Addressing Burnout Is Critical to the Social Sector’s Success

As in many sectors, workers in the social sector have long experienced workforce challenges. But the turbulence of the past few years, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, racial reckoning, economic precarity, climate change, and polarization in American society, exacerbated pressures on the social sector. This blogpost summarizes findings from a series of recent reports which look at the social sector’s infrastructure growth, financial insecurity, equity, and well-being. The reports also highlight the toll of burnout and the importance for all parts of the social sector infrastructure ecosystem to take steps to minimize burnout and support the well-being of staff and leadership. Based on the reports, the blogpost identifies some suggested ways of addressing burnout.