![]() How is your staff doing right now? …How are you doing right now? Everything we’re hearing from our colleagues and clients these days seems to indicate that burn out and stress are at record levels. This time of the year is an incredibly stressful time both personally and professionally for those in the nonprofit space. Reconciling expenses with budgets at year-end and doing strategic planning for the year ahead have always been causes of headaches for staff and leadership. However, when employees are already stretched thin in their roles and burdened by fundraising worries, this stress can take a bigger toll and derail the organization’s effectiveness in achieving its mission. What is the Impact of Burnout on Nonprofit Organizations?
A workforce survey from the Council of Nonprofits cited “stress and burnout” as a key factor contributing to today’s nonprofit workforce shortage. But the burden of burnout doesn’t end there. Burnout also increases sick time taken by remaining staff and reduces the passion that they bring to their roles when they are working. The result is a far less effective workforce, which carries both a considerable social and economic cost! According to the Portland Business Journal, employees experiencing burnout can cost their employer $3,400 annually for every $10,000 of their salary due to their diminished productivity, which underscores the financial toll that burnout can take on an organization, especially when nonprofit leaders are feeling burnt out right alongside their staff! This is a significant figure because according to a recent report 95% of nonprofit leaders report experiencing burnout themselves, 50% are more worried about their own burnout right now than they were last year, and the majority say burnout is their top concern right now related to their staff. Clearly, burnout is a growing problem! What Causes Nonprofit Burnout? Why are so many employees and leaders feeling burnt out? The data tells us that the top causes of burnout these days include unfair treatment, heavy workload, lack of clarity in their roles, time pressures, and lack of support from management. And while these causes are present across all kinds of organizations, nonprofit employees bear an additional source of stress on top of the emotional challenges that their colleagues in the for-profit space face. Layered on top of these common work stresses is the burden of compassion fatigue – an emotional strain associated with the very personal and often sensitive work that many nonprofits are engaged in as a part of their mission. How Can Nonprofits Combat Burnout? Burnout can’t be solved on an individual level, it requires organizational change, which means leadership must intentionally drive change to fix it! Nonprofit leaders must implement practical strategies to combat burnout, such as: 1. Honoring Work-Life Balance
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