This is Not Sustainable (Or Impactful): Nonprofit Burnout

While COVID has certainly added fuel to the fire, the nonprofit sector has had a huge burnout problem for decades. Research conducted in 2011 showed “as many as 30% of nonprofit employees may be burned out, with another 20% (those in the middle) in danger of burnout.” (OpportunityKnocks.com, “Engaging the Nonprofit Workforce,” 2011). Those staggering numbers indicate how prevalent this problem was a decade ago! Anecdotally, I can assure you the problem has not improved. And I’m sure we can all agree that COVID has stoked the brush fire of burnout.

In her recent article for NonProfit Quarterly, Tiloma Jayasinghe states, “Burnout is endemic to the nonprofit sector, especially in human services-centered organizations. Nonprofit executives in particular face a high risk of burning out, and this is even more true for leaders of color. (Tiloma Jayasinghe, “Avoiding Burnout andPreserving Movement Leadership,” NP Quarterly, July 8, 2021)

I’ve listened for years to the concerns of nonprofit leaders who have nothing left in the tank. Their teams also struggle to stay fueled and frequently take on the added burden of caring for the burned-out leader – typically without the awareness of that leader. 

This burnout epidemic creates high turnover rates exacerbating the organizational drain, wasting precious financial resources, time and organizational energy and severely limiting the ability to drive impact.

It can’t keep up like this. It’s simply not sustainable. 

Stop killing yourself and your team in the name of mission and impact. It’s a myth that you have to sacrifice yourself for your mission. No, it’s a lie. And it’s cheating those you serve of the most possible impact.

We’ve played a broken record far too long – the one that says money is so limited for a nonprofit that we have to squeeze every ounce from each team member. And the leader, well the leader needs to martyr herself for the cause. Switch that tune.

Instead, let’s operate on the belief that ensuring the vitality of our leaders and our teams is the most important thing we can do to serve our mission and deliver impact to our constituents. You can have the most amazing mission and strategic plan in the world; but it’s you and your people who deliver results. Burned out or anemic teams are not capable of delivering on their potential.

How do we reframe our approach to burnout? Your organization has three vital resources:

• Money

• Time

• Energy

You manage your finances, but do you manage time and energy effectively? Sustainability and impact actually require all three. 

Money alone does not make you sustainable – just ask a burned-out leader who meets her revenue goals annually. Organizations that try to “do it all” or who have trouble staying focused on their priorities tend to burn through time and energy without generating the intended results. And then, it doesn’t matter how much money you do or don’t have.

Manage your time by only doing those things that produce results. Stop doing anything that is not moving the needle or does not directly align with your goals. Quit saying yes to every request that comes your way – be intentional about how you invest your time. 

Manage your energy by taking care of yourself and your team. Prioritize rest – you actually get more done and will work more effectively if you stick to a reasonable work schedule and hold your downtime sacred. Eliminate stressors that can be remedied with some attention such as role confusion, team trust issues, communication hiccups – those all consume energy that could be spent driving impact. Invest in fixing things that drag down your team and make sure your workplace culture produces energy rather than draining it.

Refuse financial investment that requires more time and effort than it supports. Align your financial resources with the areas where your time and energy can produce the greatest impact. And when you absolutely need more time and more energy, invest in a new, high performing team member. You can’t add hours to the day, but you can add people who help you scale and maximize those limited resources.

Sacrificing your health and your personal life does not serve anyone. Create a culture that values vitality and renewal, not one that worships sacrifice and drain. Manage your time and energy so you can deliver impact and lead a sustainable organization for years to come.