Sabbaticals Help Prevent CSO Burnout

Preventing CSO burnout never goes out of style. The Durfee Foundation’s 2017 survey found that by funding nonprofit executives’ sabbaticals, a CSO's performance and stability increased. The Foundation's 20-year review of its Sabbatical program, awarded to non-profit leaders with at least a ten-year history, shows the majority of respondents improved in mental and physical health, and that other staff members benefited from the greater responsibilities they gained in the process. According to the survey, the sabbaticals also helped:

• Retain leaders
• Shift leaders' view from daily management to distributed leadership and generative thinking and activity
• Create a shift in work/life balance culture for leaders and staff
• Serve as dry runs for permanent transitions
• Add to nonprofit stability and sustainability

Another foundation is following their lead. In 2022, the Richard King Mellon and McCune Foundations followed suit, helping to ensure valuable professionals don’t leave the sector because of working overtime and earning salaries lower than the private sector. As such, their grants require separation between the executives and their work: executives cannot check work email, phone or interact with anyone from their organization. Their grants have the same 'non contact' stipulation as Durfee's three-month sabbatical. Durfee's other core elements include:

• Open application process for established leaders
• Internal staff (interim or management team) must lead in the absence of the CEO
• Professional development support for the organization’s staff
• Ongoing peer group meetings for Sabbatical alumn