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WE MUST PRIORITIZE NONPROFIT LEADERS’ REST AND HEALING, AND HERE ARE SOME COOL
FUNDERS DOING THAT

Posted on October 23, 2022October 24, 2022 by Vu

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[Image description: An empty rowboat on calm water. The water reflects the
beautiful warm colors of a sunrise or sunset. In the distance there is a small
house standing on stilts. Image by Quang Le on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, it’s almost Halloween, and the NonprofitAF Scary Story Contest
closes this Thursday! Write (or record) and submit a story of up to 250 words,
by 11:59pm on 10/27. 10 winners will have their stories published here next
week. If you need inspiration, here are some stories; beware, they are very
scary (one involves someone who REMOVES Oxford Commas!)

I know I criticize our sector a lot (and more is coming!). But there are amazing
things going on, and I am really grateful for the organizations and leaders who
are doing awesome stuff. Recently in my state, the Washington Women’s Foundation
released a grant to provide a $100,000-grant each to 10 Black women working in
nonprofit in Washington State, with the expressed purpose of funding their rest
and renewal. This is mind-blowing! The approach is thoughtful, recognizing the
burdens Black women have carried in our sector and trusting Black women to know
what’s best for themselves.

Meanwhile, also in my state, the BIPOC ED Coalition just announced the 20
recipients of its Sabbatical awards, which are up to $60,000 each. Here are some
of the quotes from these leaders on what these awards would do for them:

 * “In my line of work, we deal with the darkest part of humanity, while
   balancing our personal struggles, worries, and joy. To be able to rest and
   rediscover myself, I know I will be in a better mental and emotional space.”
 * “I can get centered again, start putting myself first. My creativity would
   look different and my health would be significantly improved because stress
   levels would minimize. This would be pure soul care.“
 * “A sabbatical would allow me to be fully present for my 7-year-old, and show
   him that he is important and does not have to feel in competition with those
   I am able to assist through my work.”

I have worked with some of these leaders. I see, at least partly, how much
they’ve contributed and sacrificed over the years to make our community better.
To hear that they are getting an opportunity to rest, to spend time with their
family, to try out or get back into creative hobbies, to just breathe and
exist…it’s heartening.

Our sector is complicated. On one hand, this work is fulfilling and meaningful
and it is a privilege to be able to do it. On the other hand, it can be
soul-crushingly stressful. It consumes us, demanding more and more, constantly
taking. It takes our sleep. It takes our health. It ruins our natural good
looks, leaving us many of us with sunken eyes and a general haunted visage
accompanied by a pervasive scent of ink toner and despair. And this was before
the pandemic; the past three years have been worse.

Which is why it’s so important that there are funders who are paying attention,
who understand that taking care of individual leaders is vital to our sector.
There are tons of research now proving how beneficial sabbaticals are. Here’s a
report from TSNE that shows that sabbaticals increase leadership skills among
both leaders taking them as well as those who step up during their colleagues’
absence; governance is improved; leaders come back with fresh ideas and energy
for their work; and funders benefit from the knowledge and connections gained.

But I want us to get away from the “it benefits the organization and the sector”
arguments for a second. People have intrinsic worth outside of their usefulness
to the field, and yet the sector often treats them like batteries to be burned
out and discarded. If we have any hope of creating the kind, caring, equitable
community we want to see, we need to model it by valuing the individuals doing
this work and providing them with the support to be their full selves,
regardless of what they’re contributing to the sector. Especially leaders from
marginalized communities.

In addition to Washington Women’s Foundation and the BIPOC ED Coalition (and its
funders), thank you to the following funders below (in no particular order) for
providing sabbatical support to the leaders in the field in varying amounts, in
different ways, and in different geographies; it’s appreciated. Thank you to the
colleagues who pointed me to these grants and programs. I hope funders currently
not currently providing support for nonprofit and movement leaders’ rest and
renewal will be inspired by these colleagues and start doing so:

The Durfee Foundation: “Many leaders in the Los Angeles nonprofit sector work
under conditions of unrelenting stress, potentially leading to burnout. The
enormous demands of their jobs, combined with financial pressure, can prevent
them from taking time off for much needed rejuvenation and reflection.”

