Aug
28
My summer classes ended on Thursday and I am so excited to have two weeks off from school because I am exhausted. I don’t work for the Foundation any more, however I have managed to completely fill my schedule to the brim and I am still struggling to find free time as well as time to exercise in my schedule. This is so ironic because my job is only 20 hours a week!! However, I am a member of so many committees and exciting initiatives and I simply said yes to too many things this summer… Read More.
From the blog of Heather Carpenter.
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One Response to “My biggest challenge–Saying No”
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This is a really great topic to discuss. I think many people, especially young nonprofit professionals, tend to overextend themselves. In my opinion, I see two main reasons for this: 1) our enthusiasm for the work and 2) wanting to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to help gain experience within the sector.
The problem with this is that we might burnout (most likely) and can become cynical. I have friends who are activists who literally become ill and can’t function in their staff capacities because they can’t say no and their orgs don’t create a culture that responds well to boundaries.
Jane Berry and Jelena Djordjevic have written an amazing book for activists, What’s the Point of the Revolution of We Can’t Dance, which is all about sustaining activism. Parallel to the research for this book, some of my fellow activists and I began exploring the opportunity for starting a Sustaining Activism Fund. If you are interested in learning more about the concept behind this Fund or how you can be a part, feel free to email me at edaconsulting@gmail.com.
The point is that we need to help the next generation find the work life balance so that they can remain in the sector and maintain their physical and mental health. I encourage all individuals and organizations to discuss how we can improve our current practices in this area.