Award-Winning Author and Speaker Will Present
“Courageous Communication” at October’s Conference in St. Louis

Author, speaker, and podcaster Maryanne Dersch will deliver the keynote address, “Courageous Communication,” at the 2023 CWR Annual Conference, which will be held October 10-13 in St. Louis.

Maryanne is a leader in the nonprofit sector, having spent 30 years helping organizations communicate more authentically and effectively. From those experiences, she authored Courageous Communication: How 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 virtual event.

Sisters call upon communicators and all who advance their mission and ministries to be a prophetic voice in today’s divisive world. But does the fear of losing donors or upsetting people have you trying to be everything to everyone instead of standing up for what our sisters believe in? With “Courageous Communication,” Maryanne will show us how to make a shift from worrying about what could happen to being confident in expressing our sisters’ authentic vision to attract attention, energy and supporters.

In addition to her keynote, Maryanne will also present a workshop session, “Get to ‘Yes,'” at October’s conference: 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? Can you imagine getting more support from your leaders to bring your communications efforts to the next level? With three secrets to hearing YES more frequently, faster and with less follow-up, Maryanne helps nonprofit 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.

The venue for this year’s conference is the Marriott St. Louis Grand. This National Historic Landmark is located in downtown St. Louis near the St. Louis Zoo, City Museum, Busch Stadium, and the Gateway Arch. Registration for Conference 2023 is now open. Full conference details, including program and presenter information, can be found here.

The annual CWR conference is a unique professional education and networking opportunity tailored specifically to meet the needs of professionals who work on behalf of women religious. The conference affords participants an opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues, to share ideas, to exchange information, and to learn how to do their work in a more efficient and effective way. Since its inception in 1995, the conference has been annually enhanced to better meet the needs of CWR members and all attendees. We hope you can join us as we “Flow into Our Future” by the banks of the Mississippi this fall!