The Influential Nonprofit

Maryanne Dersch
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  • Non-Profit
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You want your nonprofit to make the biggest impact possible on those you serve and to do that you need a community of support. Each week, join Maryanne Dersch, nonprofit revolutionary, as she interviews nonprofit leaders who are growing their influence to raise more money and do more good. If you want to fundraise with ease, build better relationships with board and staff, or just need a shot of fresh ideas and inspiration, this show is for you.

  1. 4 days ago

    Why We Struggle To Trust

    Learn why your nervous system keeps mistaking uncertainty for danger—and how shifting from hypervigilance to trust can transform your leadership, fundraising, and everyday decisions. This episode shows you how regulated leaders create calm, confidence, and influence, even in the middle of crisis.   Key Takeaways: The nervous system’s primary job is safety, not truth, so it often creates stories that feel real but aren’t actually based in facts. When uncertainty arises, the brain rushes to “fill in the blanks,” which can trigger anxiety, catastrophizing, and unnecessary conflict in leadership and fundraising. Hypervigilance can look like being extra prepared, caring, or productive, but if it is driven by fear and the need for control, it never truly calms the nervous system. Trust doesn’t eliminate uncertainty; it increases your capacity to tolerate it and move forward, believing you will handle whatever happens. The most influential leaders are the most regulated ones—they set the emotional temperature, create psychological safety, and stop making decisions from a dysregulated state.   “People think trust removes uncertainty. It doesn't. It increases our ability to tolerate uncertainty.”   “As leaders, we communicate more than information. We communicate emotional safety, and your nervous system becomes a part of your leadership.”   “You don't need more confidence. You need a nervous system that no longer mistakes uncertainty for danger.”  - Maryanne Dersch       Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

  2. 16 Jul

    Living Life Fully Expressed

    Discover how to close the gap between who you are on the inside and how you show up on the outside. In this solo episode, you’ll learn a practical, seven-step framework to live fully self-expressed—through your choices, boundaries, presence, and the courage to speak (or stay silent) with intention.   Key Takeaways: Self-expression is much more than “speaking up”; it’s about living in alignment so your daily choices, boundaries, and presence reflect who you truly are. Continually suppressing your truth widens the gap between who you are and how you show up, leading to resentment, burnout, and feeling like a victim of circumstance. Agreements and boundaries are powerful tools of expression that define what you are and are not available for, and they communicate your values more clearly than repeated complaints. Curiosity-driven questions like “Help me understand what you mean by that” can defuse conflict, create safety, and often make problems “go away” without an argument. Living fully expressed is a daily practice of sovereignty and discernment—choosing what to say, what to ask, when to stay silent, and how to act so your life becomes a more effortless “super highway.”   “Sometimes the most powerful self-expression isn't speaking a truth, it’s refusing to continue betraying one.”   “Full self-expression isn't measured by the number of words you speak. It's measured by how intentionally your life reflects who you truly are.”   “One of the greatest gifts and one of the best skills you can have is we can give the other person the experience of feeling fully heard, and sometimes the most authentic response isn't an answer; it's curiosity.”  - Maryanne Dersch       Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

  3. 9 Jul

    Christine Lester: Creating Sustainable Impact

    Discover how a longtime educator-turned-nonprofit leader uses governance, compassion, and community empowerment to build organizations that truly last. In this episode, you’ll hear stories from hospices, classrooms, and European projects that reveal what sustainable leadership looks like in the real world.   Key Takeaways: Strong governance and clear structures are critical for nonprofits to compete with larger institutions and remain sustainable over time. When leaders actively identify and nurture the potential in others, they can create learning pathways that help people “leap forward” despite limited opportunities. Third-sector organizations are still businesses at their core; they require sound leadership, financial sustainability, and strategic planning just like for-profit entities. Compassion, kindness, and genuine giving are not “soft extras” but essential qualities of modern leadership, especially for women balancing multiple responsibilities. Networking and mentorship—both in person and online—provide vital emotional support and perspective for leaders who often feel they are carrying the weight of an organization alone.   “How do you make it easier for people to leap forward when they haven't had the opportunities?”   “To me, businesses in the third sector are no different to businesses in the first or the second. They still have to be sustainable; they still have to have good governance; they still have to have good leadership.”   “I think all along the line we're giving, we're giving our knowledge, aren't we? We're passing on something that we've learned from somebody else, and if they didn't share their knowledge with us, then we wouldn't have anything to share…”  - Christine Lester   Christine Miller Lester is an international leadership, Learning & Development, and organizational transformation specialist with more than 40 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations develop leaders, build learning cultures, and create sustainable impact through people-centered leadership and organizational excellence.   Reach out to Christine Lester at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinelester1/       Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

  4. 2 Jul

    CLASSIC REWIND: Release Resistance and Raise More Money

    Key Takeaways: Identify and acknowledge your resistance, such as being overly attached to outcomes or trying to fix others. Understand that fear has a role but should not drive your actions. Reframe negative mindsets and stories into more positive, empowering narratives. Make the unconscious conscious to change unhelpful thought patterns. Practice surrender, trust, and gratitude to cultivate a receptive state. Engage in joyful, playful activities that activate your whole being. Take inspired action aligned with excitement and purpose, rather than obligation. Maintain a sense of sovereignty and commitment to the process over the outcome.   “Fear has a place. It has a role. We're not going to kick it off the bus. It just doesn't get to drive it.”   “The more you focus on what's already good in your life, the more you attract positivity. ”   “Joy puts you in a receptive state, and it makes it easier to attract good things. You get to be joyful. You deserve joy.”  - Maryanne Dersch       Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