The Barr Foundation: “The Barr Fellowship celebrates exceptional leaders,
investing in them and their organizations, and cultivating a network of civic
leaders committed to Greater Boston. Barr Fellows participate in a two-year
program, including a group learning journey, a three-month sabbatical, and
facilitated retreats with their class of Fellows. Their organizations also
receive significant funds to support leadership and organizational development,
and exploratory projects.”

Windcall Institute: “Windcall Institute supports and sustains labor
and community organizers, particularly people of color and women through our
signature Residency experience and Staying Power programming. Taking a
sabbatical is like hitting the reset button. Windcall offers residencies
specifically designed to experience spaciousness and reflection and can be taken
within a longer sabbatical.”

The O2 Sabbatical Award: “honors dedicated Bay Area nonprofit executive
directors with an essential break for rest and renewal. Sabbaticals recharge
executive directors and empower leadership throughout an organization. The
result is stronger and more resilient teams better prepared to partner with
their communities to create positive change.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation: “Three to six month sabbaticals offer
individuals [in nonprofit leadership positions in North Carolina] the
opportunity to focus primarily on their personal needs and devote themselves to
self-revitalization […] Sabbatical recipients use this time to engage in
non-professional development activities of their own choosing to aid in personal
renewal and growth. While on hiatus, award recipients travel, study, read,
reflect, rest, and/or explore interests unrelated to their field of work”

The Healing Trust: “Sabbatical Grants provide support for a nonprofit
organization during a period of Sabbatical for the nonprofit CEOs/EDs renewal.
The Sabbatical Grant program is currently available to the Executive
Directors/CEOs of our grantee partners. The nonprofit must have received 3 years
of unrestricted operating funds from The Trust or be a *grassroots organization
that has received any unrestricted funds from The Trust”

The Cal Wellness Sabbatical Program: “Do you want to take three months to six
months off to focus on yourself, your family or your personal aspirations? Do
you want your organization to strengthen its resources and deepen its capacity
to function well, even when you’re not there?” (For nonprofit leaders in
California)

The Colorado Health Foundation: “The Nonprofit Sabbatical Program aims to
recognize and reward long-term and respected nonprofit leaders in Colorado and
strengthen the organizations they lead by offering funds for interim leadership
and staff capacity building. The program offers nonprofit executives the
opportunity to step away from professional responsibilities and take time for
themselves for rejuvenation. Ideally, the executive returns to their
professional life with new ideas and a fresh sense of commitment to their work,
the nonprofit sector as well as the health and health equity of all Coloradans.”

R&R: “R&R is the first organization to provide sabbatical grants to the Jewish
communal sector on a national scale. We know that rest, and specifically
sabbaticals, is essential to our community’s investment in generating the next
big Jewish ideas. Without giving our leaders time away from their work to dream
big, replenish their spirits, and rest their bodies, we will not see any of
their ideas come to fruition. This is particularly critical when viewed through
an equity lens, as we know BIPOC, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and women
have borne the brunt of the economic disparity of the pandemic.”

Fieldstone Leadership Network: “Many leaders in the nonprofit sector work under
conditions of unrelenting stress and continuous challenges which can potentially
lead to burnout. The enormous demands of their jobs, often combined with
financial pressure, can prevent them from taking time off for much-needed
rejuvenation. Effective institutions are driven by creative and energetic
people. The Fieldstone Leadership Network San Diego and the Clare Rose
Foundation recognize that these leaders need time to think and reflect if they
are to keep their organizations operating and serving at the highest level.”

Thank you to these above funders for taking care of the leaders in our sector
who are out there making our world better. This is not a comprehensive list. If
you know other funders who are providing sabbatical or similar support, please
list them in the comment section.

—

The midterm elections are coming up! Please join me in donating to candidates in
vital races.


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Posted in leadership, nonprofit field, Race, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion,
self-care


PUBLISHED BY VU

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