033: Paying People Fairly: Building Trust and Equity

033: Paying People Fairly: Building Trust and Equity

From The Social Change Pod by The Social Change Pod

November 13, 2025 · 34 min · Episode 33

About this episode

The episode discusses fair payment practices and tools for enhancing transparency in community involvement.

Join The Social Change Nest's CEO, Esther Foreman and Rachel Smith, Creative Director of Make/Shift, on the latest episode of The Social Change Pod as they unpack what it really looks like to pay people fairly for their time, energy, and expertise, exploring how Payment for Involvement works in practice when you’re navigating the “messy middle” between big institutions and grassroots communities. They also dive into how tools like Open Collective can bridge that gap by making funding more transparent. This episode is packed with practical insights, honest reflections, and advice. So if you’re looking to make your approach to community involvement fairer and more accessible, you won’t want to miss it. Want help designing a fair and equitable payment for involvement policy for your organisation? Are you interested in learning more about Open Collective? Get in touch to find out how we can help. Hosts: Esther Foreman, The Social Change Nest Guests: Rachel Smith from Make/Shift Theme music by Loyalty Freak Music

People in this episode

Guest: Rachel Smith

Topics covered

  • fair pay
  • community involvement
  • equity
  • transparency
  • Payment for Involvement

Keywords

  • trust
  • grassroots
  • Open Collective
  • funding

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Open Collective

Books & works: The Social Change Pod

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