• Increases organizational capacity—especially in strengthening the capacity of second-tier leadership or strengthening the bench

• Enhances succession planning

• Strengthens governance

• Shifts a leader’s perspective from daily management to distributed leadership and generative thinking and activity

• Creates a permanent shift in the culture of work/life balance for both the leader and organization staff

• Acts as dry runs for eventual permanent transitions 

• Flexible work schedules for life!
• Overstanding Black Bodies that work is personal and political all at the same time"
• Mental wellness
• A peer discussion for others to express their challenges/vent.
• Quick tips on how to sneak in rest and liberation when a sabbatical isn't possible
• More Equitable Funding and we need a report card for philanthropy that’s getting it right.
• Paid fellowships, paid self-care / self-care stipends
• Talk about sex as part of regeneration and spiritual connection
• I think there is an emphasis on self care that is colonial and doesn't fit in with Indigenous communities. 

• Probably chill for a week and then start writing a book that has been on my mind for awhile.
• Travel
• Take naps. Ponder about the future. Read and learn. Tend to my relationships with others
• Rest from the ongoing work. Recharge on relationships with self and community. Explore other avenues of thinking, learning, working, and being creative. Write. Reflect. Visit new places
• I would focus on leadership development, learn more about practices individuals of color in similar work use to mitigate vicarious trauma that I can share with staff, and develop a more sustainable self-care plan for myself
• Personally, I'd like to do a spiritual retreat
• Sleep, eat well, acupuncture, yoga, chill under trees with snacks, drinks, on a blanket, by the water in a neutral climate with lots of sunshine

• Feel like BIPOC professionals have to prove themselves in a system or environment that wasn't intended for or supportive of them.
• The goal of perfectionism can cause a lot of stress. You feel like everything you produce has to be perfect.

• That everything produced doesn’t have to come out perfect.
• Without leadership telling you, may not be able to explore what that looks like.

• Working to not pass this or these expectations down to the next generation

• Giving others the permission to move with it and if there is a misstep or mistake, it will be ok.
• “It is not mine to carry. It is ours to carry.” (Carrying organization)

• Sharing a vision with the org, so when I’m away, things will carry on just fine without me.
• I am so accustomed to getting up to work, work, work.
  • It showed up when I was a student, in my college life, etc.
  • “I didn’t practice sharing the work as much as I could have.”
    
    

• “If we’re trying to break away from perfectionism, how can we still feel good about our work?”
• Recognize it’s ok

• Mindset of a leader will define what that organization will look like and that can be hard to disrupt.
• Small steps: not working on Fridays in the summer or working ½ day. 
  • Why does it just have to be in the summer? We can change that.

• "The freedom to be my authentic self. In the context of my work, it is the freedom to be my authentic self; to be vulnerable without fear of adverse consequence; to get the rest I need without shame or guilt"

• "Free any forms of imprisonment and systemic oppression yet feeling included having access to the resources I need to pursue my idea of happiness"

• "To me, liberation is an extension of freedom... which includes being afforded the right to live and breathe without fear of harm and discrimination. Liberation is both internal and external...meaning the systems external to us need to support the rights of individuals to live in their truth and be free of harm and discrimination, but also include internal mindset and actions taken by the individual to engage in intentional work to live in one's truth. Liberation is a radical in nature (because of the climate we live in)"

• "A huge sigh of relief from dominant cultures socialized norms and characteristics of white supremacy. Liberation is freedom in authenticity"

• "Being allowed to truly express who you are"

• "The ability to live freely as your authentic self"

• "An internalization of self-respect, mastery, belonging and gratitude of life."

• "I define liberation as the freedom of being your true self released from doubt fear and apprehension"

• "Liberation to me is the ability to do everything needed to fully rest, when I need it, without feeling guilty or weighed down with work or commitments. It is the ability to vocalize what my body and mind need and take it without fear of reparations."

• "Untethered to the systems of oppression that have continuously shaped society. Free to live a life of choice and consequence that is not marginalized or limited by others."

• "I define liberation as "dancing to my own beat". Having conversations that moves the needle forward. Empowering residents to make changes in the community on their own"

• "A place of true expression to rest and reside in what you are; being provided with the opportunities to explore yourself and stepping forward in that truth."

• "Being free from whatever has one bound. Many women believe that cutting off there hair or wearing locks is liberating, because it frees you of the stress that doing hair can cause."

• "Not being held accountable to or limited by other people's demands, expectations, judgements, and biases."

• "I look at liberation through the lens of Blackness first and foremost. The liberation of Black Bodies against all forms of oppression with the end goal of acting out Black self-determination. Meaning Black Bodies are in a position after being liberated establishing their own nation-state."

