At this point in the summit, not to mention in the school year, a workshop called “Beyond Burnout” strikes a little too close to home. As facilitator Dawn Haney outlined the symptoms of burnout, ranging from a feeling of worthlessness to a constant lack of sleep, there were plenty of nods and knowing smiles from delegates and staff alike. Haney went on to describe burnout as a feedback system, a way of knowing that whatever you’re doing, whether it’s working 60 hour weeks or managing too many volunteers, isn’t sustainable. This more positive or constructive attitude towards burnout set the tone for the rest of the workshop.
Haney drew on her experience working with sexual assault victims when discussing her own bouts of burnout. After discussing in pairs, we found that plenty of delegates had similar issues, including indifferent volunteers and individual time management battles. Haney’s remedies included identifying and developing new leaders and taking care of yourself for the long haul, but the one that rang truest with me was maintaining commitment to your long term vision. This was something I had struggled with, even in the few weeks before the summit. There were definitely times that I got caught up in the everyday tasks and frustrations of preparing for the summit, from flyering campus buildings to making triangle designs in Photoshop, and lost track of what I was actually working towards. That being said, I’m glad to say now that, in the midst of the whirlwind that is the summit, I’m ecstatic that all the hard work is paying off and excited to start all over again next year.

Dawn Haney is the blogger behind RottingNonprofits.com.