Volunteer and Non-Profit Burnout

Authors note: This post is totally revised and updated from the original post ‘Burnt Stick’.

I was discussing the various aspects of management and leadership in non-profit organizations with another consultant this morning. As we talked about it I was reminded of a time not so long ago when I wrote a letter to my church’s leadership concerning taking care of their volunteers. In that letter I said that volunteers are getting burnt out resulting in a prophetic loop that becomes a noose around an organizations neck. Interestingly, non-profits that pay their people have this same challenge.

When a person starts down the path to burnout their performance begins to slip, and they know it. But they are tired. They get frustrated because they are not performing to their standards. And therefore they are not being fulfilled. Yeah, there is that whole touchy, feely thing again. Pay attention to it. Then they begin to have an attitude, either of anger or despair. Attitudes show. Then other potential volunteers and employees thinking of stepping up and joining the team see this attitude and ask themselves “Why would I want to put myself in that position?”

What causes burnout in non-profit and volunteer based organizations? Look at the type of person that volunteers or works for a non-profit. They want to make a difference, to give back and are typically givers at heart. They may be seeking a place to do what they are passionate about, to work the way they want to work. It’s a pretty sure bet that working for a non-profit won’t make you independently wealthy, so it’s not the money that is motivating them.

The people there, for the most part, have a heart and a passion. Sometimes that passion is for the purpose of the organization. Often it can be that they work their because they love what they do and enthusiasm can make up for possible lack of other talents. I know people that volunteer to make websites and do graphic arts and actually volunteer as entertainers because they aren’t allowed to do it at a ‘real job’. I know others that cook for the joy of cooking. Yet others serve on advisory committees because their personal lives may have been impacted by an incident of the type that the organization seeks to prevent, rectify or research. They willingly work for less pay and give of their free time. Even after their work hours are over. They love or need to do what they do they and cannot say ‘No!’ to people that ask for more time.

Because they are givers they are also giving time and energy to other organizations, or individuals. Oh, and another oft disregarded entity, their families. Givers fill their calendars pretty quickly. Givers get a reputation for being there whenever asked. That feeds their souls. When they don’t have the energy to give anymore, because they give more than receive, they begin to burn. It is a slow burn at first, and if not caught early can result in an explosion. What do we do with this knowledge? Read on!

Establish a volunteer coordinator-
Who is managing these volunteers? (And dude or dudette at the top of the heap – this applies to you taking care of yourself as well) If you are the person that a team reports to a BIG part of your job is to watch for burnout and curtail it. Better yet, prevent it. Remember this if you are a leader or manager of volunteers or employees at a non-profit: your job is not to make the end user, the client, happy by being on top of anything and everything. Your job is not to take care of the beneficiary of the non-profit. Your job is to take care of the people working for you so that they can take care of the beneficiary.

Learn all you can about the individuals-
Greater awareness of what motivates them as an individual. Greater awareness of how they behave. Are they working on the things they care about? Be curious and be interested in their interests. Teach them to say no by saying no for them. You might need to use a behavioral or workplace motivators assessment like these or you may need to benchmark the job to make sure you get the right person working on the right things.

Find out where else they volunteer. Who are they mentoring? How much total time are they spending doing these types of activities? Whether or not they are on your organization’s payroll, if you keep them so busy that they work overtime regularly, get this and I will not mince words – Asking these folks to regularly work overtime because you expect them to or because they are on the payroll is abusive and hurtful to their core being. Shame on you if you are doing that. Do a Google search for The Volunteer’s Bill of Rights and share it with them. I know this from personal experience – I have been on both ends of burnout.

Make sure they understand where the organization is headed and how they fit in -
Frustration and exasperation occur when the workers and volunteers begin to get the idea that no one is in charge, or that people are not working in concert with each other – they are not pulling in the same direction. Share your business plan with them.

If you would like more ideas on management you can get some free resources here.

Let’s discuss this topic more. I would like your comments and stories and especially your solutions that work. - Bart Gragg