Why Charity Leaders Burn Out, and What to Do About It

Have you ever had one of those moments where you question whether you’re exhausted because it’s been busy (again) or if it’s something more. If you are, you’re not alone. In a sector where 85% of leaders report that work impacts their mental health, and 44% have considered leaving altogether, burnout isn't just a personal issue for you to fix on your own; it's a sector-wide epidemic that's undermining the work we’re all so passionate about. 

What Burnout Actually Looks Like 

Burnout has been described as "a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not successfully been managed." What we see is chronic stress resulting from leaders (and staff across the organisation) working to try to meet the endless demands of their job without the resources (be that time, energy, staffing, skills, experience or emotions) to deal with it. 

But what does this actually mean for charity leaders? Leaders experience a combination of the following clusters of symptoms: 

Feeling ineffective: It doesn’t matter what you do, or how are you work, you constantly feel like you’re not doing enough. That you’re letting people down, and that you're failing. The things that once felt easy, feel so difficult, and you find yourself putting them off. These feelings of guilt spread out into your personal life too.  

Overwhelming Exhaustion: We’re not talking tired; we’re talking complete physical and emotional exhaustion. You simply have nothing left to give. It means you’re pissed off with the smallest requests, because it feels like another weight on your already breaking shoulders. You find yourself snapping at everyone, including your friends and loved ones. And despite the exhaustion, you’re wired, you can't switch off, sleep feels impossible. So, you may as well as reply to those emails in the middle of the night if you’re not going to sleep. 

Detachment & loss of motivation: You don’t know why you’re doing it anymore. The passion you had when you started out seems to have disappeared. And you know it's not that you don't care about the work anymore, you suspect that it's that you can't care. Nothing feels like it will change, so there's no point trying. When it's really bad, this numbness leaks into other areas of life, meaning that you struggle to show up for the activities that you love, and whilst you might be with your friends and family, you’re just not present. 

Even worse, because you feel responsible for everything and everyone you mask how you're feeling to the best of your ability. You try to show everyone the upbeat, positive version of you, hoping that the mask won’t slip, and they won’t find you out. 

Why Charity Leaders Are Particularly Vulnerable 

We can't understand charity sector burnout without recognising the unique context we operate in. As we said, burnout happens when the demands we face feel greater than the resources we have, and the charity sector creates the perfect storm for this imbalance. 

Sector norms set us up to fail: From the moment we enter the sector, we're told this work is hard ‘and that's just how it is’. We're expected to be more resilient, to give our all because it’s the voluntary sector. The idea of resilience becomes weaponised, if you're struggling, you just need to toughen up. 

Organisational culture reinforces the problem: Many charities internalise these myths, creating cultures where staying until the job is done is the norm, where being constantly available is expected, where working through lunch and taking minimal leave becomes the unspoken standard. Organisational values such as ‘we never give up’ and ‘going the extra mile’ reinforce these beliefs. Add to this the reality that many charities are under-resourced, is it any wonder that leaders feel the weight of picking up the work that falls through the gaps. 

Support structures are inadequate: The role of a charity leader is a lonely, hard job. You’re often in a unique position where there is no one focussed on your support or development. A board who may appear supportive, but don’t really get it, and can’t help with the challenges you really need support with because they don’t really understand the pressures. Add to this that for many leaders they don't feel safe asking for help, worried they'll be judged, micromanaged or deemed unable to do the job.  

Personal factors compound the pressure: By the time we reach senior roles, we've internalised these sector messages. Our role models demonstrated poor working practices, staying late, being constantly available, and we've learned and adopted these patterns. When you view the work as a calling, when perfectionism drives your standards, when you hold unrealistic expectations for yourself, you're primed for burnout. 

Life outside work adds complexity: And let’s not forget, burnout isn't always just about work. By the time we’re moving into senior leader or CEO posts, our responsibilities outside of work have often grown too – many of us experiencing the responsibility of caring for both our children and our aging parents. Throw in our own health challenges, financial pressures, major life events, these all combine with workplace stress to create an overwhelming burden. 

The Alternative 

The reality is stark: charity leaders typically work 10 hours extra per week, and the demands on the sector continue to grow while resources shrink. But burnout isn't inevitable, and you don't have to sacrifice yourself to make a difference. 

But it is essential to tackle the risk of burnout early, before it sets in, and there are four areas where I believe if you focus your energy and build strong foundations you’ll be in good stead - managing your stress cycle, learning to slow down, gaining perspective on what truly matters, and taking back control where you can.  

And whilst these steps alone won’t tackle the sector norms and your organisational culture, they will help you make choices which better serve you, and help you work more effectively. Enabling you to remember why you chose this work, and what your strengths really are. 

The hard truth? Only you can make these changes. No one else will do it for you. But you absolutely can do it. 

And if you want some help with that, you can get access to the recording of this week’s webinar, Why Charity Leaders Burnout and What to do About It and resources, just drop me a message I’ll send them over to you.