Burnout is endemic to the nonprofit sector, especially in human services-centered organizations. Nonprofit executives in particular face a high risk of burning out, and this is even more true for leaders of color. I have experienced this personally, as a woman of color leader. So let me begin with two offerings to those who are burned out or at risk of burnout, shared in the spirit of love and care:
- You are not a failure. Being burnt out does not mean that you have failed. It’s not you. It’s the sector and the systems it inhabits. It is important to name that you are burned out and to be able to ask for resources. And resources should be provided to you—the sector is not great at this yet, but it can and should be. While we work toward that goal, please step away from the things that trigger your stress and anxiety and give yourself a break. Do the things that feel selfish and indulgent; I promise they are not any of those things. Those are acts of self-care.
- You deserve happiness. Nonprofit workers deserve to be happy. No matter what social justice movement you sit in, the goals you are working toward will not be achieved by just you, or by you in your lifetime. Movement goals are generational goals. By caring for yourself, by centering abundance and happiness, you are dismantling white supremacist and dominant culture tropes that perpetuate a sense of scarcity and marginalization about what you deserve, what your value is, and what success means for you. Caring for yourself is also generational, movement work, and a social justice goal in and of itself—and should be resourced as such.
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