Investing in Leaders: Stopping Staff Burnout
Staff burnout is becoming the norm in the nonprofit sector. Overworked, underpaid, political unrest and working to fill loss of funding in this climate have many people breathing fumes and in survival mode.
As a consultant, I have seen many leaders who are brilliant visionaries unable to do what they do best due to stress, staff exhaustion, decision making fatigue and unengaged boards.
According to The Center for Effective Philanthropy's State of Nonprofits 2025 report, nearly 9 in 10 nonprofit leaders are concerned about their own burnout and that of their staff. When funding is uncertain and trust in government low you can bet that your organization leader is leading from a space of pressure and likely in need of support.
How is your organization investing in its leadership? You may have a bold and beautiful strategic plan that provides a road map but without a leader who has capacity, energy and support, the plan will likely not be realized.
So what are the key things you need to be resourcing your leaders with?
Values that aren't aspirational but imbedded in the culture
Collaborative environment including shared decision making and responsibilities
Listening sessions, assessments and data to support narratives that they use in making the case for the organization and its work.
These recommendations support self-reflection, development opportunities, and reducing change fatigue. They also ask the question “what does effective leadership look like at this moment for the organization?” as this may be a very different response than just one year ago. Each organization must determine what leadership means to them, and if they are honestly supporting their leadership using that guidepost.
In current times your leader guide the success of your organization. If they are invested in at every level and resourced then navigating burnout will become something they are able to skillfully work through and not something they walk away from.
