Coming off our biggest event of the year — the Nonprofit Finance and Sustainability Conference — is always a reflective time for us. Not only were there 24 expert presenters speaking on 22 different topics, this year we had our biggest crowd of over 500 nonprofit leaders asking great questions. In addition, we welcomed Akaya Windwood, President of the Rockwood Leadership Institute, as our keynote from Oakland, California

Kate Barr introduced the aim of this year’s conference by discussing the many angles from which we confront change: within our communities, at a policy level, those external to the sector, and those happening within the nonprofit sector itself.

Akaya argued that not only is it possible, but necessary, to invest in ourselves. The hopeful yet somewhat skeptical response she received makes me think this is another topic we’re better at nodding about than living out, especially in our Minnesota nonprofit culture. The reason we invited Akaya to speak is that all of us doing the hard work of leading through rapidly changing times have ramped up our sense of urgency.

“This isn’t about self-indulgence and massages,” underscored Akaya. “If I’m not well, we’re not well. If I’m not well, I can’t take care of my organization or community or family. No one has ever led alone.”

She urged that taking care of ourselves isn’t a luxury, but a necessity to offset the burnout endemic to our nonprofit sector.

So how do we truly work to curb burnout, rather than navel-gaze at the issue? It’s one thing to talk about taking better care of oneself, and quite another to sit in front of a person who is modeling that behavior, with demonstrated success.

Read the full article about the importance of wellness in nonprofits from the Rockwood Leadership Institute at Medium.