  5. 25 Jun

    The Benefits of Full Self-Expression

    What happens when you stop people-pleasing, raise your standards, and actually live in alignment with your truth? In this episode, you’ll learn what it really means to be fully self-expressed—and how to practice it every day in your work, relationships, and leadership.   Key Takeaways: Self-expression is less about speaking louder and more about aligning your outer life with your inner truth. The pain of constantly holding back comes from the gap between who you are and how you show up in the world. Boundaries and agreements are powerful tools for honoring what you value, need, and are no longer available for. Sovereignty means deciding your own worth and standards first; others will either rise to meet them or naturally fall away. Fully expressed living is a daily practice—notice where you withhold, ground yourself, choose your timing, seek to understand, and then speak what’s true with courage and wisdom.   “The most authentic person in the room is the most powerful.”   “Every time we consistently suppress our truth, we create distance between who we are and how we show up, and that is the greatest source of pain, the dissonance between who we are and who we're supposed to be.”   “Creativity is expression made visible. It's taking something that's inside you and giving it form.”  - Maryanne Dersch       Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

  6. 18 Jun

    Why Donors Stall — And What Most Nonprofits Miss

    Most nonprofits push harder when donors go quiet. In this episode, you’ll learn how to trade pressure for emotional momentum, so stalled donors start moving again—without more follow-up fatigue.   Key Takeaways: Donor silence is usually a signal of an unmet emotional need, not a verdict on your worth or your mission. Interest and readiness are different stages; rushing from enthusiasm to “the ask” often triggers a stall instead of commitment. Emotional connection must be nurtured intentionally over time. Information and activity alone cannot sustain donor momentum. Clear, simple next steps build confidence and keep donors moving; confusion and ambiguity almost always cause them to pause. The most sustainable fundraising comes from authentic, curiosity-driven relationships where trust sets the pace and the money follows.   “Interest and readiness are not the same thing. This is where you get stuck emotionally, because you interpret donor interest as donor readiness... A stalled donor is not a disinterested donor.”   “Sometimes the relationship moved faster than trust, and relationships only move at the speed of trust.”   “Momentum and fundraising is emotional before it's financial.”  - Maryanne Dersch     Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

  7. 11 Jun

    Why Every Fundraiser Should Sing Karaoke

    Discover how karaoke becomes a surprising laboratory for courage, authenticity, and leadership. In this episode, you’ll learn eight powerful lessons from the karaoke stage that can radically shift how you show up as a fundraiser, leader, and human being.   Key Takeaways: Courage comes before confidence; action is what generates the confidence you’re waiting for. Releasing attachment to specific outcomes creates space for authenticity, deeper relationships, and “magical” results. Most people are not judging you nearly as harshly as you judge yourself; they are usually rooting for you to succeed. Discomfort is often evidence of growth, and expanding your capacity to be uncomfortable is essential for meaningful leadership and fundraising. Authenticity, passion, and alignment are far more compelling than perfection; connection will always beat flawless performance.   “The more tied to a result you are, the less likely you will have that result.” “Connection beats perfection every time.” “The magic isn't in hitting every note. The magic is just being willing to sing."  - Maryanne Dersch     Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

  8. 28 May

    Amy Fass: Building and Scaling Your Nonprofit

    Learn what it really takes to scale a focused nonprofit, build long-term corporate partnerships, and play the long game in fundraising without losing sight of the people you serve.   Key Takeaways: A narrow, concrete focus, like providing brand-name shoes, can dramatically amplify a nonprofit’s clarity, impact, and support. Strong corporate partnerships grow slowly from shared values, deep listening, and customized collaboration, not one-size-fits-all pitches. How support is delivered matters as much as what’s delivered; respect and flexibility turn shoes into symbols of dignity and belonging. Individual donors and family foundations are the stability engine, while corporate and sports partners mainly boost visibility and reach. Shifting from “these kids” to “our kids” reinforces shared responsibility and reminds us that every child is worthy of investment.   "How we give them shoes is as important as the shoes we give."   “Our program is about the kids. I say, you know, we're really not about shoes, we're about the kids.”   “It's not a matter of making donors into heroes. I don't like that language. It's thinking, it's just being grateful for what they've done, and letting them know this is what you've allowed to happen.” - Amy Fass   Amy Fass is the leader behind Shoes That Fit, a national nonprofit that provides new athletic shoes to children experiencing homelessness and low-income circumstances across all 50 states. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from a small operation into a nationwide nonprofit that has delivered more than one million pairs of sneakers to kids in need. An Amazon best-selling author and advocate for children affected by poverty, Amy speaks on scaling nonprofits, building strong corporate partnerships, and creating sustainable impact. She’s known for bringing a Fortune 500 leadership mindset to the nonprofit world, helping organizations grow, adapt in times of crisis, and give children the confidence and opportunity that can start with something as simple as a new pair of shoes.   Reach out to Amy Fass at: Website: https://www.shoesthatfit.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shoes-that-fit/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShoesThatFitNonProfit       Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward.  2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together.  3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Connect with Maryanne about her coaching programs: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect   Book Maryanne to speak at your conference: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

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You want your nonprofit to make the biggest impact possible on those you serve and to do that you need a community of support. Each week, join Maryanne Dersch, nonprofit revolutionary, as she interviews nonprofit leaders who are growing their influence to raise more money and do more good. If you want to fundraise with ease, build better relationships with board and staff, or just need a shot of fresh ideas and inspiration, this show is for you.

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