Wellbeing Matters.

Wellbeing is not a “nice to have.”

It is the foundation of sustainable, effective, and resilient social impact work.

For nonprofit and philanthropic leaders who are committed to creating meaningful and lasting change, embedding cultures of wellbeing into organizational strategy is now essential. Burnout continues to tear through the sector, as leaders voice growing concerns about their own wellbeing and that of their teams. High-stress environments, chronic underfunding, and unrealistic workloads not only drain capacity, but also cost organizations billions in turnover and lost potential.

These pressures are not isolated to certain organizations. Burnout is a symptom of deeper systemic barriers. The nonprofit starvation cycle and the nonprofit industrial complex perpetuate underinvestment in people, reinforcing inequities that most harm staff with lived experience and marginalized identities. The result is a workforce of dedicated, yet depleted professionals who question their ability to commit to the work for the long-haul. In fact, Candid released a Fall 2025 article highlighting that 7 in 10 nonprofit employees are thinking of leaving.

At Do Good Leadership Collective, we don’t want to imagine a world without the nonprofit sector. We believe the future of nonprofit leadership depends on cultures where people can thrive in their work--not just survive it. Prioritizing wellbeing is about more than preventing burnout. It’s about honoring the humanity of nonprofit professionals who are on the frontlines of changing the world.

As the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation defines, wellbeing is “a multidimensional concept encompassing physical, mental, and social health, along with the opportunities to create meaningful futures.” While this definition isn’t perfect, it aligns with how we approach organizational effectiveness and resilience: There is no one-size fits all approach for wellbeing. Wellbeing is not a side initiative. It is a core strategy.

It’s time to reimagine how nonprofits and philanthropy invest in their work—by investing in the people who make it possible. A commitment to healthier workplace cultures today leads to greater impact, sustainability, and belonging for generations to come.