How to address burnout and work overload when you're the sole employee?

January 5, 2015 8:44 AM

I manage a very small nonprofit organization. We had two employees, including myself, but had to let employee #2 go due to funding cuts. Our workload was already too heavy and I was burning out, so now it's just getting worse. I have the authority to control my workload and make cuts, but I don't know where to begin since nothing on my plate is unimportant and there's no other employees to shift the work to, either.

I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. The organization has reduced capacity (less staff, due to less funding) but our workload was already pretty efficient without a lot of fluff, so it's not easy to see where we can make cuts. And quite honestly, I'm really burned out and overwhelmed. For the last 6 months I've been doing 50-60 hour workweeks and although I've wanted to get back to 40, I haven't been able to do so because there's just been too much work. I've lost my motivation and am feeling like a failure.

Because I'm burned out and working on my own, what would already be a difficult decision feels almost impossible, and in my gut I just want to quit and run away. I know that's not a good solution but I just don't know where to begin. I need to make a plan to present to the board about how we're going to manage with just one staffperson, but I don't know how to decide what to cut, since everything seems important.

So that's what I'm hoping the hive mind can help me get some perspective on: when everything seems important and there's no one else to shift work to, how do you make your workload more manageable? How do you even start to prioritize - and then, enforce your decisions when people inevitably get upset about the important things that you had to cut? (And not give in and take the work on anyway!) I may be able to find a volunteer or two to help with some things here and there, but I can't really look to them as replacement staff members, even though I wish I could. Thanks in advance.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (13 answers total)

Figuring this out by yourself whilst severely burn out sounds incredibly difficult.

Is there anyone on your board with really good managerial skills, or someone with whom you have a good rapport? This is the sort of question that's best answered by people who a) better understand your nonprofit, and b) might have some resources to throw at the problem, whether that be good volunteers, short-term donation of some organizational help, or something else.

You're smart to be looking for help. Maybe your mission or other documents can make it clearer what needs to be tabled for now? Mostly, instead of going to the board with a plan, I'd recommend asking them for help creating the new plan.
posted by ldthomps at 9:15 AM on January 5, 2015

If you can get volunteers to help that would be ideal, perhaps some of the board members.

The sad fact is this isn't sustainable. If this is your non-profit, then you may have to shutter it. I'm sorry, but just like any other business, if you can't bring in enough money to offset expenses (like employees) then it's not viable.

Ruining your health on the altar of this venture will gain you nothing. The best thing at this point is to suspend operations, then go through all projects and programs with the board so you can see how best to dismantle this.

One person holding it all together is not an answer.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:18 AM on January 5, 2015

If the organization doesn't have the funds to do everything it wants, it has to do less. This means someone (you? you and your board?) looking at everything and making those tough decisions. Some questions to guide that discussion might be:

Of the services you offer, what are needed most?
Of the services you offer, which are not offered by other agencies?
What are you best at?
What are you best known for-- i.e., is there an area where your absence is more likely to make people mistakenly think you've gone out of business?

You should not make these decisions alone. If you don't have a board, could you put together some sort of advisory council, including representatives of the people or agencies you work with? Depending on how formal you want to be, you and/or this group could write a strategic plan, which you can point to when people complain about cuts or changes. Such a plan could also chart a path to restoring some of what's being cut.

"But wait," I hear you say, "I don't have time for a strategic plan." True, but this might be important enough to put the organization's work on hiatus for a week or two while you and helpers focus on the big issues.

Don't count on volunteers to pick up the excess work-- you'll probably spend more time managing them than you would doing the work yourself.
posted by underthehat at 9:20 AM on January 5, 2015

So, do you think you actually can realistically manage as the one staffperson? I agree that you need outside help and cannot solve this problem on your own. If the board can help, or if there is another organization that you partner with maybe that could give you an outside opinion, then give that a try.

But, real talk: I'm sure you don't want to put yourself out of a job, but would it actually be better to wind the organization down (or fold it into another organization) than to limp along with half the staff (half!) that you had before? You say "In my gut I just want to quit and run away. I know that's not a good solution..." but maybe it is? It's almost certainly a good solution for *you*, even if it's not good for the organization.

Because the organization does not sound sustainable, and it sounds like you're the only thing holding it together, and if you wait until you burn out completely (or what if you get sick or injured?) then things are going to be in even worse shape.
posted by mskyle at 9:22 AM on January 5, 2015

I think idthomps's answer to go your Board is an excellent one. Part of their job is to ensure the organization is sustainable (and right now, it isn't), so this falls squarely in their lap.

To help with the strategy and tactics, I'd consider using a matrix like this one to analyze your programs and operations.

Consider the minimum of what you MUST do to keep the organization compliant, and then prioritize programs based on mission alignment, impact, and the financial resources they bring in to the organization. Spend your time accordingly.

Good luck! I've worked for non-profits my entire professional career in various states of fiscal and organizational health and I know how rough it can get.
posted by smirkette at 9:22 AM on January 5, 2015

You need to put this back on the board. They need to figure this out, they are in charge. If there's more work than you can do, can you put together a list of what you could reasonably get done in 40 hours a week, and then show them all the rest and ask them what they want to do? I know it's hard, but you have to step away from the stuff you can't do. No one will step up as long as you're doing everything. Maybe that means the organization or certain parts of it will cease to exist. That's OK. If it's that or your health/sanity, you are the priority.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:22 AM on January 5, 2015

That sounds like a horrible situation to be in. You are most definitely not a failure - you're keeping your nonprofit going for your clients! Are the board giving you much support? Do they know you are going to have to cut some of your projects?

