Nonprofits Need Rested Leaders: Reframing Rest as a Leadership Practice, Not a Luxury 

In a sector that typically runs on passion and urgency, taking time away isn’t selfish—it’s strategic for building resilient organizations and sustaining movements. 

 

 

When the World Feels Too Urgent to Rest 

Fall 2025 continues to be a period of upheaval for nonprofits and civil society organizations dedicated to community well-being. You may have lost funding for work that supports DEI or LGBTQ+ rights. You may feel fear in seeing the National Guard deployed in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., or in knowing that neighbors or family members have been detained. In moments like these, it can feel impossible to rest. 

A 2017 study by TSNE MissionWorks found that only 13% of nonprofit organizations offer sabbaticals to their leaders. And according to a 2021 report by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, more than 60% of nonprofit professionals report symptoms of burnout. 

The work of protecting our communities and striving for justice, self-determination, and inclusive prosperity feels too urgent to pause. 

But here’s the truth: there will never feel like a “right” time to rest. I work at an institution that offers sabbaticals to staff after five years of service, yet I didn’t take mine until year seven because I always convinced myself the timing wasn’t right. I was finally motivated after realizing that my colleagues wouldn’t feel free to take their sabbatical if I didn’t step away for mine. Caring for their well-being gave me permission to care for my own. 

The Science of Strategic Rest: What Research Reveals 

The O2 Sabbatical Program, which has supported nonprofit leaders in the Bay Area since 2014, found that 84% of sabbatical participants reported increased clarity, creativity, and strategic thinking when they returned. Similarly, the Durfee Foundation, which has evaluated its sabbatical program for over two decades, shows that rest leads to stronger second-tier leadership, better prioritization, and deeper, more intentional leadership. Sabbaticals don’t just refuel individuals—they strengthen entire organizations. 

Even outside of philanthropy, neuroscience research affirms that time away from high-stakes decision-making boosts creativity, insight, and emotional regulation—all essential capacities for adaptive leadership. 

Yet despite these well-documented benefits, very few nonprofits have policies that make sabbaticals possible. The gap between what we know and what we practice is stark. 

Three Lessons From My Hiatus 

Time away forced me to slow down long enough to notice how much frantic “grinding” I accept as normal. I found myself echoing Vu Le’s recent reminder that “we need to conserve our energy for the battles ahead” rather than spend it all today. Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s strategic. 

Here’s what I’m bringing back: 

• Three to four priorities per day—max. 

• Decision-making at a humane pace. Every “urgent” email can survive a deep breath. 

• Joy as a metric. If at least half the team can’t see a path to loving a project, we’ll question whether it belongs on our plate. 

What I learned is that nonprofit worker well-being is not a luxury—it’s infrastructure. It is as essential as our databases, evaluation systems, payroll, and technology. Rest is not an indulgence; it is pragmatic. When we are rested, we are capable of more—more creativity, more courage, more resilience—than when we are depleted by exhaustion. 

What Happened While I Was Gone (Spoiler: Excellence) 

While I stepped away to explore deserts, study the night sky, and pour time into neglected relationships, the Fund’s staff: 

• Launched a new website and a new grantmaking portfolio 

• Hosted webinars that drew hundreds of participants 

• Nurtured grantee and peer-funder relationships 

• Tracked federal policy shifts and their local impact 

Their excellence proved—again—that distributed leadership is not only possible; it’s healthy. It gave me room to return well-rested, clear-eyed, and more committed than ever to the Fund’s mission. 

How We’re Building Rest Into Our DNA 

The Walter & Elise Haas Fund has been championing nonprofit worker well-being in our grantmaking—and that must start with our own people. Our sabbatical policy, which offers fully paid three-month leaves after five years of service, reflects that belief. And thanks to the trust of our board and the integrity of our staff, I was able to live it. The Fund is also embracing team rest by closing for a week once a year, similar to the break-week practice being promoted by R&R: Rest of Our Lives. 

We’re also extending that same commitment to our grantees. The Fund recently launched leader well-being grants, designed to give organizations the resources and agency to invest in well-being as they see fit—whether that’s rest, professional support, team development, or healing. This isn’t a side benefit; it’s core to our vision of a thriving, equitable nonprofit sector. 

We know burnout depletes our people and diminishes our collective impact. If we’re serious about building a sector that endures, we must build one that lets people breathe. 

Funders Must Lead the Change 

Last year, I wrote for the Center for Effective Philanthropy about the false choice many nonprofits face between “balanced budgets and burnout.” I argued then that funding practices must evolve so organizations can thrive without sacrificing their people. That conviction only deepened during my sabbatical. 

As funders, we have a role to play in expanding access to rest. We influence the conditions under which nonprofits operate, and nonprofit worker well-being must be part of that responsibility. Sabbaticals, rest policies, and investments in staff well-being should be seen as mission-critical strategies—not optional extras. Supporting this is consistent with sustaining the work we all care about. 

Questions Every Leader Should Ask 

If you lead or fund a nonprofit, I welcome you to ask: 

• Do we have a sabbatical policy? If not, what’s stopping us? 

• If you’re a funder: Are we willing to fund sabbaticals for our partners? Yes, sabbaticals require resources, but the returns—creativity, resilience, retention—are immense. 

• How will we measure joy and sustainability alongside impact? 

Vu Le, who has long advocated for funder-supported sabbaticals, recently reminded us that “rest is not weakness.” I would add: rest is responsibility. If we want bold ideas, compassionate leadership, and long-term effectiveness, we need to stop treating exhaustion as a badge of honor. 

I’m back—re-energized, grateful, and determined to keep learning how rest and results can co-exist. I invite you to join the conversation. How might we, together, build a sector where thriving people drive transformative impact?