How do you balance your passion for the cause with the practical aspects of nonprofit management?

@BeckyDinnin at Social Venture Partners San Antonio has a great take on this as the reason for existence and, "Tells everyone what you are making true." Simple and clear.

As leaders we should allocate time for staff to network with other NPO leaders / peers. In fact we need to mandate this practice. Young upcoming NPO leaders will learn more from seasoned /good NPO leaders then from anyone else. It is great to think Corp. leaders can add value and they do, but you do not see them going to NPO leaders for advice for their world, they go to other Corp. leaders. There are great leaders in the NPO world and they will give time to bring others along. Use them!

Many non-profit staff members blend their work with their personal lives because of their passion. Unfortunately, this leads to many people losing part of themselves. We choose to enter the sector to heal our society. This makes us Caregivers. Like all caregivers, this puts us at risk of getting Caregiver Fatigue. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this is when the caregiver, the staff in this case, burns out--physically, emotionally, and mentally. It may be accompanied by a change in attitude from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. Burnout can occur when caregivers don't get the help they need or if they try to do more than they are able to handle- physically or mentally. They neglect what fills their tank up.

Nonprofits shouldn't always listen to forprofit leaders. Forpfofits maximize profit. They do as little as they can for as much as they can charge. Nonprofits maximize impact. They do as much as they can for as little as possible. Nonprofits are businesses. They have objectives, goals, revenue, and expenses. The need business plans, but they need impact centric business plans. So what worked for a for profit leader, won't have the same effect for a nonprofit leader.

You came into the nonprofit sector because you have a passion about an important cause or issue. You’re determined to bring solutions forward. But, working as hard as you possibly can lead you down the fast track to burnout. Feeling overwhelmed can be quite common for nonprofit staff. This is largely due to limited resources – In the 2021 Nonprofit Leadership Impact Study ~70% of respondents considered their organizations to be understaffed. Ultimately, leaders can take a huge step towards more balanced work by setting realistic goals. We can never meet the full social change need. But creating a sense of overwhelm sets us even further back on our impact journey.

Make sure that you include people who view things differently than you. Ensure that your board and staff are filled with those who are passionate but bring different viewpoints, different experience and different tolerance for change. Although I work in the performing arts, some of the most exciting thought partners have come from the social and private sectors.

Be relational rather than transactional. Putting people first over tasks to be done. Share the “Why” of the vision of your organization on a regular basis to your leaders, staff, volunteers and donors.