Your Nonprofit Needs a Rest Week with Kevin Greer (Encore)

Successful Nonprofits Podcast

It’s the last week of August, and the lights are off here at Successful Nonprofits®. We have no meetings this week; the podcast and social media are scheduled in advance. And we’re off the computer and off the phone. You know why? Because we’re off having fun and enjoying our rest week!

Since we’re on self-care rest week right now, it felt appropriate that we run this encore episode with Kevin Greer, the Chief Administrative Officer at New Profit, about the transformative power of incorporating rest weeks into your nonprofit’s annual calendar.

As nonprofit professionals, we often push ourselves to the limit, but Kevin shares how New Profit’s Radical Reset — a full week where the organization completely shuts down — helps to combat burnout and boost creativity. He discusses the implementation process, the benefits of collective rest, and how rest can be equitably designed for all staff members.

This week, as the Successful Nonprofits® team takes our own rest week, we encourage you to consider planning one for your organization next year, especially during a slower period like the last week of August. While acknowledging this may not be feasible for organizations providing 24/7 or emergency response services, the benefits for your team could be profound.

This episode answers the following questions:

• Why is a rest period critical for nonprofit staff?
• How does collective rest differ from individual vacation time?
• What are the steps to successfully implement a rest week?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• The Radical Act of Rest by Tulaine Montgomery
• How Fundraisers Can Get Off the Road to Exhaustion and Burnout by Emily Haynes
• We Are for Good: Unlocking the Impact of Proximate Leadership
• New Profit’s Website

Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:

• Ep 200: Self-Care Tips for Coming Out Stronger with Beth Kanter[Episode Title on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes]
• Ep 295: Tips for Making Your Dream Sabbatical a Reality with Emily Raskin[Episode Title on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes]