Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy’s Post

Leaders of color in nonprofits often face extreme burnout due to the relentless demands of their work, especially in racial equity. This article by Cora Daniels emphasizes the critical need for paid sabbaticals and rest as essential tools for combating exhaustion and sustaining impactful social change. When philanthropy supports the well-being of these leaders, it creates a more resilient sector, capable of enduring the long fight against systemic oppression. It's time to prioritize rest as a form of resistance and empowerment. It's time to rest to rise. Read more in The Chronicle of Philanthropy: https://lnkd.in/gfeAqyjj

Here's a win-win for nonprofits to practice being prepared for change....offer paid sabbatical leave to long-serving staff, over and above their earned PTO. It's smart, long-term thinking. It offers long-serving staff a reward for their loyalty, and hopefully reduces turnover. It also offers organizations the opportunity to practice being flexible and nimble. There are times when flexibility and nimble thinking are needed, and practicing prepares organizations to be ready for those times. There could be an unexpected change in staffing requiring a quick shift in how the work gets done. There could be a disaster that changes how the organization delivers its mission, requiring quick thinking on how to flex. There could be significant social change, such as what we witnessed with George Floyd and Ferguson, and even the current student protests happening across the country. Nonprofits often react and reframe during these times. Think of sabbaticals as not only investing in your staff, but investing in your organization. #nonprofitcareers #buildingstrongercommunities #paidsabbatical

Great article elevating the importance of rest for non-profits and movements.

THIS. IS. BRILLIANT 👏🏽 While, I won't be able to benefit from this radical ecosystem move, I can't emphasize enough how important this modeling is. As a nonprofit leader, I'm dreaming of radical opportunities to bring to and engage my team to support their mental, emotional, and spiritual labor they give every day and waking moment. We need all members of the ecosystem to create margin and support the creativity, wellbeing, and health that we all need and deserve. And especially to #Philanthropists looking for how to support your organizational partners with tangible support, here's a great point of reference. THIS MOVE isn't just important for those of us in the nonprofit space, but for ALL of us! This is a liberated workforce that honors humans at all levels! Well done! Now, if you are a Washington State BIPOC non-profit staffer, go get that rest! We need you! #Nonprofit #Equity #Liberation

😢 Myth of the day: My nonprofit does such important work that we can't take a break. 🔥 Reality: Through careful planning and integrating the rest people need, nonprofits achieve better results 🔥. Do you want two examples of who is doing this? Interfaith Philadelphia and Woman of Reform Judaism are taking a full, week-long break (every staff member) this week. They chose this week after thorough planning, looking at the year-long cycle of their work to determine the right timing for their team. Want to learn more? The link provides details about 15 organizations taking break weeks and lots of research on how powerful break weeks are. #break #talent #sustainablilty

Volunteering in retirement can be a holistic prescription for a healthier and more vibrant life. Studies show that there are both significant physical and mental health benefits to volunteering. Furthermore, a feeling of connection to a greater cause can foster a deep sense of fulfillment and contentment. Here are tips to help you maximize your efforts and energy as you make plans to embark on your volunteer journey. #volunteering #activeretirement #communityservice

Funding opportunity to support self-care through a sabbatical program. These sabbatical grants, offered by the Meyer Foundation, are designed to promote deep rest by enabling organizers, frontline staff, senior staff, and executive directors of organizations to take a step away from their jobs, rest, and engage in activities that will renew their mind, body, and spirit. This opportunity is particularly valuable for frontliners, organizers, directors, researchers, and other dedicated individuals who face daily challenges, whether in the field (online or offline) or in their offices, within their home countries or in exile. Their work is crucial for reclaiming space, fighting for better regimes, and advocating for the economic, social, political, and cultural rights, especially for those who need to fight representing groups/communities that lack of representation and/or are under constant attack. The philanthropic sector asks its partners/grantees about their strategies’ sustainability, robustness and resilience. These are critical considerations for making financial decisions with potential field-wide implications. When evaluating how to allocate resources for building and reinforcing mechanisms that provide safety and security, it’s crucial to assess how effectively the chosen strategies impact the protection ecosystem, how they address key levers of change, and strengthen weak points. However, it is equally important when doing those evaluations, actors in the philanthropic sector implement a holistic view of their partners/grantees’ conditions — how effectively they can build and implement strategies, and whether they have the necessary support (including and) beyond just financial resources. Programs like sabbaticals, which offer time for rest and renewal, should inspire the philanthropic sector. By providing such opportunities, we not only support individual well-being but also contribute to the overall sustainability and resilience of the protection ecosystem. Find more information about the sabbatical grants here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ehiP5Cmq #funding #fundingopportunity #philanthropy #protection #humanrights #activism

Volunteering in retirement can be a holistic prescription for a healthier and more vibrant life. Studies show that there are both significant physical and mental health benefits to volunteering. Furthermore, a feeling of connection to a greater cause can foster a deep sense of fulfillment and contentment. Here are tips to help you maximize your efforts and energy as you make plans to embark on your volunteer journey. #volunteering #activeretirement #communityservice

"Rest and joy are not the enemies of productivity, but its source." Research shows that when nonprofit leaders disconnect from their work for three months, they return with renewed purpose, extend their tenure, and discover new sources of energy and inspiration. Individual rest is important for more than simply avoiding burnout. There are sector-wide implications for how we see collective care. According to the Clare Rose Foundation’s 2020 report on nonprofit sabbatical programs, only one in four nonprofits have a leadership-succession plan in place, and two-thirds of leaders plan to leave their positions within two to five years. "Funders have not invested in nonprofit retention—and it shows." #decentwork #nonprofitleadership #nonprofitconsulting Durfee Foundation https://lnkd.in/dZuvyvhT

What, exactly, is a “village”? Village programs focus on assisting older adults to age at home independently. Check out more about the Village movement here: https://lnkd.in/eS2z-5ck #aginginplace #aging #villagemovement #retirement #nonprofit #volunteer