Self-Care Essentials for Nonprofits
Current Landscape
Burnout is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” The nonprofit landscape has become increasingly complex, leading to a significant increase in leader and staff burnout as highlighted in the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s annual State of Nonprofits Report. Concern over leader burnout jumped to 46% in 2026, an increase of nearly 20% from the previous year. Nonprofit organizations are navigating tremendous risks to continue providing much needed resources and services to communities, and to maintain the work there must be a focus on reducing stress and supporting the overall well-being of nonprofit staff members and leaders. Many industries face the challenge of staff burnout; however, the nonprofit sector is at greater risk due to the number of people in helping and caregiving positions who are more susceptible to burnout. Nonprofit organizations are also infamous for being expected to do more with less – the recipe for burnout.
Common Issues to Consider
Many factors and challenges within the nonprofit sector can lead to being overwhelmed and experiencing burnout. Although stakeholders may currently be paying more attention to self-care and preventing burnout, it is common for the many demands of nonprofit work to outweigh resources. Financial strain and challenges in fundraising have only continued to increase in recent years for nonprofit organizations, a direct indicator of stress on staff and leaders. According to the Statement of Nonprofits Report for 2026, 60% of nonprofit CEOs report it being more difficult to secure foundation grants relative to the past.
In addition to traditional nonprofit financial strain and increased difficulty getting grants, federal funding cuts have presented a challenge for some nonprofit organizations in recent years. Federal funding is a revenue source many nonprofits have relied on for foundational income to cover major resources for people including basic needs such as health and housing. Due to the uncertainty in funding and direct cuts, many nonprofit organizations have struggled more with staff retention and turnover, and even in the most difficult circumstances, necessary staff reduction.
Overall, people individually have more financial stress, potential caregiving responsibilities, mental health strain, and general uncertainty which can compound workplace stress and contribute to burnout. The nonprofit ecosystem is dealing with more fragmented systems, potentially duplicated efforts, and organizations competing for very limited resources while trying to address interconnected challenges. Despite the current stress contributing to burnout and nonprofit challenges, there is hope of supporting the nonprofit workforce, leading to better outcomes for employees and ultimately the communities and people being served.
Preventing Burnout
How can we support the leaders and staff members who make up the backbone of nonprofit organizations and help provide resources and services to those most in need?
Organizations may consider policies and practices to promote mental, emotional, and physical well-being as methods of prevention. Key ideas to tackle these needs include incorporating the opportunity for mental health days for employees and having flexible work options, managing caseloads and workload distribution to prevent overload, regular check-in meetings to maintain open communication, utilizing staff feedback for improvements, and leadership modeling a healthy work/life balance.
Another technique is training supervisors in recognizing the signs of burnout, active listening, and how to coach staff through stress. Signs of burnout can include lack of energy, persistent exhaustion, increased irritability, reduced motivation and/or job satisfaction, and feeling that work no longer matters. Through paying attention to the needs of employees an action plan can be created to recover from burnout by assessing the level of burnout, identifying changes needed, implementing recovery strategies like prioritizing self-care and gaining external support, and monitoring progress.
Workplace culture plays a huge role in fostering a supportive environment where employees and organizations are more likely to succeed. By integrating strategic self-care plans and frameworks, organizations have the chance to reduce burnout risk, improve retention, enhance productivity, and better serve their communities.
Reflective questions to consider related to how an organization approaches self-care:
- What strategies are helping your staff manage heavy workloads and stress?
- How are you creating a sense of community and mutual support during times of uncertainty?
- Are team members showing early signs of burnout — and do you have tactical support ready?
- What thoughtful ways can your organization show appreciation, especially when external pressures are high?
Included below is a list of resources and tools to assist in planning for self-care and burnout prevention. Please contact the Capacity Building Team with any questions at CICapacityBuilding@mhm.org.
Resource List:
R&R: The Rest of our Lives is an organization that believes in investing in nonprofit leaders, improving policies and practices within our workplaces, and inspiring culture change related to the rest and rejuvenation of workers will result in stronger organizations, retention and recruitment of top leaders, and far more sustainable, equitable, strategic and creative work environments.
- The website has information related to their projects geared towards providing opportunities for nonprofit employees and leaders to participate in organization-wide burnout prevention practices and grants for sabbaticals and employee breaks.
Mindful – Helpful Information on Mindfulness Practices
Calm – Free Collection of Videos with Practical Tools to Help You Rest and Recover
