Bi-Weekly Wellbeing Brief: 5/4/2026
May the 4th be with you Overview
As today’s Bi-Weekly Wellbeing Brief falls on May 4th, it feels fitting to borrow the phrase that has offered many generations the courage and protection needed to fight for something bigger than ourselves.
And for nonprofit leaders, organizers, funders, and changemakers, that sentiment feels especially relevant right now as we continue to navigate burnout. For those that continue to carry the heaviest burdens and whose labor is made invisible–we continue to produce these briefs for you. May the 4th be with you!
🪫 The B-word: What’s happening with Burnout?
At Do Good Leadership Collective, we’ve released our first ever white paper: Who Burns Out, and Why? The paper offers a deeper look at the identity-based realities of burnout. The research makes clear that those within certain roles and/or those carrying lived experience often shoulder disproportionate emotional labor, representation burdens, and invisible leadership responsibilities. Burnout, in this framing, is very much an issue of equity.
These insights connect directly with recent reporting from Candid, which warns of a growing “bystander effect” in the nonprofit sector: funders and donors are witnessing crises, inequities, and organizational dysfunction (all of which contributes to burnout), but are sitting on the sidelines and assuming interventions will come from elsewhere.
New data from the Urban Institute reinforces the downstream impact of burnout. Workforce shortages, funding strain, and burnout are affecting communities’ access to services, advocacy, and support. When nonprofit staff burn out, the ripple effect extends far beyond the workplace.
💭 Innovations & New Thinking
In New York, nonprofit workers in Saratoga County recently benefited from a $20,000 burnout prevention grant, helping organizations invest directly in staff wellness, mental health supports, and team sustainability.
The Wellbeing Project is currently collecting responses for their Changemaker Wellbeing Survey—a global research study for the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Center for Healthy Minds, and Humin. Contribute your insights here.
Candid recently highlighted the importance of paid nonprofit internships and youth workforce pathways, emphasizing that if we want the next generation of changemakers to stay in the sector, we must invest in healthier entry points.
Talent strategy is also emerging as a major solution. Recent sector guidance from NonProfit PROemphasizes that stronger succession planning, leadership development, and internal career pathways are essential to closing nonprofit leadership gaps before burnout drives talent away.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) continues pushing philanthropy forward with its upcoming virtual convening: “Beyond Burnout: What Funders Must Know and Do to Support Worker Well-Being and Drive Mission Success.” The message is clear: funders are being asked to get off the sidelines actively shape healthier conditions for the nonprofit workforce.
📍 Local to San Diego
In San Diego, we continue to track the recent proposed budget cuts to arts and culture funding and the implications it will have for our nonprofits and its workforce.
✅ Quick Takeaways
Burnout is tied to identity, equity, and invisible labor.
When nonprofit workers burn out, communities feel the consequences.
Burnout doesn’t end at the office—it impacts families, health, and long-term belonging.
Paid internships, burnout grants, and stronger talent pathways are emerging as practical solutions.
Funders are being asked to get off the sidelines and increasingly stepping into the wellbeing conversation as partners and collaborators.
Do Good Leadership Collective is a San Diego-based consultancy that helps social impact professionals Do Good and Be Well.
