Listen to the full episode at NonprofitNationPodcast.com or look up Nonprofit Nation on your favorite podcast app! 

I believe that we are all influencers – in small or large ways. The first step is to be courageous enough to believe it. Courage doesn’t mean being fearless – it’s often taking a necessary next step or asking an uncomfortable question. But how can we build our courage, and up level our influence to make a bigger impact?

My guest this week is Maryanne Dersch, who has been praised for her “effervescent badassery with endless important info for all.” She’s a fundraising expert who has led her coaching clients and students to change their mindset and experience success.

Maryanne specializes in helping nonprofit leaders increase their influence and be the change agents they have always wanted to be without feeling rejected, ineffective or pushy. She is the author of Courageous Communication: How Codependence Is Making Your Nonprofit Brand Boring and What to Do About It and the founder of the Up Level Your Influence leadership program. Maryanne is leading a movement to change the word “nonprofit” to “human investment company” – which she feels more accurately reflects the contributions of the sector. (I agree!)

Here are some of the topics we discussed:

• Our favorite karaoke songs and why this relates to courage (a quick tangent)
• How to get leadership to see that new ideas are not threatening (and even a good thing)
• How to create change without drama and chaos
• Tips on how we can up level our own influence, in our lives and in our jobs

Connect with Maryanne:
https://twitter.com/maryannedersch
https://www.instagram.com/maryannehighheeldiva/
https://www.maryannedersch.com/

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About Julia Campbell, the host of the Nonprofit Nation podcast:

Named as a top thought leader by Forbes and BizTech Magazine, Julia Campbell (she/hers) is an author, coach, and speaker on a mission to make the digital world a better place.

She wrote her book, Storytelling in the Digital Age: A Guide for Nonprofits, as a roadmap for social change agents who want to build movements using engaging digital storytelling techniques. Her second book, How to Build and Mobilize a Social Media Community for Your Nonprofit, was published in 2020 as a call-to-arms for mission-driven organizations to use the power of social media to build movements. Julia’s online courses, webinars, and talks have helped hundreds of nonprofits make the shift to digital thinking and raise more money online.

Clients include Mastercard , Facebook, GoFundMe Charity, Meals on Wheels America, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.