Nonprofit organizations play an extremely important role when it comes to how society addresses many of our most urgent challenges—whether it’s providing immediate essential services or advancing long-term systemic change. To put it simply, this work is vital and world-changing.
But this work is often done amidst a myriad of challenges, unique to each organization, including but certainly not limited to the ongoing pursuit of funding, the political climate, the aim of making a real difference in people’s lives, and much, much more. All of this can lead to nonprofit burnout.
According to the Center of Effective Philanthropy, nearly 90% of nonprofit leaders are overwhelmingly concerned about their own burnout, as well as how burnout is impacting their staff. This shows a hard truth: we can no longer afford to separate wellbeing from work.
The Emotional Toll of Leading Social Change in a Broken System
While burnout can impact people everywhere, around the world and across sectors, the nonprofit industry is particularly susceptible. One leader, part of CEP’s third annual State of Nonprofits report said, “This goes beyond burnout—it is a psychic and physical drain on folks’ ability to function.”
Nonprofit leaders have noted among their concern about their staff’s burnout, that those who identify as members of historically marginalized communities can feel the impact even more acutely. Another leader, also part of the State of Nonprofits report noted, “The need for our services far outweighs our ability to meet the need in a way that completely overwhelms our staff and burns them out.”
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
In the social impact space, we speak often about sustainability—of programs, funding, of ecosystems. But how often do we ask if the people doing this work are sustainable or nourished?
At the Elevate Prize Foundation, we began with a belief in storytelling and that amplifying voices could fuel exponential impact—and it has. But what we uncovered along the way was something deeper: That no story, no visibility, no momentum can be sustained if the storyteller is depleted.
We can build impact without martyrdom and we can create lasting change without nonprofit leadership burnout.
The Whole Leader Philosophy
Whenever you fly on an airplane and listen to the safety briefing, you always hear, “Put on your oxygen mask before helping others.” And while that’s extremely important in the event of an airplane emergency, it’s also a helpful reminder in everyday life. We need to fill our cup before we can help fill others.
This is part of the mindset behind the Elevate Prize Foundation’s Whole Leader philosophy. The brain child of our CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram, through Whole Leader, we believe that opportunities to explore mindfulness, self-care, and coaching that supports and honors each individual leader’s ability to show up equipped to meet the challenges in front of them can as a result better support their teams and thus their communities in the long run.
As Carolina said in our 2025 Make Good Famous Summit, “if we want transformation in the world, we must begin by transforming how we care for those leading it. Those who are brave enough, brilliant enough, and bold enough to guide millions of others toward greater safety and opportunity deserve to be cared for too.”
Mental health programs for nonprofit executives have been proven to reduce stress, improve clarity and emotional intelligence—all qualities our world urgently needs. But it’s also important to acknowledge that burnout is not a failure. Our Whole Leader philosophy is about more than avoiding collapse. It is about restoring wholeness so we can meet life as it is, with compassion and courage, and prevent the burnout from happening.
How Elevate Prize Foundation Implements the Whole Leader Philosophy
At the Elevate Prize Foundation, we know we need to practice what we preach. We implement the Whole Leader philosophy not just with our winners, but with our internal team too.
Within the Elevate Prize, our signature award, $50,000 of their $300,000 in unrestricted funding is dedicated to the leader’s personal and professional growth as part of our Whole Leader philosophy. We use this approach to create opportunities for winners to invest in self-care and mindfulness to more effectively address the steep demands, stressors, and opportunities they so often face.
Internally, this shows up in our work through various forms of wellness support, curated retreats, mentorship, personal development and even closing our entire office for a week of wellbeing every July.
Tips to Help Avoid (or Manage) Burnout
We know prioritizing your own wellbeing can be easier said than done. So we’re sharing some unexpected, practical self-care tips for leaders to help you and your team take care of your mind, body and soul.
- Bust a move: 2025 Elevate Prize winner Michèle Traoré brings music and movement into the Kabakoo office in Mali to boost energy and joy. Watch Michèle break it down!
- Honor your rituals: Elevate Prize Foundation CEO, Carolina García Jayaram, swears by the power of daily rituals like yoga and meditation to stay grounded and maintain her inner peace. Read more about Carolina’s daily rituals.
- Stop doomscrolling and step into the sun: When you catch yourself stuck in the endless scroll (or rereading that stressful work email), pause and get outside! Just 5-15 minutes of sunshine a couple of times a day can lift your mood and help you feel more energized and less stressed.
- Try mindfulness: Neuroscientist Dr. Amishi Jha found that mindfulness isn’t just calming—it’s the only tool scientifically shown to protect and strengthen your attention under stress. Watch Dr. Jha break down the science at our Make Good Famous Summit!
- Connect with others: Make time for the people who support and understand you. Being in community with friends, family, or colleagues can help ease stress and remind you that you are not alone.
- And always…remember to give yourself grace: David Flink, another of our 2025 Elevate Prize winners, reminds us how important it is to show ourselves compassion—especially in challenging moments. Learn more about David’s approach.
About the Elevate Prize Foundation
Founded by Joseph Deitch, the Elevate Prize Foundation empowers changemakers and social entrepreneurs with the visibility, funding, and support they need to Make Good Famous. Learn more at elevateprize.org.
