Suggestions for Dealing With Volunteer Burnout

Following is a transcript of this episode of the Two Minute Treasurer’s Tip Podcast.

Welcome to the Two-Minute Treasurer’s Tip Podcast. I am your host Cyndi Meuchel with MoneyMinder where we’re hoping to make your life as a volunteer way easier.

Sierra writes: We’re only halfway into our year, have only a handful of volunteers, and are already feeling burned out. What suggestions do you have for helping us thru this?

Gosh, that’s a totally understandable situation given the state of the world right now and all that we’re dealing with, Sierra. We are currently being asked to do so much that our gas tanks are getting dangerously low.

I think the first step, is one that you’ve already done, it’s to recognize the signs. Kudos to you for that. Burnout, which, keep in mind, is different from stress, often results in a loss of interest or enthusiasm. So, for you, that could lead to even fewer volunteers to get the work done.

Maybe it’s time to take stock of where you’re at, and what you hope to do yet this year. Reducing the demand on your volunteers might be one place to start. Maybe look at those goals and re-prioritize them. For example, maybe that carnival that you have scheduled in the spring doesn’t really need to happen. Maybe you can create teams, even if they’re 2-person teams, so your volunteers have a sense of shared responsibility, as opposed to shouldering things on their own.

Now is probably a really good time to reach out and say thank you, privately or publicly, so each volunteer feels valuable & loved.

I would also suggest that maybe it’s OK to say “no” right now. If you get a request that simply feels like too much, turn it down. One of my favorite sayings is “no is a complete sentence”. Sometimes it’s hard to do, but when you’re running on a low fuel tank it’s important.

Step back right now and put your volunteers’ health and well-being ahead of the group. After all, without them your group wouldn’t exist. Take care of them first and foremost then you’ll be able to do big things down the road.

I wish your group much success this year. We’re in a tough time. That’s it for today! Don’t be shy, subscribe to us to get new episodes automatically. And if you have a question, email it to me at [email protected] so I can address it. My name is Cyndi Meuchel and this is your Two-Minute Treasurer’s Tip for today.