• "I define liberation as setting my own frequency, not allowing the frequency of the world around to run me into the ground. Liberation is honoring my body, heart and mind, letting them set the tone for how I navigate in the world, not the other way around."

• "Freedom, whether its taken or given"

• "Collectively. at least in the strongest sense. I may feel like I've been liberated from something, but if others are still oppressed by that same something, is anyone actually liberated? or I may notice that there are privileges I've had that have encouraged me to remain blind to some ways others are oppressed. once I learn of those, I learn even more of the need for collective action towards actual liberation."

• "Being free"

• "Opportunity"

• "I define liberation as the freedom to live, move and be without constraint. The space to be your whole self and use your gifts without limitation."

• "Unbridled but intentional freedom. I personally find that liberation is something that you create or actively worked towards."

• "Freedom from demanding work hours. Freedom from overwhelming tasks and people. Freedom to do as I please without the constraints of others."

• "Freedom from other people's thoughts or beliefs about me. The freedom to act without societal constraints and the freedom to just be."

• "Bringing your authentic self to every place and space that you inhabit without fear or concern of what others may think and not being tied to the agendas of others."

• "The freedom to build systems and processes that nurture a healthy, equitable, whole and well resourced community. Everyone has what they need and we are unapologetically committed to building a better work for us and our children."

• "Liberation can be both collective and personal. Personal liberation is to believe in one's true worth as a human being and to not let our unjust systems dictate how we should lead our lives. This type of internal work, cannot be done alone. It must be achieved through systems of community and mutual aid. Liberation is not possible if one does not have access the basic resources of healthy food, water, air, housing, employment and education. Liberation work is a multi stakeholder effort that must put the communities most impacted by injustice, at the forefront of its solution-making efforts. I also think that Liberation cannot be achieved without rest and rejuvenation, which is something our colonial capitalist extractive economies try very hard to prevent."

• "Liberation is an area I still strive to attain. To liberate myself from being the answer and strength for everyone else but me. Being liberated from feeling as though I have to fix and assist family, friends, lovers, husbands etc. and know that God gave them the same abilities to restore themselves. As a mom, former wife, and companion, they need the space to find their own liberation which in terms liberates me to trust the process, have faith in the divine and activate the freedom of my mind to enjoy more of Gods world."

• "Liberation is freedom, it's a little bit tricky to define but it means that you are able to fully self-actualize and have a joyful existence without boundaries or barriers oppressing you."

• "As a cure, peace, freedom Etc."

• "The physical and emotional sense that I have accomplished the targeted separation."

• "A state of freedom from expectations and limits on our actions and thoughts; an act of escaping from structures and paradigms designed to render us not human"

• "The freedom to be my authentic self in every situation, without being weighed down by external burdens."

• "Liberation: Separation from trauma or anxious emotions, feelings, and atmospheres, and the experience of extended states of optimal internal, physical, and chemical harmony. Homeostasis! 💪🏽"

• "I think about liberation in terms of untethering, or liberating, myself from the systems that try to kill me everyday, and fail. This includes making a conscious effort to reduce, or eradicate when possible, any reliance on the interlocking systems of dominance, extraction, white supremacy, capitalism (and other forms of oppression) I've been born into. My liberation seeks to understand and respect and generate power. Transformative healing power. Grounded power. Power to create my/our own realities in ways that respect our interdependence with each other and the earth and the water and spirit and all living beings. We are so accustomed to witnessing people abuse power - for profit mostly or for the ability to wield power. And white supremacy capitalism has so twisted hearts and bodies and minds that we often abuse power and each other in a desperate attempt to feel in control of something, anything. My liberation is tied to surrounding the desire to control, it's tied to casting and creating new visions, and it's in solidarity with others in community care. Liberation allows me space to come undone, and know that I'll be held. We must become even more bold about our right to be righteously and rightfully powerful - in our own hearts, minds, and bodies and then collectively as we shape and become our governors, our government. We must demand that we use power well and thoughtfully in service of each and all of us."

• "Freedom for me, my family and my people"

• "Freedom from bias, oppression, and external control. The ability to build and create based on personal vision, goals and priorities. Liberation is not just an individual state but a group state and it cannot truly come at the expense of others."

• "The freedom to choose a direction without barriers."

• "A huge sigh of relief from dominant cultures socialized norms and characteristics of white supremacy. Liberation is freedom in authenticity"

• "Liberation is the act of breaking the chains of oppression and moving in the world as an actor (protagonist) of history (as opposed to a subject or object of history)"

• "Freedom. No restrictions or barriers. Free to be all of who I am."

