Bi-Weekly Wellbeing Brief: 2/9/2026
February 9 Overview:
In moments of political volatility, climate disruption, and economic strain, nonprofits are often the first line of support. As crises intensify across the United States, so does the pressure on nonprofit organizations behind the scenes. Yet, across philanthropy, healthcare, and regional economies, a clearer truth is emerging: wellbeing can be a necessary condition for sustaining the important work of the nonprofit workforce.
🪫 The B-word: What’s happening with Burnout?
In Washington, DC, leaders are naming how burnout and disconnection are weakening nonprofit and community effectiveness.
This article from dvm360 articulates how volunteers are now being recognized within the wellbeing conversation. A new mental wellness training program for disaster-relief volunteers acknowledges that exposure to trauma, crisis response, and high emotional load affects unpaid responders just as deeply as staff.
Healthcare–which includes nonprofit hospital systems–have been signaling burnout alarms for quite some time. Advocate Health recently announced a $776 million increase in total employee compensation, a move that underscores how worker wages and workforce investment are central to organizational resilience. While large nonprofit hospitals operate more like complex enterprises, the principle holds that compensation and staff care are interconnected.
In times of organizational stress, leaders are asking how to stay mission-focused without collapsing under pressure. A recent Forbes Nonprofit Council piece offers practical guidance for mitigating burnout: clarify priorities, communicate transparently, protect team capacity, and resist reactive urgency.
💭 Innovations & New Thinking
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s recent report (A Sector In Crisis: How U.S. Nonprofits and Foundations Are Responding to Threats) tracks how nonprofits and foundations are responding to funding uncertainty, rising demand, and workforce strain. The data signals what many social impact leaders already feel: burnout risk is high, and support systems must evolve.
The Grantmakers for Effective Organizations highlights an uptick in foundations investing directly in staff wellness and burnout prevention. Flexible funding, capacity grants, and wellbeing supports are increasingly framed as stabilizing tools during turbulence.
A Center for Effective Philanthropy article, written by Laura Bacon, on “Beyond-the-Grant” pushes this notion further, urging philanthropy to deepen partnerships beyond dollars and consider investing in relational support, listening, multi-year funding, and more. Care-bare philanthropy (offered by Shawnda Chapman) is offered as a framework.
Regionally, leaders in Vermont are reminding the public that nonprofits are economic drivers and infrastructure anchors. When nonprofits struggle, entire regional economies feel the impact.
📍 Local to San Diego
Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties just rolled out its one-stop, comprehensive source for grantmaking data and nonprofit insights–the Catalyst Data Hub. The organization is making this resource available at no cost to every nonprofit or philanthropic foundation in the region, as well as all Catalyst members, through October 2028.
The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego is hosting two webinars to release their annual State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy Report. You can join the February 11th waitlist, or join on February 12th.
✅ Quick Takeaways
Nonprofit burnout is affecting staff, volunteers, and entire communities.
Data across philanthropy confirms the social impact workforce strain is widespread.
During times of crisis, investing in nonprofit wellbeing is an investment in community stability
Do Good Leadership Collective is a San Diego-based consultancy that helps social impact professionals Do Good and Be Well.
