Nonprofit’s can be incredibly crushing places to work. We give all we have because we believe in our cause. Our passion is admirable but leads to bad choices about our own lives.
I’d argue this is especially true for fundraisers. People don’t really get what we do. And when we’re successful, the bar gets raised!
Either way, it’s like killing the proverbial goose that lays the golden eggs in hopes of getting more gold. It just kills the goose and stops the eggs.
So Valentine’s Day seemed like a great excuse for this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival to share ideas on how we as fundraisers need to take care of ourself.
Here is the Nonprofit Blog Carnival roundup
- My own entry was a Valentines Day card for fundraisers including a link to a thank you video I recorded last June.
- Joanne Fritz from About.com tied Kermit together with Girl Scout cookies in her Causes. Caring, and Community — Plus Kermit. In this post, she says, “Each organization had its own version of a pressure cooker…” and reminds us that caring for the cause itself is transformative for us.
- Gayle Thorsen goes beyond the great ideas of wine and yoga–both great ideas in my opinion–to a full five more ways to take care of yourself and your team! To self (and staff): Great job!
- Lori Jacobwith shares how health issues last year helped her put 9 forms of self-care into the practice. Great tips, even involving Outlook! Taking Care of Ourselves
- Over at OpportunityKnocks.org, Sam Davidson has a great post on not letting your nonprofit job crush your soul. Don’t Let Your Nonprofit Job Crush Your Soul
- Margaux Smith has a great post over at 101Fundraising.org encouraging us to get away from your desk and reminding yourself why! Get Away from Your Desk and Remind Yourself WHY
- David Yamada points us to an article by Michael Bader about the causes of burnout and a call to an ethic of self-care. Burnout in the Non-Profit Sector
As a bonus, check out the 11 steps for having fun at work! 11 Ways to Motivate Employees and Make Fun at Work. It’s from the “Chief Effective Officer” at blinds.com! I figure if blinds people know how to take care of themselves, surely there’s a lesson for us! 🙂
And, lest we forget that our donors are the ones changing the world, Jeff Brooks has a great reminder of 5 Ways to Love Your Donors.
What ways do YOU take care of yourself?
Tell us here in the comments!
Katya Andresen is hosting next month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival. Check out her call for submissions at http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/site/picture_this_your_brilliance_here
How do I take care of myself. 1. Do the will of God each day. 2. Declare the day a great day when I wake up and affirm that I am in love with life. 3. Be slow to anger. 4. Be angry but do not do anything stupid. 5. Never let the sun go down on my anger. Any form of anger that is still in my system needs to be dwelt with to restore the power of love, joy of forgiveness, and the peace of a humble heart.
I affirm what Margaux Smith posted about “Reminding Yourself WHY”. There’s nothing more energizing than getting out on the field and seeing the changed lives your work produces. Watching the mission being carried out, seeing the vision accomplished, is not only good for our own souls but renewing for our fundraising. We paint a better picture of the vision for our donors when we have a fresh, envigorated (and current) picture in our own hearts and minds. When one of my staff asked a donor why he gave the donor answered “Because when you talk about the mission I see the fire in your eyes.” Renew your passion regularly!
Terrific reminder and a great group of posts, Marc! It’s so true that we can’t love others until we first love ourselves.
Thanks so much for posting about self care Marc!
Here’s how I take care of myself
1. Big cup of tea
2. Terry Pratchett Book
3. Snuggling under the blankets!
Wash, rinse, repeat! Nothing like a laugh to end a hard working day! 🙂
Mazarine
In the summer, I love to head off on a bike ride along one of our gorgeous rails to trails paths. Though last week we saw a Snowy Owl at one of our favorite winter nature walks. That was a great recharge.
I’m with Mazarine on the tea and blanket snugging right now.
And good friends. Always good friends.
Hm … when I’m needing to recharge, I need to hang out with me, myself, and I. Doesn’t matter much what I do (garden, piano, reading, etc.), but I just need to do it on my own program.
Thanks Marc for compiling all of these great ideas! Having a hobby is essential for me (but where do we find the time?). I completely lose track of time when I start sculpting. It’s very rejuvenating to see something emerge from a piece of clay. And tea sounds good too!
Thanks everyone! These additions add to the post!
How true that in our dedication to promote our cause and get more people to care, we forget to care for ourselves. Thanks for the reminder and the tips. Great roundup.
I think this is a particularly timely subject. In this day of hectic schedules and fast-paced work, it’s more important than ever to take care of ourselves. Otherwise, we face burnout.
Sandy Rees