Among the findings of Center for Effective Philanthropy’s State of Nonprofits 2024: What Funders Need to Know, was a striking statistic: 95 percent of nonprofit leaders who responded to CEP’s survey expressed some level of concern about burnout. Following the release of a related CEP Research Snapshot, How Foundations are Supporting Grantee Staff Well-Being, we invited leaders from nonprofits and foundations to respond to the findings. Collected here are their responses, reflections, and analysis of the data.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, these pieces focus largely on the related topics of burnout and well-being in grantee organizations: the conditions that have contributed to burnout as a top concern for nonprofit leaders, the implications of burnout for both nonprofits and their funders, and the steps funders can take to mitigate it and support well-being in the sector.
“Grantmakers are missing the fundamental connections between their own funding practices, how grantees can compensate staff, why burnout is on the upswing, and how all of this damages the ability of grantors and grantees alike to achieve their shared goals.”
Rusty Stahl, Founder, President & CEO, Fund the People
“For nonprofits in general, a shift toward well-being begins with recognizing the importance of developing a culture of care for those who care for others. For funders, it may require making the case for the relationship between staff well-being, performance, and the sustainability of the grantees they support.”
Linda Bell Grdina, Research Elder, The Wellbeing Project
“Nonprofits are being forced to freeze salaries, lay off staff, not hire for open positions, and strip things like professional development and staff retreats from their budgets. Meanwhile, they continue to deliver on their programmatic mandates with fewer staff, less training, and less time for rest and reflection. In other words, they’re making it work, but at what cost?”
Jamie Allison, Executive Director, Walter & Elise Haas Fund
“Our funding strategies are only as strong as the collective well-being of our nonprofit partners, so let’s consider a new version of nonprofit capacity, one that considers the sustainability of nonprofit staff in their roles. “
Beth Brown, Managing Director, Mental Health and Well-Being, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
“The MacArthur Foundation, where I am the program officer for our Philanthropy Field Support program, has embraced key changes to our own grantmaking practices in ways that strive to make things better for both our nonprofit partners and our program staff.”
Claire Poelking, Program Officer, MacArthur Foundation
“Nonprofit leaders are tired. Between hiring challenges, obstacles to fundraising and all other aforementioned hurdles (a non-exhaustive list), nonprofit leaders often have limited bandwidth to forge valuable partnerships. This condition is exacerbated by the often-protracted timeframes under which funding decisions are made.”
Matt Stephenson, CEO and Cofounder, Code2College
“What I am advocating for is a shift in perspective: Investing in self-care is neither weak nor selfish, nor should it only exist for a privileged few. Prioritizing mindfulness practices, which are rooted in ancient wisdom traditions, played a vital role in the effectiveness of some of the most transformational social justice movements in history.”
Carolina García Jayaram, CEO, Elevate Prize Foundation
“One thing we continue to hear is the undeniable importance of supporting the mental and spiritual health and well-being of nonprofit leaders. We’ve heard from our partners that these funds not only help sustain their personal resilience but also enhance the overall effectiveness and impact of their organizations.“
Kara Doyle, Analyst, Assessment and Advisory Services, CEP; Jennifer Oakley, Program Partner, Imago Dei Fund; and Emily Nielsen Jones, Co-founder and Trustee, Imago Dei Fund
Editor’s Note: CEP publishes a range of perspectives. The views expressed here are those of the authors, not necessarily those of CEP.
