Recap | How Non-Profit Leaders Treat Burnout with Belonging
Published on by Lynn Meiser in Not-for-Profit
On October 11, Barnes Dennig, the Leadership Council for Nonprofits and the Association for Fundraising Professionals hosted the 22nd annual Non-profit Leadership Summit, in conjunction with our sponsors: the Better Business Bureau, Chase Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Anne M. Maxfield LLC, Bricker Graydon, Eagle Bank Charitable Foundation, First Financial Bank, PNC Bank, and The Yunker Group.
The keynote speaker this year was Alida Miranda-Wolff, CEO and Founder of Ethos, speaking about how non-profit leaders treat burnout with belonging.
Alida presented the interactive two-hour workshop by offering ready-to-use tools for organizations, the people who work for them to understand their relationships with power, how to use that power responsibly, and how to share their power. She also presented a real-life example of what can help to create conditions for everyone to thrive at work.
Understanding organizational bias
Some of the most pressing obstacles and biases that non-profit organizations face include:
- Race and ethnicity bias,
- Structural bias,
- Pay inequality,
- Decreased individual contributions,
- Balancing a remote/in-office workspace,
- Employee shortages, and;
- Increasing loneliness in employees in the workplace.
To start addressing some of these issues, Alida recommends making sure that organization leaders and individuals understand the definition of belonging and the different types of belonging, including: self, foundation, group, societal. Each concept has a unique definition and can carry a different meaning or importance to each individual. Realizing the differences between each and understanding how to interact with everyone’s sense of self is critical to building a culture of belonging.
The relationship between stress and burnout
Some of the components that can lead to burnout are:
- Exhaustion, or constantly feeling drained of energy due to overextension,
- Depersonalization, or the feeling those you are meant to serve are more problems than those you are meant to help, and;
- Lack of personal accomplishment, or feeling your work accomplishes or contributes nothing.
It is important for everyone to recognize some stress is good. Similar to how exercising muscles can build strength, stress can lead to motivation, growth, building, and feeling satisfied. However, too much stress can lead to feeling tired all the time, exhaustion, anxiety, panic, anger, and in the worst case, a breakdown.
Treating burnout with belonging
Some recommendations to treat burnout with belonging include:
Understanding generational differences: Baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z are all represented in the workforce. Different generations have different needs and expectations from their work, including feedback style, social rewards, and public versus private recognition. Understanding these differences can help an organization improve employees’ sense of belonging.
Understanding generational commonality: Just as important as recognizing differences, an organization should understand and leverage similarities, such as: levels of financial security, creating a dignified job experience, establishing purpose and meaningful work, how each generation experiences learning, and the types of growth opportunities each generation looks for.
Create belonging through the 3 R’s
- Relationships
- Checking-in versus checking-on
- Creating social space where employees can connect and relax as a group
- Resources
- Establishing maximum hours
- Training employees on the code of conduct and opportunities
- Reciprocity
- Building a team environment that supports helping out everyone
- Institute community organization services
Alida Miranda-Wolff presented a wealth of information for non-profit organizations to take and use to help grow their organizations. We hope you can join us for our next non-profit leadership summit in fall 2024!
Additional Resources
Download the slides and worksheet, watch the recording, and learn more about Alida here.
Our latest Non-Profit Compensation & Benefits Benchmarking Report, which features information and insights from non-profits of all sizes across our region will be revealed in an exclusive virtual event on October 24. Find out what benefits are trending, what various positions pay, and how non-profits are attracting and retaining talent in a tough market.
Other resources include our Non-Profit Toolkit, packed with resources to help your organization thrive, a video overview of Form 990 – and how you can use it to tell your story and attract donors and grantors.
With one of the largest non-profit practices in our region, we’re proud to help our non-profit clients further their missions, make the most of resources, and build a better, brighter future where we all can thrive. Contact us for a free consultation with one of our top non-profit pros.
