Preventing Burnout at Nonprofits

Nonprofit workers are the third largest workforce sector in the nation. There are more Americans currently employed by nongovernmental charitable organizations than there are in manufacturing, insurance, construction, and finance. 

A key problem in this industry is burnout. Fifty percent of nonprofit employees report feeling high levels of burnout– experiencing extreme physical and emotional exhaustion, disillusionment with organizational goals, and cynicism about their impact. As a result, passionate workers that drive the nonprofit industry forward are also frequently leaving the field. 

Causes of Burnout at Nonprofits

Here are some of the specific factors contributing to burnout among the nonprofit workforce:

Insufficient Support: Nonprofit employees might find it challenging to manage their workload and maintain motivation if they feel lacking in support from management, colleagues, and the community. The absence of proper mentorship and emotional backing can foster feelings of isolation and frustration.

Compassion Fatigue: Constantly confronting traumatic life circumstances can be exhausting for nonprofit workers, especially when they feel they lack the ability to enact meaningful change. The emotional toll of dealing with severe issues like poverty, abuse, or illness can diminish their optimism and joy, leading people to grow weary of the work that they once loved.

Organizational Changes: Mission drift and leadership changes create uncertainty and anxiety for employees and make them feel disempowered, leading to burnout. When an organization's goal and structure changes, employees can feel disconnected and less valuable in their role.

Role Overload: Nonprofit work is dynamic and ever-changing and often requires employees to juggle multiple initiatives and roles simultaneously. At times, they do the work of multiple full-time positions at once, resulting in high rates of stress and tiredness.

Limited Resources: Because nonprofits are often underfunded and understaffed, employees are forced to do more with less. The constant need to stretch resources thin is stressful.

How To Reduce Burnout

Here are a few techniques associated with reducing burnout in nonprofit organizations:

Incorporate Staff Development into Your Projects:

When altering or expanding employee workloads, prioritize opportunities for employees to enhance skills or engage in projects tailored to their professional goals and development. For example, if a nonprofit organization is launching a new program, management can identify roles within the program that align with specific employees’ career aspirations.

Providing training sessions, workshops, or mentorship related to these roles not only prepares employees for the new tasks but also fosters a sense of growth and development. Providing resources such as professional development funds, access to conferences, or online courses can also support employees in achieving their goals. This approach helps employees feel valued and invested in their work and creates feelings of additional meaningfulness in one’s work, reducing the likelihood of burnout.

Increase Transparency and Feedback in the Decision-Making Process:

One of the key symptoms of burnout is feelings of futility about the impact of the organization and one’s own work. Providing employees with feelings of empowerment within the overall organization is key to reminding them that they matter. By asking all employees for their thoughts, you communicate that their opinions are valuable and that their work has real-world impacts, directly counteracting the emotional narratives of burnout. Where this is difficult to accomplish, implementing a transparent decision-making process where the rationale behind decisions is explained can also help employees feel more connected to the organization’s goals and more confident in their roles.

Work-Life Balance Initiatives:

Encourage employees to take regular breaks, use their vacation days, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Although it can be tempting to push your employee’s passion as far as it will go, sacrificing short term benefits by encouraging workers to prioritize themselves will improve your long-term productivity and culture. Flexible working hours and remote work options can also help employees manage their personal and professional responsibilities more effectively, which gives them the power to manage their own burnout from reaching critical levels.

Recognition and Reward Programs:

Implementing recognition programs that celebrate employee achievements can boost morale and motivation. Whether it’s through formal awards, public acknowledgments, or simple thank-you notes, recognizing employees’ hard work can make them feel valued and appreciated. Nonprofit workers deserve to know that what they’re doing is important and valuable.

Dealing with Compassion Fatigue:

Providing mental health support and resources for employees dealing with compassion fatigue is critical. This can include access to counseling services, stress management workshops, and peer support groups. Encouraging a culture where it’s okay to take mental health days can also help employees manage their emotional well-being.Take time in your organization to acknowledge the emotional toll of your work to destigmatize compassion fatigue and foster a culture that supports and uplifts one another. 

Managing Limited Resources:

Finding creative solutions to resource limitations can alleviate some of the pressure on employees. This might involve seeking partnerships with other organizations, applying for grants, or utilizing volunteers more effectively. Transparent communication about resource challenges and involving employees in brainstorming solutions can also foster a sense of collective effort and support. If you are willing to try it, Usorum is a new solution that can help raise funds and membership by digitally engaging your broader community in brainstorms. We’d love to show you how.

Conclusion

Although burnout is pervasive in the nonprofit sector, instilling feelings of value and worth within employees by supporting and listening to them can increase overall fulfillment and job satisfaction without needing to decrease workload or raise wages. By incorporating staff development into projects, increasing transparency and feedback in decision-making, and helping employees set and achieve goals, nonprofit organizations can create a healthier, more sustainable work environment. At the center of mitigating burnout and improving employee retention is caring for your employees.

As always, thank you for your part in saving the world,

Usorum

We’re Usorum. We create peer-to-peer and bottom-up conversations for nonprofit communities. We do this by hosting 'brainstorms' for nonprofit organizations, where they can ask their community to engage digitally around a common topic. For those nonprofits who want to, the brainstorm can also serve as a fundraising and a volunteer recruitment tool. Our second offer is an ongoing digital forum for the communities serviced across nonprofits, with a culture of people directly supporting each other and providing their techniques on adversity into a shared lived experience library. If you believe in community engagement, check us out at Usorum.com