By Emel Tabaku

Nonprofit leaders often find themselves in under-resourced and overworked situations. Sabbaticals, though not a new concept, have gained prominence over the past 20 years, and have been particularly popularized since the onset of the pandemic. But what is a sabbatical, really? It’s an extended period of leave intended for rejuvenation, rest, and reflection, with the goal of fighting burnout, increasing organizational capacity, and helping leaders rediscover their passion for their work (Harvard Business Review).

Success and productivity are no longer measured by how exhausted a leader or an entire team is.

The pandemic saw a rise in “quiet quitting”, the act of doing the bare minimum of what is required of an employee without going above and beyond, and the anti-work movement, with younger generations willing to remain unemployed longer until they found their perfect opportunity (Fast Company). There is now a growing trend of people deliberately choosing careers that are truly fulfilling and meaningful, coupled with a movement to slow down and pause. Success and productivity are no longer measured by how exhausted a leader or an entire team is. Instead, greater emphasis and value are placed on experiences – particularly, tending to moments that were once overlooked, such as spending more time in nature or sharing a quiet meal with loved ones. This shift makes sense given how interconnected, fragile, and precious life and loss became during the pandemic. Sabbaticals provide leaders with transformational experiences to redefine their identities and values away from work amidst an increasingly changing world order. 

The Pressure on Nonprofit Leaders

The demands of our ever-changing world, marked by geopolitical tensions, increasing inequalities, climate change, and emerging technologies, require civil society organizations to adapt to these evolving challenges. Yet, are organizations equipped to address such macro changes? Nonprofit executives, particularly women leaders of colour who have been harmed by multi-generational racism, work under conditions of unrelenting stress to meet enormous demands. According to an analysis shared with the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an estimated 28 percent of organizations, “with budgets below $50,000 have women of color at the helm” (The Chronicle of Philanthropy). While there is initial enthusiasm following pledges made during social movements, as seen with the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, this often fades quickly. Donors have reduced their financial commitments to racial justice causes over the past two years. This constant crisis management leaves little room for visionary thinking and future planning, as leaders are perpetually worried about securing funding for their core programs. 

In these fast-paced times that seem to demand reactive approaches over intentional pauses, the absence of gathering spaces for reimagining and repurposing becomes increasingly visible. Contrary to the belief that sabbaticals are merely for recharging before returning to the same role, many leaders discover new ways to pave a new path of more purposeful social change during their time away. Often, leaders who were ‘forced’ into sabbatical leave, those who felt so burnt out they needed to step back, do not return to their previous positions. With this in mind, nonprofit leaders must ask why sabbatical policies aren’t already normalized within the workplace. Waiting until leaders are pervasively exhausted and considering exit strategies is detrimental. Implementing funded sabbatical policies would outweigh the costs of not having them in the long run as it is well-documented that sabbaticals foster resilience, boost innovation and productivity, and contribute to retaining talent pipelines. As nonprofit executives go on sabbaticals, it allows for the sharing of leadership responsibilities among the second tier of leadership, providing all with a space for transformation and to explore and create radical change.

This isn’t to say organizations aren’t trying to support their employees. In Canada, organizations in both the private and public sectors prioritize emotional, physical, and mental wellness of their employees through a range of workplace policies. These include providing guidance to access mental health resources, such as the Bell Let’s Talk program and other online support. For example, the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) offers the Workplace Mental Health Playbook for Business Leaders, and Jack.org is Canada’s only charity training young leaders to revolutionize mental health. Despite these efforts, none of the major mental health organizations have a sabbatical grant program for nonprofit leadership. 

Embracing Sabbaticals as a Philanthropic Priority

Sabbaticals fit well under this umbrella of investing in people and in talent, and should be a philanthropic priority. We can look south for an example of this. The US has a more mature ecosystem for supporting sabbatical programs, particularly in the philanthropic and nonprofit space. For example, “the Durfee Foundation in Los Angeles has funded sabbaticals since 1997, awarding $60,000 grants for travel and restorative activities during a nonprofit leader’s three-month leave…The Virginia Piper Charitable Trust in Phoenix sees its sabbatical program as another way to serve the community. “The whole idea behind this is that we, as a philanthropy here, are investing and believing in our nonprofit leaders,” says Karen Leland, chief communications officer at the trust and an administrator of its fellowship program. “We want them to be strengthened, and we want them to stay here in our community.”” (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) 

Given that organizations in Canada have yet to implement an official sabbatical policy, the current ways in which sabbaticals are awarded can perpetuate inequality. Careful consideration must be given to how they’re allocated and who benefits from them. Rich and purposeful dialogue regarding the allocation of resources among a diverse range of employees is crucial for those seeking to create a sabbatical program. Many programs also provide additional funds for professional development for organizational staff on top of a funded sabbatical for the executive. This is done to ensure continuity and to strengthen governance in the absence of sabbatical-takers. Typically, sabbatical-takers are those already in well-off positions who can afford to take unpaid or self-funded leave. This fails to acknowledge the reality of equity-deserving communities. For leaders in the social justice space, taking a sabbatical may evoke feelings of deep guilt over any benefits they receive—benefits not afforded to others on their team or in their community. Hence, an official sabbatical policy would make extended leave equitable and available to everyone.

