Show Notes
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.
Key Takeaways:
Decisions are shaped by trust, safety, desire, fear, and past experience—not logic alone.
Uncertainty can feel like danger, but discomfort does not always mean something is unsafe.
Clear agreements make expectations mutual; boundaries clarify what you are and are not available for.
A meaningful yes requires the genuine freedom to say no.
Your responsibility is to create the conditions for a choice—not to control someone else’s decision.
“Trust, safety, desire, belonging, fear, uncertainty, our past experiences, our nervous system-all of these things contribute to saying a yes or saying a no.”
“A meaningful yes requires the ability to say no.”
“Your job, remember, isn't to force the yes. Your job is to create the conditions where the right people can genuinely choose it.”
- 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
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.
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.
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.
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.