• "To make choices/decisions in collaboration with stakeholders/supporters that respected and trusted."
  
  
  
  
  

• Some sort of burnout assessment “if your experiencing these things you may be experiencing burnout”.. perhaps anti-burnout accountability partner group?

• More paid vacation, lower co-pays for worker therapy. Increased therapeutic intervention.

• Mental health workshops

• Mental health days. Mental health care support and encouragement.

• Free therapy services for service providers (especially those working with trauma survivors); self-care stipends for employees; flexibility in work schedules; vacation/flex time; peer support groups for staff

• Cultural competent coping mechanisms, healing circles, mentorship, and accountability partners.

• Having time off from work to mourn or deal with grief.

• Asking folks about their capacity, long deadlines, expectations around when you need rapid response, shorter work weeks.

• Making certain employees take their vacation. So often, our culture rewards hard work and frowns upon taking vacations...changing the mindset regarding the power of time away and time to rest. Including mental health support as part of the benefits offered. Including a sabbatical opportunity to create an opportunity for extended rest and time away without being drawn into work while away. Ideally, vacations should do that yet they don't (unless you travel outside of the country or where there is minimal or no connectivity).

• Support groups. I have found even being a part of a social media group has helped.

• A constitutional convention. UBI for all. Paying people what they are worth-- https://communitycentricfundraising.org/2021/08/23/pay-equity-performative-or-palpable/. Having people do LESS. Divesting nonprofits from hierarchy and boards as the default structures that shape how we advance our mission. I don't have all the answers. I don't WANT to have all the answers.

• Opportunities such as these will help. It helps to know that you are not the only one and it humanizes and normalizes rest at work.

• Fair staffing and benefits/health/etc. Awareness and training of boards and executive leadership on burdens carried by staff of color to carry the torch. Sabbatical and generous PTO (with balanced expectations tied to it - not just time off, but time off without everything piled up to do 2-5X as fast upon return).

• Learning that we can only do so much within a day. Having a mentor that help talk through some of the struggles that I might be having.

• 1. Stop expecting overtime work without overtime compensation 2. Ability to take mental health days without blame 3. Having more than one person learn a role. Therefore when I go on vacation, I am not coming back to work, with double to work. as well as having double the work to complete before vacation. 4. Work life balance

• Places and things that support Black Bodies on all levels

• Free therapy services for service providers (especially those working with trauma survivors); self-care stipends for employees; flexibility in work schedules; vacation/flex time; peer support groups for staff

• *4 day work weeks *Anti-burnout challenges (something that gets at accountability) - could be done within an organization

• Company vacation shutdowns or PTO minimums ( you have to take x amount of weeks off), no meeting days, minimal outside of work hours activities ( 2-3 monthly max)

• Mandatory vacation time, quarterly shut-downs, video conferences without your camera, productive meetings that have an end goal, self-care stipends, organizational discounts at mental and physical health massage, yoga, roller-skating, exercise businesses.

• I would like to see philanthropy fund paid sabbaticals for frontline practitioners and nonprofit leaders that have evidenced good practices and great community service. Honor that individual with extended time off with pay and the support to keep administrative task going.

• I believe that overcoming the racial bias in philanthropic funding changes everything. Racial discrimination creeps into all parts of the philanthropic sector, especially the grantmaking process. Nonprofit organizations led by people of color receive less money than those shown by whites. As such, many institutions reinforce that which they claim they seek to change. In the meantime, building a sustainable team and multi-year financial support [at any level] would be helpful, along with helping organizations like ours attract rockstar board members and regular advisors. An organic community always knows what's best for their community and the households around them. The problem arises when communities are thrust into an unnatural state of scarcity. Lastly, anything that leads to: 1. Trusting honest partnerships among capacity builders, nonprofit leaders, and their staff. 2. Organizational cultures that promote the creative power of their members and can take collective action to understand and address root causes of an issue in fulfilling their mission. 3. Nonprofits becoming specialists, not generalists. 4. Cultivating networks to generate power and change systems. 5. Investing in the inner well-being and growth of leaders. 6. Providing simultaneous, multilayered capacity-building opportunities. 7. Offering direct, flexible funding for transformative capacity building.

• It would be helpful if companies could enact self-care weeks and provide funding for self-care time. I also think individuals should not have to share why they are using their sick days. Companies should also move to a more fluid work schedule.

