Nonprofit Burnout: 3 Things You Need to Know
How to Spot and Solve Nonprofit Burnout
It happens at least once a year around this time. I’ll be talking with an experienced executive or development director about their year-end fundraising campaign when suddenly ... they disappear.
Vanished!
Then the accounting or operations director will email to tell me that the person “retired” or “left to pursue other opportunities.”
But I know the signs. These amazing professionals burned out.
1. Burnout and stress aren’t the same thing
Earlier this year, I moderated a panel on nonprofit burnout. And in researching for that panel, I flashed back to a day in my nonprofit career that wasn’t one of my better moments.
I was working at an international development organization that was going through a season of change. I’m pretty resilient, but I lost it in a meeting after being introduced to the third organizational efficiency expert in so many months.
It wasn’t that guy’s fault. And when I look back now, I realize it wasn’t leadership’s fault either. I was just done with all of it at that point: office politics, long hours, preventable crises, pointless meetings, etc.
That day I started looking for new jobs. But it turns out, that isn’t the answer to burnout either.
There’s a lot of confusion between stress and burnout, so here's a quick quiz to explain the differences.
The symptoms in column A are associated with stress. You have a lot on your plate now, but things will be better if you can just get through this month or this quarter. There’s an end in sight to your stress and a little downtime, an extra workout, and fun with friends will make you feel better.
Burnout is a something quite different, as you can see in Column B. It’s a cycle of negative emotions that comes from investing too heavily in something without having an equal investment in your own wellbeing.
And some research suggests that our jobs are not the root cause of burnout. It’s tied to early life experiences and personality types that value taking care of others over ourselves.
2) You probably can’t solve burnout on your own
If left untreated, burnout can lead to serious health issues. The Mayo Clinic lists substance abuse, heart disease, depression, and Type 2 diabetes among the consequences.
And then there’s the toll it can have on our relationships, financial health, and long-term quality of life.
Patricia Smith, founder of the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, says a trip to Hawaii is not going to solve burnout. Instead, it’s important to seek out a mental health professional who is familiar with this kind of fatigue and can help you find long-term solutions.
I know I’ve seen co-workers suffer from burnout, only to be told by their managers that they’re negative, sad, or aloof at work. Not helpful. Nor is my go-to solution: offering to cheer someone up with a happy hour or little gift.
Instead, we should all learn to spot the warning signs of burnout and find a tactful way to point our friends and colleagues toward the real help they need.
3) There’s More Nonprofit Leaders Can Do to Help
According to a Bloomerang survey, the average nonprofit turnover rate is 19 percent. And more than a third of employees predict that they won’t be working at their organization two years from now.
Take a moment to consider the gravity of those numbers. Every time a person leaves an organization, it has a cost. That cost is in hard dollars, wear and tear on employees who must pick up the slack (and risk more burnout), and in the organization’s ability to deliver on its mission.
And some positions – like executive directors and fundraisers – cost nonprofits more to replace. We know fundraisers change jobs every 16-18 months on average. Researcher Penelope Burke says each time a fundraiser leaves, it costs nonprofits over $127,000 in direct and indirect costs.
I don’t know many nonprofits that want to waste $127,000 of donor dollars every year and a half!
So why do so few nonprofits prioritize employee retention? In fact, most nonprofits (84 percent) report that they do not have any retention strategy in place.
Luckily, there are free resources that can help, as well as plenty of data points about what nonprofit employees really value when it comes to their workplaces.
As you look ahead, please take a moment to think about burnout. If there’s someone who may be suffering in your office, maybe encourage them to look at Patricia’s Smith’s TED Talk and take steps to change their life for the better.
If you’re in a position to set policy, consider how you might prevent burnout and retain your dedicated employees. The nonprofit sector is so creative about how it serves its communities. Shouldn’t we be equally creative in caring for the staff that does that amazing work?
Most insurance companies have built-in wellness plans, including counseling. Or if that’s not an option, there may be free community resources you can pull in to support employees.
This article from Ann-Sophie Morrissette also has some ideas of how to start making some internal changes that can mean the world to employees at risk for burnout.
Even small steps forward can help prevent employees (and maybe even ourselves) from suddenly disappearing.
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