How do we carve out time to nourish alternative futures? How do we honour our need and cravings to dream?

Sabbaticals for BIPOC Leaders, 2022,” published by the BIPOC Executive Director Coalition of Washington advocates for sabbaticals “as a means of disrupting systems and prioritizing rest for BIPOC communities.” To understand the full impact of sabbatical programs, also consider the study, Creative Disruption: Sabbaticals for Capacity Building & Leadership Development in the Nonprofit Sector, commissioned by five U.S. philanthropic organizations that continue to provide sabbaticals to nonprofit leaders. This report is organized into three parts—Revitalizing Leaders, Building Capacity, and A Win/Win for Philanthropy—presenting a compelling evidence-based case for supporting sabbatical programs.

But what if leaders sought more than a restorative break and a soul reset? What if, in recognizing the need for respite, we also recognized the need for intentional endings? 

Well-being vs. Growth: Leading RCAD Initiative into a Sabbatical

On June 1, 2024, I made a pivotal decision for my nonprofit organization, RCAD Initiative. As Founder and Executive Director for the past two and a half years, I decided that our entire organization would go on sabbatical. This choice was not made lightly but was driven by the recognition that stepping away from business-as-usual would allow for the flourishing of more creative and innovative roadmaps for our collective future. During this period of reflection, as I have debated the growth of RCAD Initiative, I’ve had to navigate varying definitions of success and impact within the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. So often we tend to associate success with scaling up, rapid growth, and continuity. However, I’ve tried to depart from these traditional notions and instead embrace small-scale gathering spaces and the intimate number of people we reach through our programming. While our circles may have been small, they were organic and nurturing in ways I had never experienced before. We spend so little time reflecting, planning, and designing for endings. As I grapple with major life and career transitions, I’ve come to grow out of shame tied to winding down and closing doors. Our definitions of success clearly need revisiting. Success must include elements of sustainability, intentionality, and the well-being of all those involved. This means accepting that endings are a natural part of the cycle of change, of transformation. 

So I ask you, and I ask us all: why don’t we invest in preparing ourselves to end programmatic areas, funding partnerships, relationships, or even entire organizations when it’s clear that things are no longer working? The world demands a more introspective approach to how we work with and for communities. This means taking the uncomfortable step of admitting when a process, operation, or relationship needs to end to allow space for growth and new beginnings. While the idea of a sabbatical requires one to step away from responsibilities and commit to something different, such as a hobby or exploratory work to achieve long-term, sustainable impact in the sector; sometimes, the best thing civil society organizations can do is draw up a clean slate of endings. This allows new beginnings, fresher perspectives, and transformative work to take root in the decay, the compost, and the dying. The NGO Museum curates crowd-sourced statements from organizations and initiatives announcing their closures, aiming to provide solace and inspiration to others navigating similar transitions. (The Wind Down) 

Cassie Robinson, Senior Head of the UK Portfolio at The National Lottery Community Fund and founder of Stewarding Loss, has been actively writing about these topics for the past few years, offering valuable resources and tools like Staying close to loss: A set of tools for tending to organisational cultures so loss is  explored as part of life, Stewarding Loss Canvasses and Sensing an ending: A toolkit for nonprofit leaders to help decide, design and deliver better organisational endings. At Stewarding Loss, they’ve been asking, “What are the practices and mindsets that can be helpful to navigate loss, grief, change and transitions?” And, “what does it mean to make good compost as we close ideas, forms, collective creations that no longer serve us?” These tools support finding answers to these complex questions.

We Have The Power

As philanthropic leaders and storytellers, we have the power to spark imagination, disrupt the status quo, and envision new possibilities for a resilient future. Amidst the noise of social expectations and the uncertainty tied to funding, it’s unsurprising that many of us struggle to embrace opportunities for reflection, renewal, and reimagination. I wonder, what has left us currently imagination-starved? How do we carve out time to nourish alternative futures? How do we honor our need and cravings to dream?

As we navigate the complexities of philanthropic transformation, it’s essential to recognize the value of endings as opportunities for new beginnings. Whether it’s the intentional closure of a program that no longer effectively serves communities, or the rejuvenating pause of a sabbatical, these endings create space for reimagining what leadership looks like, and pave the way for a more vibrant and resilient philanthropic sector. They remind us that change is a constant, and embracing it with openness, care and curiosity can lead us towards more meaningful and impactful journeys ahead.

Take the time to reflect on what brought you here today and what holds you together. In doing so, consider what it is that you need to let go of.