Is it just me or are a lot of nonprofit professionals people-pleasers that tend to take on too much? Just me? I doubt it.
The thing about fundraisers and nonprofit professionals is that we live and breathe our work, we take it home and compassion fatigue kicks you in the gut sometimes. At the heart of it, we wholeheartedly believe in the mission and value of the causes we work for. And unfortunately, at times, that can come at the cost of our own mental health and family-life balance. It should be a collective effort at the individual, team and organizational level to support the mental and emotional health of our people; without them, the good work we do would suffer.
After ten-plus years in the sector and with plans for building a family right around the corner it is daunting to think about how that transition will affect my career. It takes a village to build a family AND run a nonprofit. Balanced Good believes it is the responsibility of the individual professionals, the fundraising team and the organizational leadership to support that transition.
By opening the door for top-down, bottom-up, and lateral conversations to proactively support parents, those planning to be parents and their teammate’s work, leadership teams can invest in the success of their organization and its fundraising goals.
The study, “The Impact of COVID-19: The Phenomenological Effect of Burnout on Women in the Nonprofit Sector and Implications for the Post-Pandemic Work World” emphasizes the importance of supporting mental health and addressing burnout – particularly for women.
“Women in the nonprofit sector are stereotyped as self-sacrificing, and nurturing. These perceptions of women impact their emotional and physical health as they take on overwork leading to burnout.”[1] This echos the critical need for nonprofit teams to nurture working parents and those who plan to be parents as well as the need to address the reality of burnout in the social-profit sector.
Authors, Patricia A. Clary and Patricia Vezina Rose, highlight the need for self-care at the micro or individual level, psychological safety at the mezzo/peer level, and revising policies and procedures that address the unique needs of women at the macro/organization level.
The individual – micro
Self-advocacy is crucial for supporting each individual’s emotional, mental, and physical needs. This skill is critical for defining work–life priorities to reduce the stress and burnout experienced by women and parents working in nonprofits.
Self-care can be as simple as providing time for walks during breaks at work or adjusting meeting times to reflect the values of mental health and work-life balance.
A proud partner of the Nurtured for Good program, Moms at Work, share that employees should advocate for themselves, so their manager and team understand exactly what they need to be successful and find balance. Start by voicing any mental health and work-related boundaries you have and what kind of support you need to perform effectively at work. See this article for more tips: 3 Effective Ways To Advocate For Yourself In The Workplace (forbes.com)
The team – mezzo
To promote a healthy workplace environment at the team level, enact routine check-ins that address the care of all team members. Managers and team leaders should make time at work to process employees’ emotions caused by stress and burnout.
Take a proactive approach to parental leave by implementing programs that support the collective work of the entire team and keep work from being redirected when a colleague goes on parental leave.
Whether you are a birthing or non-birthing mom/parent, or supportive colleague, managing family-life, career and teams’ collective success can be daunting. Take the first baby step by reviewing Balanced Good’s helpful Parental Leave Checklist as a team.
Already a parent trying to balance work and family life? Chat with fellow parents working in non-profits in our supportive network.
The organization – macro
At the organizational level, leadership teams of nonprofit organizations must be empowered to review workplace policies and procedures. Integrating supportive processes like rotating work schedules, altering work hours, and revising work expectations are some ways to address the unique needs of working parents.
Work-from-home options allow flexibility, and foster work-life balance, and psychological well-being for new parents with increased demands on their time.[2]
Our Nurture for Good program offers structure and guidance for transitioning your role, your team and your organization into a smooth, successful parental leave.
We are stronger together! You don’t have to do it alone.
Show that you’re committed to your organization, team, and community supporters by thinking proactively about how to plan for a parental leave at your non-profit.
Employers, this means you will have a clear vision forward for when one of your team members is focused on parental leave. And, parents, you will have a clear vision of how their role will be maintained and supported.
Life isn’t linear. I’m not sure when the road towards building a family will begin for me. But if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that sometimes we just don’t know when a new baby will arrive. We can all start our transition planning early!
Cheyanne Richardson, Senior Consultant at Balanced Good, is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and Georgian College’s Fundraising and Resource Development Program and Conestoga College’s Volunteer Management Program. Cheyanne is a relationship based, storytelling-fundraiser, with over 10 years of experience. She values cultivating meaningful relationships with individuals and organizations who are committed to innovation and creativity to create positive change. Cheyanne and her dog, Gus can often be found on the trails, spending time with family and friends or in her garden.
[1] (PDF) The Impact of COVID-19: The Phenomenological Effect of Burnout on Women in the Nonprofit Sector and Implications for the Post-Pandemic Work World (researchgate.net)
