority of what we do at The Wakeman Agency, we are increasingly helping clients build mutually beneficial relationships with third party organizations. Influencer outreach is an important component of public relations as it allows organizations to engage thought leaders and policy makers who are respected authorities and who maintain dialogue with highly targeted audiences. The Wakeman team is skilled at helping clients understand, prioritize and effectively engage with stakeholders who matter most to their issues, causes and organization.
A Note from Vanessa Wakeman
Dear Friend,
“Are you ready to change the world?” That is the question that graced the cover of our very first brochure many years ago. We chose that question because it best represented the embodiment of how we see the nonprofit sector: a committed group of stewards always answering the call to improve the human condition. We find ourselves asking that question a lot lately, as we help organizations prepare for a period of uncertainty.

5 Things Every Nonprofit Should Be Thinking About Right Now by Vanessa Wakeman, for Huffington Post
Over the past month, I’ve had several conversations with leaders who expressed concerns about how to best position their nonprofit amid the frenzied environment created by the new presidential administration. Many of those I spoke with lead small organizations, with most budgets not exceeding $1M.

That Feeling in Our Bones: Women & Thought Leadership by Vanessa Wakeman, for Huffington Post
My grandmother could predict the weather based on the way her body felt. If her joints were achy, she would announce that rain was coming. I would always give her a puzzled look and she would smile and say, “I can feel it in my bones.” She was often right.
We collaborate with nonprofit organizations and socially responsible companies that want to build influence and generate revenue for important social issues. Let’s talk about what that looks like for your organization.