From fundraising and donor communications to administration, like bookkeeping, and actually running your nonprofit’s programs, your employees are likely busy people. Subsequently, burnout is common at nonprofits, resulting in reduced work quality, absenteeism, and turnover.
Fortunately, nonprofits can leverage a number of strategies to reduce burnout and even prevent it before it starts. With help from your HR team or an external consultant, assess the current state of your nonprofit and start implementing these top tips to fight burnout.
1. Offer competitive compensation.
To stay motivated, employees must have their basic needs met. This means providing fair compensation that fits employees’ expectations. As nonprofits often struggle to offer competitive wages when compared to businesses, nonprofit compensation consulting firm Astron Solutions recommends taking a total rewards approach.
This strategy involves creating a comprehensive compensation package that includes benefits and perks. This allows nonprofits that struggle to compete on salary to still create attractive offers by highlighting time-off, flexibility, and a positive work environment.
2. Explore health initiatives.
Burnout can negatively impact employees’ physical and mental health. If your employees are currently struggling with burnout, consider implementing programs to help them get back on their feet, such as:
- Office-wide health challenges, to make staying healthy a team project, where each employee feels supported.
- Reimbursement for health-related expenses up to a certain amount, depending on your nonprofit’s budget.
- Access to health resources, whether it’s guidance on where employees can access care or services provided by your nonprofit.
Additionally, ensure your nonprofit work environment and project sites are safe. Reducing the risk of accidents and other workplace hazards can greatly improve both physical and mental health.
3. Provide flexibility.
Burnout can intensify when employees have other stressors in their lives. For example, an employee with a long commute may feel more anxious about staying late, while another employee may feel anxious about scheduling doctors’ visits during work hours.
Flexible work schedules give busy employees more control over their time, reducing burnout. Flexibility usually takes one of two forms:
- Hybrid work. If some of your nonprofit’s work can be completed remotely, consider letting your employees go hybrid.
- Flexible hours. Rather than working a set 9-5 every day, you might let employees adjust their work schedules, as long as their total hours still add up. For example, a parent who wants to drop their kids off at school every day may start work an hour late but work an extra hour at the end of the day.
In addition to helping current employees fight burnout, flexibility is also an in-demand perk for many job seekers, helping you bring in new talent.
4. Create clear growth pathways.
Employees will feel motivated when they have a goal to work towards. While many nonprofits have flat organizational structures or lack traditional promotion pathways, you can still help employees feel a sense of progression by providing new opportunities, greater independence, and more creative freedom.
You can help employees envision their future at your nonprofit and prepare them for roles with greater responsibility by:
- Providing training resources. Help employees learn the skills they’ll need to advance by providing access to in-house training courses, third-party credential programs, or even professional coaching from HR consultants.
- Offering mentorships. Provide employees with additional support and the chance to see the roles they want to move into in action with mentorships and job shadow opportunities. Plus, acting as a mentor can invite senior employees to think more deeply about their own day-to-day work, helping them recommit to their roles.
- Checking in about career goals. Encourage employees to start thinking about their careers and make solid advancement plans by discussing their goals on a routine basis. For example, you might make it a regular part of your performance management conversations or encourage managers to ask their direct reports about their goals.
When employees take on new responsibilities, consider what other aspects of their role you’ll need to update. You may need to adjust job descriptions, provide new titles, or increase compensation so employees receive proper rewards and recognition as they advance.
5. Show appreciation.
A little appreciation goes a long way toward making employees feel valued and improving their motivation. 360MatchPro’s guide to employee recognition programs outlines three main types of appreciation, each of which has different implications and potential impacts. These include:
- Everyday. Everyday acts of appreciation, like saying “thank-you” at the end of the day or congratulating employees when they complete a project, help create a supportive environment. These are unstructured, but managers should aim to make them routine.
- Informal. Appreciation events, work anniversaries, and employee of the month awards require planning but are separate from performance reviews.
- Formal. During performance reviews, you should provide formal recognition for what employees have done well. This type of appreciation signals to employees what work you want to see from them and which factors are impacting their compensation and advancement opportunities.
To keep track of and encourage appreciation, consider adopting employee recognition software. These tools help all employees get involved with everyday, informal recognition to build a culture of appreciation.
6. Maintain open communication.
When employees feel their feedback is heard and they understand why your nonprofit is making each decision, they’re more likely to stay committed to your organization. While your nonprofit doesn’t need to stop employees’ work days to explain every management decision, practice transparency to the best of your ability, especially when decisions will impact employees.
For example, if you decide to rework your pay structure, employees will likely have questions and want to advocate for themselves. Before rolling out your new pay system, plan how you’ll communicate compensation changes. This might include your exact rationale for any pay changes, updates to your employee handbook, an opportunity for employees to ask questions, and even one-on-one meetings for employees who have specific questions about their salary and benefits.
Burnout negatively impacts your nonprofit’s work and can even be expensive if you get stuck in a cycle of hiring new employees to replace ones who leave due to burnout. Prevent this situation by implementing strategies that ensure employees feel supported, properly compensated, and like a true part of your team.