Our belief as foundation leaders is that rest is critical to the work of nonprofits and movements. We have gained many insights in our work supporting sabbaticals and other forms of renewal. Our peer funders—some of whom are leading thoughtful approaches that recognize and fund the essential role of rest and joy in social change—have also provided inspiration.

Rest is transformative. Stories like Suh’s reverberate not only for individuals taking a sabbatical, but also for their organizations and the wider community. Research shows that when nonprofit leaders disconnect from their work for three months, they return with renewed purpose, extend their tenure, and discover new sources of energy and inspiration.

Individual rest is important for more than simply avoiding burnout. There are sector-wide implications for how we see collective care. According to the Clare Rose Foundation’s 2020 report on nonprofit sabbatical programs, only one in four nonprofits have a leadership-succession plan in place, and two-thirds of leaders plan to leave their positions within two to five years. Funders have not invested in nonprofit retention—and it shows.

There is an admonition floating around: “Work smarter, not harder.” But what if the smartest approach is to stop working and truly rest? It may seem counterintuitive, but the Durfee Foundation has adopted this approach since 1997, when it launched its sabbatical program.

In recent years, the Satterberg Foundation has listened closely to grantee partners to learn how to best support their capacity toward building a more just society and more sustainable environment. A theme quickly emerged during its listening tour: staff exhaustion and looming burnout. Many staff described the emotional and physical toll they experienced from work. Some planned to quit, while others desired to leave the nonprofit sector altogether. Such decisions can unleash a domino effect: Leadership transitions reduce staff capacity, diminishing institutional knowledge and leading to fundraising challenges.

Grantee partners emphasized that the most effective role for the foundation was to fund community and nonprofit organizations, allowing them to create their own sabbatical programs and awards, and advocate for other funders to make similar investments.

In response, Satterberg began funding grantee partners to increase opportunities for rest, joy, and renewal in their work. In Washington state, Satterberg provided seed funding and multiyear support to establish the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Executive Director (BIPOC ED) Coalition’s sabbatical program. The coalition responded to the community’s need for flexibility, creating a menu of options, including breaking the traditional three-month sabbatical into shorter respites of three to five days. The coalition also hosts wellness retreats across the state, making it possible for leaders to find rest and renewal without the burden of planning transportation, covering expenses, and securing extended childcare or eldercare.

Read the full article about nonprofit leader sabbaticals by Carrie Avery, Stella Chung and Sarah Walczyk at Stanford Social Innovation Review.