The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit: Strategies for Impact without Burnout

"Kanter and Sherman provide an essential guide for nonprofits looking to make a positive social impact on their communities and around the world."
Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post

Praise for THE HAPPY, HEALTHY NONPROFIT

"Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman have created an essential guide that champions self–care for individuals and organizations in the nonprofit sector. Every leader can benefit from the lessons in The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit as they learn to preserve and strategically deploy their most valuable resources time and intellectual capital towards improving our world."
Laura Arrillaga–Andreessen, Author, New York Times Bestseller, Giving 2.0: Transform Your Giving and Our World and Founder/Chairman, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society

"Yes, your work is important. But so are you. Beth and Aliza want you to realize that the change you seek to make begins with your ability to make that change. This book is a great place to start."
Seth Godin, Author, Linchpin

"The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit provides nonprofit leaders with a thoughtful framework for creating a workplace culture in which they and their staff can better serve their mission by all taking better care of themselves."
David Rousseau, Kaiser Family Foundation, VP and Executive Director, Media and Technology

"Social change is hard work. So let us be thankful for the hard workers of social change. But, more, let′s pay attention to the health and happiness of those committed to the common good. The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit offers a much–needed path for doing just that."
Jacob Harold, President and CEO, GuideStar

"Just as the title tells you, this book is different from anything you′ve read about nonprofits. It′s filled with specific tips and strategies you can put to work today. Everyone who works in nonprofits or wants to start one needs to read this book by the leading experts in the sector."
Sree Sreenivasan, former Chief Digital Officer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Columbia University

"Kanter and Sherman have written a ground–breaking book that maps how we can nurture and sustain our most invaluable resource, the people who bring the mission of our organizations to life. The authors create a new paradigm for nonprofits, moving from a cultural expectation of self–sacrifice to one of self–renewal. This paradigm shift is key if we are to create a society with sustainable nonprofits."
Nancy J. Smyth, PhD, LCSW, Dean and Professor, University at Buffalo School of Social Work

Our Acknowledgements

Beth s Acknowledgements

Aliza s Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

The Vision

Why We Wrote This Book

What You ll Learn In This Book

PART 1 Revitalize Yourself

CHAPTER 1 The Problem

Why Nonprofit Professionals Burn Out

When Work and Life Collide

What is Burnout, Anyway?

Causes of Burnout

The Stress of Work

Moving Out of Burnout

CHAPTER 2 The Foundation

Understanding the Areas of Self–Care

Dealing With Stress

What is Self–Care, Really?

Introducing the 5 Spheres of Happy Healthy Living

Sphere 1: Relationship to Self

Sphere 2: Relationship to Others

Sphere 3: Relationship to Environment

Sphere 4: Relationship to Work and Money

Sphere 5: Relationship to Tech

It s Time To Make a Change

CHAPTER 3 The Assessments

Change Your Habits, Make a Self–Care Plan

Self–Assessment Is the First Step

CHAPTER 4 The Practices

Happy Healthy Things You Can Do For Yourself

Individual Self–Care

Supporting Health and Wellness

Supporting Happiness and Wellbeing

CHAPTER 5 The Workflow

Changing the Way You Work

Bringing It To The Office

Relationships in the Workplace

Environment

Managing Your Energy

Asking for Flexible Work

Bringing Play to Your Work

Breaking From Work

Tech Wellness

Part 2 Revitalize Your Organization

CHAPTER 6 The Culture

Transforming Your Organization

Connecting the Dots to Organizational Culture Change

Defining A Happy Healthy Culture

The Role of the Leaders

Supporting Employees for Culture Change

Committing to Culture Change

CHAPTER 7 The Activities and Cues: Self–Care to WE–Care

WE–Care in the Workplace

The Physical Office

Human Interactions

Mindfulness at Work

Creativity Activities

Home Life Support

CHAPTER 8 The Processes

Wellbeing in the Workplace

Work Flows

Energy Management

Walking as Work

Flexible Work

Play at Work

Breaking From Work

CHAPTER 9 The Strategy: Working Toward a Happy, Healthy Nonprofit Organization

Wellness Versus Wellbeing Programs

The Benefits of a Happy, Healthy Strategy

Why Employee Engagement Is Essential

Your Policies and Employee Benefits

Writing Your Happy, Healthy Strategy

Rolling Out Your Strategy

Evaluating Your Happy, Healthy Organization

Shout Hallelujah, Come on Get Happy and Healthy!

Endnotes

BETH KANTER was named one of the most influential women in technology by Fast Company and is the award–winning author of The Networked Nonprofit books. She is an internationally acclaimed master trainer and speaker.

ALIZA SHERMAN is a web and social media pioneer; founder of Cybergrrl, Inc., the first women–owned, full–service Internet company; and Webgrrls International, the first Internet networking organization for women. She is a motivational keynote speaker and the author of ten books, including Social Media Engagement for Dummies.