The short answer according to a recent LinkedIn post is that nonprofit CEO burnout is unavoidable; the author considers it only a matter of time. The post was meant to be provocative in that they describe an overwhelming workload leading to poor performance and ultimate departure due to the stresses of the job.

Make no mistake, a nonprofit CEO’s job is challenging on so many levels. I remember the first time I sat in the executive director seat I felt a tremendous sense of responsibility I hadn’t felt before – “the organization’s future and our employee’s future paychecks rely on me doing my job properly”. That could have begun a spiral of debilitating stress but was instead a challenge to focus on how to be successful.

The pressures on a nonprofit CEO are considerable, being chiefly responsible for:

  • Fundraising and Financial Sustainability
    • The constant search for funding
    • Donor engagement and retention
    • Balancing mission and financial health
  • Board Management
    • Building a strong board
    • Managing board dynamics & planning for leadership succession
    • Compliance and accountability
  • Operational Management
    • Resource constraints
    • Program evaluation and impact measurement
    • Transparency and accountability
    • Upholding ethical standards
  • Stakeholder Engagement
    • Building community relationships
    • Advocacy and public policy
    • Managing public perception
  • Strategic Planning and Vision
    • Working with stakeholders to define and communicate vision
    • Execute on strategic priorities
    • Adapting to change

Coping

Every individual has their own capacity to endure and strategies for reducing stress. The key is to deal with stress in your own individual way before it becomes a negative factor. And to give yourself some grace for times when you’re less than perfect (don’t add to your stress by stressing about mistakes). Some strategies for coping include:

  • Acknowledge that the job is hard, but not untenable and that you need to consciously be creative to address the challenges.
  • Delegate those tasks you can and create a system to check in on progress. If you are a staff of one think about who you can delegate to – a board member, a stakeholder, or a volunteer. If there is no one, then your first task is to generate trusted individuals to help lighten the load.
  • Learn to say “no”. If you are beyond capacity to take on more, don’t take on more. If the board wants to add to your workload when you have no additional capacity – ask them what other aspect of your job is less important and that you will not be doing. That’s reality, it’s not “snark”. This is where an effective strategic plan helps – that has defined what is most important and defines the CEO’s priorities.
  • Actively seek life balance. There are times when that balance isn’t 50/50. But generate one (or more) out of work “de-stressors”. This could be a relaxing hobby, or regular physical activity (walking, working out, running, etc.) or just time in nature. Being in greenspace is relaxing in itself.

A significant partner in assuring a nonprofit CEO has a long tenure and effectively handles the large workload is the board. The next blog post will address how the board can help assure long-term CEO success.