Volunteer Burnout
What is volunteer burnout?
Saying no is difficult, especially if you think your answer is going to disappoint someone, but it is necessary since spreading yourself too thin can be a bad thing for both yourself and the organisation.
It is best to be sensible about your time so that you are able to maintain the energy and desire to honour the commitments you make. You need to ask yourself how much you can truly take on and whether or not it is something that can be delegated to someone else.
The only difference between volunteer burnout and work-related burnout is that volunteers don’t get paid to get through it. You may suffer fatigue, feel stressed, resentful, disengaged and at your wits end and ultimately you do not find your role as fulfilling as it used to be.
The signs of burnout
• Losing the motivation that led you to take on the role in the first place
• Feeling helpless and cynical
• Becoming easily annoyed with your fellow volunteers
• Doubting that you are making a difference
• Feeling that your efforts are not appreciated or under valued
• Feeling overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands
• Sense of failure and self doubt
• Feeling trapped
The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of your life, including home and social life.
Burnout may also cause long-term changes to your body that make you vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu.
Because of its many consequences, it’s important to deal with burnout right away.
Preventing burnout
The best volunteers are usually the ones most prone to burnout, because they are so dedicated they often fail to ask for assistance and more and more work and responsibilities are piled upon them.
• Recognise that you are heading towards a burn out, watch for the warning signs, remember it will only get worse if you do nothing
• Set boundaries, don’t over extend yourself
• Learn how to say “no” to requests on your time
• Sharing your feelings with another person can relieve some of the burden
• Take regular complete breaks to recharge your batteries
The Four Stages of Burnout (Gorkin)
• Physical, mental and emotional exhaustion
• Shame and doubt
• Cynicism and callousness
• Failure, helplessness and failure
If you are feeling one or more of these, it’s probably time to step back and evaluate your commitments.
Like many of the good things in life – such as chocolate, sleep and ice cream, too much volunteering can sometimes be a bad thing. Moderation is the key.
Acknowledgements
• How stuff works.com
• Berger, Teresa. "Volunteer Burnout, Keep It from Plaguing You." Ezine Articles.
• Fundraiser IP. "Preventing Volunteer Burnout."
• Gorkin, Mark. "The Four Stages of Burnout." The Stress Doc.
• Robbins, James. "Five Steps for Preventing Volunteer Burnout."
• Fundraiser Cyberzine.
• Volunteer Today.com. "Volunteer Burnout."