Where Nonprofit Burnout Hits Hardest: New Data & Risk Map

The nonprofit sector has long relied on the dedication of mission-driven professionals. However, since many nonprofits rely on grants to support their mission, employees may feel the financial and organizational pinch whenever a nonprofit experiences challenges. 

In the past, many professionals reported challenges with a low salary, finding affordable childcare, and, most importantly, burnout. Today, workloads continue to grow for nonprofit employees, and nonprofits have to stretch their resources even more. As a result, even the most resilient teams are feeling the strain. 

To better understand where that pressure is building and how it affects staff, we conducted a national survey of 250 nonprofit professionals across various roles, regions, and management levels.

We also developed a state-by-state Burnout Pressure Index (BPI), which combines structural indicators such as nonprofit employment density and access to mental health care. Together, this sentiment and geographic data provide a more comprehensive picture of burnout in the sector, not just how it feels, but also where it’s quietly gaining ground.

State-by-State Nonprofit Burnout Pressure

No nonprofit is the same, and for good reason. Every state in the U.S. has differing requirements and conditions for nonprofits that can complicate the working lives of employees and lead to burnout. 

For example, states that have a high nonprofit density may have a more limited donor pool as they have to compete with more nonprofits than states with a lower nonprofit density. In addition, some states may have limited mental health infrastructure, meaning employees may not be able to afford the mental health treatment for work stress. 

If they’re simultaneously working for a nonprofit that has more systematic pressures and higher demands from the communities they serve, many employees will have higher levels of stress and burnout compared to those in states with different working conditions.  

To analyze how these differing conditions affect individual employees, we used the Burnout Pressure Index (BPI) to rank each state for nonprofit employment burden, access to mental health care, and nonprofit density per capita — offering a clearer view of where the structural pressures are greatest. Together, these factors underscore how infrastructure gaps and concentrated demand on limited staff can intensify pressure, even in communities built around service. 

The District of Columbia ranked highest on our BPI, reflecting its dense nonprofit landscape and strained access to mental health care. Rural states like North Dakota and South Dakota followed, where nonprofits often serve essential roles in under-resourced areas. While their missions are critical, the support systems around them can be thin.

By contrast, many Western states scored lower, likely due to better access to mental health resources and fewer nonprofits competing for the same resources. That said, low pressure doesn’t mean no pressure. Burnout remains a sector-wide concern, even in more favorable environments.

Survey responses revealed meaningful differences in emotional exhaustion based on the region. The South showed the highest burnout rate at 52%, while the Midwest reported the lowest at 34%. While many factors may influence this divide — such as regional policy environments, cost of living, or grantmaking patterns — the impact is deeply personal. For thousands of staff, burnout isn’t a distant risk; it’s an active, daily undercurrent.

This finding highlight that burnout risk is not evenly distributed across the country, with structural factors like nonprofit density and mental health access shaping how pressure builds in different regions.

Burnout Disparities Between Men and Women

Gender also played a role in how burnout is experienced and reported. Women in the sector reported slightly higher rates of burnout than men (43% vs. 41%), but the gap widened when we asked respondents about their comfort discussing burnout with leadership. While nearly half of the survey men reported feeling comfortable speaking about their burnout with management (48%), only 41% of women reported feeling the same way. 

This suggests that emotional fatigue may be both underreported and harder for nonprofit leaders to address, revealing potential blind spots in workplace culture. When employees don’t feel safe speaking up, nonprofit leaders won’t be able to notice and resolve any early signs of burnout.

Burnout Disparities Between Men and Women

• Burnout Rates:
  
  • Women: 43%
  • Men: 41%
    
• Comfort Discussing Burnout with Leadership:
  
  • Women: 41%
  • Men: 48%
    
• Out-of-Scope Work:
  
  • Women were more likely than men to report taking on tasks outside their job description.

Likewise, women were more likely to take on work outside of their job description in comparison to men. Whether they’re being asked to or not, many women are taking on duties that they’re not paid to do. This underscores the fact that many women in nonprofits experience pay disparities. 

In a 2021 study, Drexel University found that women executives at nonprofits earned 8.9% less than their male counterparts. If women feel like their work isn’t valued on top of the emotional labor they have to perform, they’ll experience higher rates of burnout. 

Workload Strain and Role Creep in Nonprofits

Nonprofit professionals are no strangers to wearing multiple hats. However, over time, expanding responsibilities without additional support can erode morale and lead to increased turnover.

