The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit

Book description

Steer your organization away from burnout while boosting all-around performance

The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit presents realistic strategies for leaders looking to optimize organizational achievement while avoiding the common nonprofit burnout. With a uniquely holistic approach to nonprofit leadership strategy, this book functions as a handbook to help leaders examine their existing organization, identify trouble spots, and resolve issues with attention to all aspects of operations and culture. The expert author team walks you through the process of building a happier, healthier organization from the ground up, with a balanced approach that considers more than just quantitative results. Employee wellbeing takes a front seat next to organizational performance, with clear guidance on establishing optimal systems and processes that bring about better results while allowing a healthier work-life balance. By improving attitudes and personal habits at all levels, you'll implement a positive cultural change with sustainable impact.

Nonprofits are driven to do more, more, more, often with fewer and fewer resources; there comes a breaking point where passion dwindles under the weight of pressure, and the mission suffers as a result. This book shows you how to revamp your organization to do more and do it better, by putting cultural considerations at the heart of strategy.

  • Find and relieve cultural and behavioral pain points
  • Achieve better results with attention to well-being
  • Redefine your organizational culture to avoid burnout
  • Establish systems and processes that enable sustainable change

At its core, a nonprofit is driven by passion. What begins as a personal investment in the organization's mission can quickly become the driver of stress and overwork that leads to overall lackluster performance. Executing a cultural about-face can be the lifeline your organization needs to thrive. The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit provides a blueprint for sustainable change, with a holistic approach to improving organizational outlook.

Table of contents

  1. Our Acknowledgments
    1. Beth’s Acknowledgments
    2. Aliza’s Acknowledgments
  2. Foreword
  3. Introduction
    1. The Vision
    2. Why We Wrote This Book
    3. What You’ll Learn in This Book
    4. Notes
  4. Part I: Revitalize Yourself
    1. Chapter 1: The Problem: Why Nonprofit Professionals Burn Out
      1. When Work and Life Collide
      2. Scarcity of Self-Care
      3. Lack of Belief, Lack of Buy-In
      4. What Is Burnout, Anyway?
      5. Causes of Burnout
      6. The Stress of Work
      7. Moving Out of Burnout
      8. Notes
    2. Chapter 2: The Foundation: Understanding the Areas of Self-Care
      1. Dealing with Stress
      2. What Is Self-Care, Really?
      3. Introducing the Five Spheres of Happy Healthy Living
      4. Sphere 1: Relationship to Self
      5. Sphere 2: Relationship to Others
      6. Sphere 3: Relationship to Environment
      7. Sphere 4: Relationship to Work and Money
      8. Sphere 5: Relationship to Tech
      9. It’s Time to Make a Change
      10. Notes
    3. Chapter 3: The Assessments: Change Your Habits, Make a Self-Care Plan
      1. Self-Assessment Is the First Step
      2. Creating Change
      3. Making It Happen: Your Self-Care Action Plan
      4. Notes
    4. Chapter 4: The Practices: Happy, Healthy Things You Can Do for Yourself
      1. Individual Self-Care
      2. Supporting Health and Wellness
      3. Supporting Happiness and Well-Being
      4. Notes
    5. Chapter 5: The Workflow: Changing the Way You Work
      1. Bringing It to the Office
      2. Relationships in the Workplace
      3. Environment
      4. Your Workflows
      5. Managing Your Energy
      6. Asking for Flexible Work
      7. Bringing Play to Your Work
      8. Breaking from Work
      9. Tech Wellness
      10. Notes
  5. Part II: Revitalize Your Organization
    1. Chapter 6: The Culture: Transforming Your Organization
      1. Connecting the Dots to Organizational Culture Change
      2. Defining a Happy, Healthy Culture
      3. The Role of the Leaders
      4. Supporting Employees for Culture Change
      5. Committing to Culture Change
      6. Notes
    2. Chapter 7: The Activities and Cues: Self-Care to WE-Care
      1. WE-Care in the Workplace
      2. The Physical Office
      3. Human Interactions
      4. Mindfulness at Work
      5. Creativity Activities
      6. Home Life Support
      7. Notes
    3. Chapter 8: The Processes: Well-Being in the Workplace
      1. Workflows
      2. Energy Management
      3. Walking as Work
      4. Flexible Work
      5. Play at Work
      6. Breaking from Work
      7. Notes
    4. Chapter 9: The Strategy: Working toward a Happy, Healthy Nonprofit Organization
      1. Wellness Versus Well-Being Programs
      2. The Benefits of a Happy, Healthy Strategy
      3. Why Employee Engagement Is Essential
      4. Your Policies and Employee Benefits
      5. Writing Your Happy, Healthy Strategy
      6. Rolling Out Your Strategy
      7. Evaluating Your Happy, Healthy Organization
      8. Shout Hallelujah, Come on Get Happy and Healthy!
      9. Notes
  6. Index
  7. EULA

Product information

  • Title: The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit
  • Author(s): Beth Kanter, Aliza Sherman, Vu Le
  • Release date: September 2016
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119251118