• Economic stability programs for low income individuals and families which include financial literacy training & therapy programming like Marcia Lee's, Healing By Choice Federal stimulus funding free, anonymous, local, mental health care rest & restore grants (select activities + room & board + travel) so staff & active board members can REST from at least 3 days (a weekend) to 3 weeks!!! (supported by Foundations currently funding nonprofits that haven't shut down with staff/boards that haven't gotten a break in 2021 so far)

• Subsidies for personal care professionals

• I think we can have all the resources in the world, but the term "culture eats strategy for breakfast" applies here. The organizational culture and policies need to be supportive of preventing burnout. I once had a boss who would email me at 3am and then expect a response by 8am. It was my first job and it felt like I had no option but to work on her same schedule, so I'd be up until 3am so I could check my emails. I wasn't in a position of power to push back. On the flip side, I've had bosses that have really prioritized family, taking self care days, flexible schedules and pushed back on us if she saw us reaching burnout. She would literally send people home to go take some personal time. This set the culture for our team and I've carried lessons from her forward in how I try to manage my own team. We also as organizations need to revisit sick leave / vacation policies. It would be great for more organizations to actually provide employees with time off for self care separate from sick leave and vacation. As a parent with a young child, I rely on those sick days and vacation days to care for my child when they are sick or when they are out of daycare. Additionally, maternity leave and paternity leave programs need to be revisited. 6 weeks is not enough to recover, process, and return to work at full capacity. Additionally, not everyone can afford to take unpaid leave or sacrifice vacation time to take additional leave. If we are walking the walk as organizations that seek to support women and families, we need to offer better family leave policies.

• Cultural competent coping mechanisms, healing circles, mentorship, and accountability partners.

• 1.) Funding to hire more staff: Will allow each person to do their jobs more optimally and free them up to be able to innovate/improve how they are doing their work. We need downtime/space to be creative! 2.) More pay + benefits: Will provide resources to assist each person to manage their home lives more efficiently and effectively (ie paying for quality childcare, access to physical and mental health & wellbeing resources, purchasing healthier food). 3.) Normalizing mental health/personal days and more of them/or shortening the week/work hours -- this could only be achieved if there is more staffing, so the work is distributed in such a way that people don't feel like their plates are too full.

• ArtisticApothecary.org has lots of resources and liberation meditations

• More sabbaticals and fellowships, more vacation time, more breaks between meetings

1. The California Wellness Foundation 
2. Virginia G. Piper Trust
3.  Rasmuson Foundation
4.  Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
5.  Meyer Foundation 
6. The Durfee foundation   
7. McGregor Fund -Miller Fellowship
8. Creative Disruption to Systems Change
9.  Sabbaticals for Capacity Building and Leadership      Development in the Nonprofit Sector 
10. Do-It-Yourself Sabbatical Guide 
11. Funders’ Guide to Creating a Sabbatical Program 
12. Race to Lead revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap 
    
    

• There are not many sabbatical programs specifically designed for nonprofit professionals locally or nationally

• Most sabbatical programs require participants to complete an application and or undergo a selection process

• Eligibility requirements for sabbatical programs differ based on the program/entity. Some requirements include: 
  • Must be an executive director
  •  Be a full-time employee
  • Have served at the organization for several years (in many cases 3yrs and up) 
  • Have an operating budget over a certain threshold  
  • Provide organizational work plan prior to sabbatical
  • Prepare a detailed report concluding sabbatical   

• The length of sabbatical programs vary, the average range is from 3 months - 1yr

• Some sabbatical programs require the leave be taken consecutive whereas others allow for it to be divided into several smaller projects or programs 
• Salary and expenses are typically covered during sabbatical 
• Some sabbatical programs provide funding for interim leaders bonus and or the professional development of staff not on sabbatical  

• Setting a schedule that gives me agency over my day
• Holding firm on boundaries
  • Giving myself me time
• Time for reflection
  • Reflecting on what went well about my day, what didn’t go so well and what could I do differently? This has helped me.
• Awareness
• Get a massage, hot yoga 
•  Seek safe, resetting, mind-centering spaces.
• Embodied experience.
• Finding passion and joy in your work, reframing it to not just be an experience resulting in exhaustion and burnout.
• Finding the joy in what I do again
• Finding out what this balance is for me—not feeling guilty about how much time I produce and when I’m not 100% my best. Not feeling guilty about being a human.
• Redefining what work really is—not just production time, but the emotions and time goes into thinking about it.
  
  
• 
  
  

The value in flipping the formula, adjusting your schedule to work for you; Time away would help to identify what formula would help; I’ve worked for an org with a budget that includes rest and I feel the same I did without the budget because of the culture of the org

Spaciousness, operationalize roles in the organization and shared leadership 

There needs to be a culture shift around strategy, and who determines who deserves rest; Rest and liberation should include funding, much of the urgency comes from lack of funding;