Show Notes
At 60, Maryanne discovered her hair had been naturally wavy all along — she'd just never created the conditions for it to show. In this solo episode, she turns that surprise into a fundraising lesson: your next donor, partner, and big idea are probably already in your orbit, waiting to be activated.
Key Takeaways:
Capacity is usually present; conditions are what's missing.
"I need more" often means you haven't fully seen or used what you already have.
Most people give because they were asked — the connection-to-action gap is usually a missing invitation, not a missing audience.
Your email list and existing relationships outperform purchased lists and cold social media.
One simple question activates a network: Who do you know that needs this?
Certainty and control are myths; chasing them manufactures frustration, while experimentation makes room for something new.
“Sometimes we are asked to look outside of ourselves for tools and solutions that may already be in us.”
“There are people who want to act; they just haven't been asked.”
“Influence isn't about forcing movement; it's about creating the conditions in which movement becomes possible.”
- Maryanne Dersch
More from The Influential Nonprofit
When a donor goes quiet, should you follow up—or let go? This episode explores how to tell the difference between trust, control, and avoidance, and how to act without trying to control someone else’s choice.
Burnout isn’t a badge of effective leadership—and rest doesn’t have to mean stepping away for weeks. This conversation explores practical ways to delegate, challenge assumptions, and help teams navigate change with greater care.
Why do people say yes or pull away even when the choice seems logical? Explore how trust, safety, autonomy, and the freedom to say no shape meaningful decisions.
Running a nonprofit can be lonely, and your board of directors may never think about your growth as a leader. In this episode, Allison Wyatt explains how to build a personal "circle of champions," so you always have someone to call when things get hard.
By gathering the right people around a bold vision instead of trying to carry everything alone, nonprofit leaders can completely transform their strategy. In this episode, you’ll hear how shifting paradigms, redesigning meetings, and embracing generative conflict unlock new levels of impact, funding, and sustainability.