Dear Friends,
Before reflecting on the last two years, I’d like to share some recent experiences. A search firm helping recruit a new CEO for a local nonprofit asked for my perspective. I couldn’t get past the job description, which required such an exhaustive list of superpowers and experience that no one could possibly live up to the outsized expectations.
A nonprofit board wouldn’t sign off on their CEO’s sabbatical funding application out of fear the CEO would leave, even though he expressed that he was desperately exhausted.
At a retreat of foundation presidents, peers from across the country reported widespread burnout and departures among key leaders driving justice-oriented work.
A new college graduate, dreaming of a nonprofit social work career, shared her frustration looking for an entry-level job. There were plenty of openings, but salaries fell short of barebones living expenses.
I checked in with a grant partner to see how fundraising was going for an exciting expansion project with time-limited public funding. They were still waiting to hear back on a couple key foundation proposals, months after our last check-in.
When unthinkable fraud was discovered at a large, esteemed local nonprofit, some local foundations wondered aloud whether to require universal financial controls and oversight for all grantees, regardless of their size and despite scant evidence of fraud in the sector.
There’s nothing new in these stories. What’s striking is that these conditions and dynamics persist at a time when the nonprofit workforce has reached a well-documented crisis of burnout, uncompetitive compensation, and overall vulnerability to breakdown. Clearly, funders (and some nonprofit boards) need to take a hard look at how our own actions create additional strain, and change.
In my last letter I acknowledged the burdens uniquely born by leaders of color, and the Fund’s commitment to support their leadership and well-being. I also shared our commitment to focus our learning and seek guidance from partners who are closest to the community and leading racial justice-oriented work.
In this report, you’ll hear directly from partners in our 2023 Miller Fellows cohort — about the experience of their sabbaticals and what they’re asking of us, from rest and wellness resources to lower funder burdens.
And we’ve responded — with reduced burdens in our application and reporting processes, and grants supporting community expertise and vision, thought and practice leaders pursuing multiple domains of racial and economic justice, and big-dream projects that center community thriving. We’re truly excited about the evolution of our work in response to partner feedback.
I’ll conclude by acknowledging our exceptionally talented team whose big hearts guide everything they do, and our clear-eyed, values-driven board who bring out the best in us. Special thanks to Joyce E. Jenereaux, who gives so much time, care, and insight in her role as Chairperson and in supporting me personally.
Kate Levin Markel
President
