Burnout is a significant and growing challenge, particularly in the nonprofit sector, where leaders and teams are often tasked with doing more with limited resources. At Siebert Lutheran Foundation, we partner with over 100 Lutheran nonprofit organizations, churches, and schools each year, and we asked ourselves: How can we better support leaders to remain strong, healthy, and passionate in their roles? How can we help minimize burnout and leadership turnover in such a demanding field?
In response, we invited Amanda Sattler, CFRE, to lead a workshop equipping nonprofit leaders with spiritual and practical tools to address burnout and build a sustainable path toward recovery and flourishing. Grounded in hope and timeless truths from Scripture, participants explored actionable strategies to recognize early signs of burnout, prevent its onset, and create environments where passion for mission, goal achievement, and personal well-being can thrive together.
Amanda highlighted several key strategies for preventing burnout, emphasizing sustainable habits and healthier workplace dynamics:
Set Clear Boundaries: Professionally and personally, boundaries are essential to prevent overcommitment and exhaustion.
Prioritize Rest and Recovery: Rest is not a luxury but a necessary component of productivity and well-being.
Embrace Shared Leadership: Distributing responsibilities evenly across teams reduces individual burdens and fosters collaboration.
Practice Self-Awareness and Reflection: Regular self-assessment empowers individuals to identify early burnout symptoms and address them proactively.
Amanda did an incredible job presenting, sharing her personal stories, and helping others take action to improve their work-life balance. This topic was timely and essential for nonprofit professionals to understand where they stand on the burnout scale. It’s especially important for department leads and CEOs to recognize how resource limitations can drive burnout.” - Workshop Participant
This workshop reaffirmed Siebert’s belief in the power of strategic support beyond grantmaking. By providing leaders with practical tools and insights, we are not only strengthening their capacity to serve but also fostering environments where well-being and mission-driven work go hand in hand. We are grateful for these meaningful tools to continue doing good while nurturing ourselves, as God calls us to do.