How to motivate volunteers and avoid burnout
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Burnout is a common experience in many groups that are often overstretched and beyond capacity with their vital work in the communities they serve. It is a state of physical and mental exhaustion faced by individuals and groups.
Participating in mutual aid groups can be both rewarding and challenging for the individuals involved. Finding ways to support volunteers through collective care is important for the longevity of groups. Acknowledging everyone’s needs in a group can help to create structures of support that lead to burnout being avoided and a greater sense of well-being.
Here are some of the reasons as to why burnout can take place:
- Build-up of stress and anxiety from taking on too much work
- Over-productivity without taking any breaks/rest
- Lack of transparency and closed communication
- Not acknowledging emotional needs of individuals
- Societal impacts such as discrimination, financial insecurity or difficult relationships
The best ways to avoid burnout can be summarised in the following ways:
- Creating transparent working practices
- Embed collective care through holding emotional space for each other and asking what everyone’s needs are
- Unlearning productivity and competitive narratives that we often fall into- flexible approach to working
- Swapping roles and taking regular breaks away from work
- Establishing a culture of connection between volunteers
- Creating structures of support and care that everyone is aware of
- Taking regenerative time out to connect to nature, ourselves and each other
The best ways to avoid burnout can be summarised in the following ways:
- Creating transparent working practices
- Embed collective care through holding emotional space for each other and asking what everyone’s needs are
- Unlearning productivity and competitive narratives that we often fall into- flexible approach to working
- Swapping roles and taking regular breaks away from work
- Establishing a culture of connection between volunteers
- Creating structures of support and care that everyone is aware of
- Taking regenerative time out to connect to nature, ourselves and each other
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