Frequency of Out-of-Scope Tasks by Management Level

Managers / Executives

• Rarely: 27%
• Sometimes: 63%
• Frequently: 10%

Staff (Non-managers)

• Rarely: 26%
• Sometimes: 60%
• Frequently: 13%

Scope creep is a universal phenomenon — a sign that many nonprofits rely on staff flexibility to fill gaps: nearly three in four respondents (74%) take on work outside their official job description at least occasionally. However, the volume problem exacerbates this — while 57% of all staff experienced increased workloads this year without additional compensation, the figure rises to 65% among managers and executives.

While flexibility is often a strength of nonprofit work, sustained role creep may weaken trust in job boundaries and blur expectations, especially for early-career professionals seeking clarity and growth.

Top Organizational Stressors Driving Burnout

Staffing shortages have a cascading effect, amplifying workloads and stress. When a nonprofit can’t hire more team members, remaining staff must shoulder the extra weight, often without additional support. This can lead to more working hours and stress. In fact, it was the top organizational stressor for 53% of respondents.

Staff Shortages:

• Midwest: 63%
• Northeast: 53%
• South: 48%
• West: 47%

Role Creep:

• Midwest: 50%
• Northeast: 41%
• South: 49%
• West: 25%

Budget Cuts:

• Midwest: 32%
• Northeast: 29%
• South: 24%
• West: 28%

In the Midwest, that figure jumped to 63%, making it the region most impacted by vacant roles. In the South, employees cited role creep as their leading challenge, reflecting how burnout doesn’t always stem from a single source.

Mental Health Support Gaps in the Nonprofit Sector

Formal support matters — but it’s not universally available. Many nonprofits barely have enough funds to support their organizational purpose, let alone support their staff’s mental health. However, this lack of support can significantly impact staff morale and burnout rates, as employees struggling with early signs of burnout may have limited access to care.

Unfortunately, it’s a pervasive problem. Nearly half of all nonprofit workers (46%) reported that their organization provides no mental health benefits.

Gap 1: Access to Mental Health Support Is Uneven

Only about half of nonprofit employees (54%) say they have access to mental health support, but this varies across groups:

• Overall: 54% have support (vs. 46% without)
• Men: 64% have support (vs. 36% without)
• Women: 51% have support (49% without)
• Managers: 63% have support (37% without)
• Non-Managers: 54% have support (46% without)

Even where support exists, stigma remains a barrier. Nearly one in five employees believe that taking mental health leave would lead leadership to question their capacity, creating a quiet disincentive to use the resources that do exist.

Gap 2: Fear of Judgment for Using Leave

• Overall: 19%
• Women: 18%
• Men: 23%
• Managers: 23%
• Non-Managers: 18%

On the other hand, managerial staff were more likely to report access to mental health benefits, with two-thirds receiving at least some support. But uneven distribution and cultural hesitation still leave many employees navigating burnout alone and hesitant to take leave.

Workplace Culture and Barriers to Speaking Up

Between both men and women, only 45% of nonprofit employees reported feeling comfortable discussing burnout with leadership. This reflects the culture inside and outside of nonprofits regarding emotional vulnerability. While some may worry that vulnerability could harm their career prospects in nonprofits, creating space for constructive conversations about burnout is often key to early recognition and support.

Which Region Feels Safest Discussing Burnout?

• Overall: 45%
• South: 39%
• West: 59%
• Northeast: 44%
• Midwest: 45%

However, this perception of vulnerability differed across the country. In the South, just 39% of employees reported feeling safe discussing burnout, compared to 59% in the West. This gap matters because silence often precedes exit. When early signals go unheard, teams lose their chance to adapt.

The perception that mental-health leave could harm one’s professional standing reinforces the spiral. Without open dialogue, feedback loops break down, and preventable departures become harder to stop.

What Drives Retention in the Nonprofit Workforce

Despite the challenges that many nonprofit employees face, many stay for a reason. While the missions of many nonprofits are meaningful to employees, they aren’t tangible enough to predict retention. Just 45% of nonprofit professionals said they plan to stay in their current role. An additional 14% are actively looking or have already accepted new positions.

Top Retention Drivers:

Overall:

• Competitive compensation: 59%
• Better role clarity: 36%
• Stronger leadership accountability: 27%
• More growth and promotion opportunities: 24%
• Mission alignment: 20%

Managers:

• Competitive compensation: 67%
• Better role clarity: 33%
• Stronger leadership accountability: 30%
• More growth and promotion opportunities: 28%
• Mission alignment: 20%

Compensation emerged as the strongest driver of retention, with 59% of all respondents citing pay as a key reason to stay. Even more managers reported pay as an influential incentive (67%). Other key drivers included role clarity, opportunities for advancement, and stronger leadership accountability.