I guess my advice would be to prioritise based on what is coming up immediately, and get really good at saying 'No' to people. Are there any projects you are working on that come from non-restricted income and can be scaled down or cut completely without incurring the funder's wrath/legal team? Are there any other non-profits who you could temporarily partner up with to deliver some of your work?


Can you argue that a second person (even on a freelance or part-time basis) is necessary for you to carry on the nonprofit. Having some freelance support for things like grant-writing or admin could relieve you of some pressure.

The website http://nonprofitwithballs.com/ might have some advice in the archives. Even if it doesn't, it has some comforting words for burnt out non-profiters :)

You are doing a great job. I promise.
posted by Dorothea_in_Rome at 9:26 AM on January 5, 2015

I was involved with a nonprofit that had to make cuts. The way we looked at it was: 1 - what is our mission? 2 - where do we have the best outcomes? 3 - cut everything else. (And, by the way, after making the cuts, and committing to smarter growth going forward, the org has now grown back to be larger and more successful and sustainable than it was before.)

We had to change our outlook, and move away from the standpoint of "making a small difference in as many situations as possible" and toward the standpoint of "making a major, life-changing difference in a few, carefully selected situations that fit our capabilities." I suggest presenting this to the board using success stories. Point to a successful anecdote from the past, and say: this is why we do this work, we can still have successes like this, but we have to cut other things.

Maybe your nonprofit already does grant paperwork where you have to demonstrate certain outcomes? Focus there. What are the distractions that get in the way of making those outcomes happen, and can you think of any policy changes that might help you eliminate those distractions? Could the board change policy so that you no longer take on certain types of cases (by an objective measure) that take an unreasonable amount of resources and usually can't be resolved successfully? Could the organization stop participating in one particular program that is more trouble than it's worth? If it really is only a capacity issue, could organization policy be changed to limit the total amount on your plate somehow, such as after a certain point (lower than before), the organization declares it is at capacity and does not take on any more?

Another thing that could help get board members moving would be to ask the board to agree on: "here is staff's plan to reduce capacity by X amount unless board can raise Y dollars by deadline." And then it becomes the board's job to bring in the dollars by the deadline or else staff is already empowered to make the cuts.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 9:31 AM on January 5, 2015

There's no way you can be effective based on the situation you're describing. Sure, the work you're doing may be important, but if it's not making a difference then there's no point doing it. What you end up doing is creating a very poor image for your organization - one that offers great promise but provides only false hope. Continuing in this manner could be actively harming your non-profit's reputation, and fundraising success is often based on reputation. Once fundraising is affected, your problems will only get worse.

So I agree with Bentobox Humperdinck - talk to the board about reducing the quantity of work and increasing the quality of work. The end result should be a better work environment, increased funding opportunities, and greater achievement of goals.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 10:09 AM on January 5, 2015

I got super sick suddenly and had to step down at work. People stepped up and three years later I'm still doing less work and the organization is running much better. Huge issues - I fantasize about closing everything down at least once a week too - but better.

Imagine you got hit by a bus and were hospitalized for three months. The bus also ran over your laptop. What would seriously happen?

Cut. Cut and cut what you couldn't run from a hospital bed and put the time you free up into delegating work to board members or committed volunteers or funding. Half to running the program and half to fixing the lack of resources.

And set one day a week where you are uncontainable and don't even check email or answer your phone - make that your mental health recovery day to rest and Not Think About Work.

Memail me if you want to vent.
posted by viggorlijah at 12:12 PM on January 5, 2015

Are there other non-profit organizations in your are that have a similar mission or do similar work? It may be time for your board to think about finding a merger, and becoming a program of a larger organization that can take on the administrative work of running your organization, while you carry out the mission/program work.
posted by nerdcore at 12:50 PM on January 5, 2015

I am going through a somewhat similar thing with the non-profit I took over a year ago. I do have a small part time/work study staff, but I'm the only full time employee.

I inherited an organization that does a lot of little programs OK. Overseeing/implementing 5 little programs (and one big one that brings in 85% of our budget) plus keeping the place running, maintaining/developing board relations, etc is simply not possible for me to do without half-assing parts.

My current mantra is to do less and do it well. No one likes to cut programs. It can become an incredibly emotional conversation. It's hard to say no when your mission is to help people. Some board members get it, others are not happy. The goal, of course, is to pare down and then grow strategically/sustainably.

The other mantra I have that I think is especially important for people in the non-profit sector to remember is that you can't grow a sustainable organization on the expectation of self-sacrifice.

I happy to talk more about how I'm navigating this. Even better if we could get all of the mefites who have been through this/are going through this and have google group or something. MeMail me!
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 1:18 PM on January 5, 2015

Nthing do less. Nthing put this back on to the board.

I have been in your shoes; there were two of us, a huge and new project, and 1500 volunteers to manage.

We were driven to grow by the board because they felt like they had to show Big Donor their money was being used effectively. What it meant was that the two of us had a workload we could never clear, both of us working 60,70,80 hours a week. After my first year, i made them revise their projected numbers, by my third year, I had gotten them to hire 6 more people and got strict about my 40 hours (i have a life again!) They had to reign in their expectations. I knew we were all working hard so I just did what I could in 40 good hours and told them we had to slow down. It made me so much happier.

You can't do this on your own. You're probably a very driven and efficient person but going at full speed indefinitely is so bad for you. Please take a holiday. If you're the only person, the board (if they're at all sensible) must know that there wil be times when you're sick or on leave and the work has to stop.

Good luck. You're SO not a failure!
posted by stellathon at 12:41 PM on January 6, 2015