Maryanne Dersch: Nonprofit Keynote Speaker

A keynote speaker to grow your influence and impact!

About Maryanne’s Speaking Style

Maryanne Dersch is a experienced and energetic nonprofit keynote speaker. She coaches and trains nonprofit fundraisers and leaders to start getting the most out of themselves and everyone else. Stop feeling burned out, bummed out or stressed out. Her “effervescent badassery” calls you be more influential in your work, life and even in your own view of self.

Maryanne shares expertise of 30 years helping organizations communicate more effectively internally and externally.

Her keynote experiences will challenge your audience to shift perspectives on how they see themselves and their leadership!

About Maryanne

Can you imagine asking for anything, including money, with ease and confidence? Can you imagine a community of support enrolled in your vision so you can thrive in any circumstance? Maryanne helps nonprofit fundraisers and leaders master the art of influence so they can ask for and receive all they want, need and deserve without feeling rejected, ineffective or pushy.

Maryanne Dersch spent thirty years working in the nonprofit fundraising sector as a strategies, speaker and coach helping organizations communicate more effectively to raise more money.

From those experiences she came to one truth. The most important story you tell is the one you tell yourself. So often nonprofit fundraisers want external tools to dictate their internal story. “If I had a brochure, I would feel better.” “If only I had more donors, I would feel better.” The key is to connect to your own personal power, then from that place of excitement and opportunity, create the brochure or connect with the donor.

Soon after, she moved her business model to address this “inside out” truth. She focused her fundraising coaching on mastering the art of influence, giving people the personal skills to easily enroll others in what they want. With this as a foundation, marketing, board relationships and fundraising become much easier because fundraisers have the confidence to build relationships and ask for what they truly want.

She is author of Courageous Communication: Why codependence is making your nonprofit brand boring and what to do about it. She hosts The Influential Nonprofit podcast and the annual Donor Attraction Forum two day virtual event.

She’s known for her love of ultrahigh heels, extra-large Diet Cokes, and short karaoke rotations.

Why Fundraisers Need Influence

Nonprofit fundraisers were taught they need to pitch, sell, push or convince donors to get them to give. No one wants to be pushed or guilted into action. Pushing, pitching and convincing doesn’t work, and leaves you feeling exhausted.

One thing I know for sure: you can’t make people care about your organization. Trying to convince someone doesn’t work and also doesn’t respect each individual’s lived experience and values.

Instead of pushing and pitching, I work with organizations to stop pitching and start connecting to people with like-minded values and enroll them in a vision. Using the skill and art of influence, you make meaningful connections rooted in trust and transparency. Instead of pushing, you pull people into a community of support. Using influence creates joy, ease, fun and sustainability in your fundraising AND YOUR LIFE!

What Nonprofit Audiences Say

When Maryanne speaks, she instantly involves audiences with her upbeat and enthusiastic style. Maryanne has the qualities, knowledge and passion that bring a topic to life and keep the audience absolutely enthralled.” — Amy Cole Buehler, Washington University Nonprofit Management & Wings of Hope

Maryanne’s content, enthusiasm and examples are so incredible. I've saved a presentation Maryanne made years ago on storytelling and still share it with folks. — Nina Needleman, Capacity Building Catalyst

You're an excellent facilitator and presenter. Love your energy and your down-to-earth attitude. — Donor Attraction Forum participant

Maryanne has effervescent badassery with endless important info for all. — Cause Camp Participant

Maryanne has a wicked sense of humor, and in addition to learning, you will also be entertained by her vivacious personality — Theresa Beck Fleck, VP of Philanthropy, Logan University