FROM OUR MOVEMENTS:
Reality, Response, and Recommendations
2
Resilient Leadership
High levels of turnover, stress, and overwhelm have consistently plagued the social change sector. Individuals who have worked in social movements for decades, and now serve in organizational leadership positions, are facing increasing rates of burnout and are calling for help. Amidst escalating external pressures, such as attacks on the communities an organization works with and funding losses, leaders are also navigating more grief and fear among staff and community members, more commonplace internal conflict, and declining morale.
Among survey respondents:
LEAST CAPACITY:
Succession Plans
RANKED 16TH:
Sabbatical Policy
Out of 18 ‘capacity’ categories, Succession plans were identified as having the least capacity
Out of 18 ‘capacity’ categories, Sabbatical policy & resources ranked sixteenth
“We are experiencing a lot of issues of burnout and staff demoralization. Also, there is so much anxiety and need among the families we serve. Other non-profits are shutting down so there are fewer resources for our clients.”
— Executive Director, Restorative Economies Fund grantee partner
"[The current political climate] has created constant stress and fear for our community and team because we don't know what to expect, and how to handle the situation.”
— Executive Director, Restorative Economies Fund grantee partner
Kataly’s Response
Cohort Sponsorship
Led by social change leaders at KLP Impact, Kataly sponsored the first Resilient Leadership Cohort (RLC) in Fall 2025. This 8-week cohort was designed to support leadership teams to build their succession planning capacity by preparing for transitions (planned or unplanned) through peer learning, practical applications, and tool sharing.
Resilient Leadership Cohort Opening Convening. Photo by Leia Brownson
“I adapted the tools [KLP Impact] provided to navigate a live transition at my org with more compassion and ease.”
— Resilient Leadership Cohort participant
“[KLP Impact] were incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and skillful. The cohort was incredible and I'm so excited to deepen connections with people I met.”
— Resilient Leadership Cohort participant
Sabbatical Support
Kataly’s Environmental Justice Resourcing Collective made 17 grants to existing grantees, each supporting long-overdue sabbatical leave for their leaders. Organizations received $100,000 to shore up interim support, cover salary and benefits, and develop the remaining staff to take on additional responsibilities. With KLP Impact’s support, sabbatical grantees participated in a workshop series and had access to coaching focused on planning and re-entry post-sabbatical.
Governance and Conflict Support
Kataly also invested in programming partnerships that support grantees in:
-
Navigating matters of organizational structure and decision-making (Resonance Network’s WeGovern Clinic Series)
-
Building embodied leadership practice (The Embodiment Institute’s Self-Guided Embodiment Basics Course)
-
Deepening liberatory leadership practice, emphasizing solidarity, interdependence, and mutual thriving (Change Elemental’s Prefiguring Futures Lab)
Calls to Action
Provide sabbatical grants to existing grantees
Grants should be large enough to cover the expense of a leader stepping away for a set time (e.g. salary, interim contractor, etc., which can range from $65,000–$100,000), as well as to support existing staff to take on new responsibilities (training, coaching, etc., which can range from $20,000–$50,000).
Offer adjunct support
With the organization’s consent, take on the labor of lining up a coach or consultant for the sabbatical-taker and the organization’s interim leader(s).
Support movement leaders in rest, healing, and reflection
Resource movement-aligned organizations and practitioners that support movement leaders in rest, healing, and reflection. Examples include: Windcall Institute, New Seneca Village, and others.
Support organizations through transitions and pain points
Invest in programming, practitioners, and resources that support organizations in succession planning and transitions, governance, and conflict transformation.
"In our survey, we specifically asked respondents about succession plans and sabbatical policies, as those are connected to capacity building offerings from Kataly. However, these are not the only systemic solutions to burnout. When organizations have robust resources, they are able to hire enough staff to prevent over-work and practice healing and liberatory ways of doing work. One of the guiding principles of Kataly’s Mindfulness and Healing Justice program is that healing and contemplative practices are an essential part of movement building and the liberation of Black and Indigenous people, and all communities of color. Personal, relational, and cultural transformation creates the conditions for durable systemic change—and it requires investment.