Burnout may be personal, but its impact on retention is organizational. In this environment, small changes in support and structure can make a significant difference between retaining valued talent and losing them to burnout-driven turnover. 

How Nonprofits Can Support Staff Without Compromising Mission

The challenges highlighted in our research don’t point to failure — they point to an evolving sector under pressure. Many nonprofits have weathered extraordinary demands over the past few years, adapting on the fly with limited resources and high expectations.

What our data reveals is not a crisis of intent, but a signal that many nonprofits stretch employees to their limits due to a lack of staffing, funding, and support in the face of piling workloads and increased demand. If nonprofit leaders recognize this reality and open the door to solutions like financial and emotional support for employees, they’ll find that their organizations are sustainable as much as they are service-oriented. 

While burnout is common, it isn’t inevitable. With the right investments and infrastructure, the nonprofit sector can continue doing what it does best, while keeping its people supported along the way.

Methodology

We surveyed 250 U.S. nonprofit professionals in July 2025 using a vetted online panel. The Burnout Pressure Index combines IRS nonprofit density (40%), BLS nonprofit employment share (30%), and Mental Health America access rankings (30%) from 2022–2024. Each metric was normalized to a 0–100 scale, then weighted and averaged to produce a final score reflecting relative burnout risk by state.

About Instrumentl

Instrumentl streamlines grant prospecting and management, allowing nonprofit teams to reclaim hours each week for mission-critical work, which helps reduce some of the very pressures highlighted in this research.

Fair Use Statement

This content is available for non-commercial use. When referencing these findings, please credit Instrumentl and include a link to this page.

What is nonprofit burnout?

Nonprofit burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that develops when sustained demands outpace an employee’s capacity to recover. In the nonprofit sector, it often stems from a mix of high workloads, emotional investment in mission-driven work, and limited organizational resources. Employees may face pressure from urgent community needs, shifting grant requirements, and constant budget constraints, all while navigating the emotional toll of serving populations in crisis. Over time, this strain can lead to decreased performance, lower morale, and higher turnover.

How common is burnout among nonprofit employees?

In Instrumentl’s 2025 Breaking Point report, 42% of nonprofit employees reported feeling burned out in the past year. Burnout rates vary by region: in the South, more than half of respondents reported burnout, while in the Midwest, the rate was closer to one-third. Factors such as organizational size, staffing levels, and access to mental health care influence these outcomes. Smaller nonprofits, in particular, often operate with lean teams, so when vacancies occur, workloads spike quickly. Without adequate support, staff in these environments are more vulnerable to sustained exhaustion.

What causes burnout in the nonprofit sector?

Burnout in nonprofits is rarely caused by a single factor. The Breaking Point report highlights several key drivers, including persistent staffing shortages that force remaining employees to take on more work, “role creep” where job responsibilities expand beyond what was originally agreed upon, budget cuts that limit program and staff support, and lack of access to mental health resources. Structural conditions also matter: states with high nonprofit density and limited mental health infrastructure create environments where stress builds faster and recovery options are harder to find.

How does burnout affect nonprofit organizations?

Burnout affects nonprofits in tangible ways. Employees experiencing burnout are more likely to reduce their hours, leave the organization, or disengage from their work. This turnover leads to a loss of institutional knowledge, increases recruitment and training costs, and disrupts program continuity. Burnout also affects workplace culture: when overwork becomes normalized, remaining staff may hesitate to speak up about their limits, which accelerates the cycle. Over time, chronic burnout can erode an organization’s ability to fulfill its mission effectively, even when funding levels remain steady.

How can nonprofit leaders prevent burnout?

Leaders can take targeted actions to reduce burnout risk and strengthen staff retention. This includes promptly filling vacancies so workloads remain manageable, setting clear job expectations to prevent role creep, providing opportunities for professional growth, and integrating mental health support into daily operations. Leaders should also create an environment where employees feel safe discussing stress and workload concerns without fear of negative repercussions. These steps require commitment from the top but can lead to stronger team morale, lower turnover, and better outcomes for the communities served.

Do nonprofits offer mental health benefits to employees?

Nearly half of nonprofit employees in the Breaking Point survey said their organization offers no mental health benefits. Even where benefits exist, stigma can prevent staff from using them — nearly one in five respondents worried that taking mental health leave would cause leadership to question their commitment or capacity. Access also varies by role: managers were more likely to have benefits than non-managers. Addressing both the availability of benefits and the cultural barriers to using them is critical for long-term burnout prevention.