Dear Prudence,
I am a middle-aged woman who 18 months ago was offered a job running a small nonprofit. I love the work and am passionate about the mission, but I am suffering burnout already, due to the unending demands. The organization was in the red and producing little work. I’ve gotten us in the black, created databases, increased our membership, crafted successful new programs, and built a website from scratch. I create weekly content, run our marketing, write grants, conduct meetings, pay the bills, create the budgets, train the volunteers, do the fundraising, file monthly reports, and stay up on the latest best practices. Our organization is now the envy of my peers, but I feel exhausted and isolated. On average I work 65 hours a week and have no benefits. I’ve had two weekends off in the past eighteen months. My hourly take-home pay after taxes is $7.31 an hour. Whenever one of these board members starts in on the latest new pet project or pet peeve I feel tongue-tied and end up taking it on. How can I get a grip on this situation? I love the job and don’t want to leave it right now, but I am completely demoralized and at wit’s end over how to handle the unceasing demands. I see now why the last employee gave up and went elsewhere.