In this episode, you'll learn about some easy actions you can take to help researchers address the lack of philanthropic investment in the nonprofit workforce, and the burnout that results from that deficit of investment. Host Rusty Stahl sits down with Betsy Leondar-Wright, Project Director of Staffing the Mission. Launched in 2019, Staffing the Mission works to make life better for diverse nonprofit employees, and is a program of Class Action, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that “inspires action to end classism and extreme inequality.” Staffing the Mission partners with Fund the People as we both seek to address poor working conditions in the nonprofit sector.
Staffing the Mission has a survey of funders in the field (in partnership with Fund the People) to understand the grantmaker perspective and role in nonprofit workforce issues. They also have an opportunity for nonprofit workers to candidly share their own burnout stories. Betsy discusses both of these important efforts with Rusty.
This episode explores Talent-Investing Principle #3: Address the Problem, Not Just the Symptoms. To learn about all 8 Principles of Talent-Investing, check out Episode One of this season.
Resources from this episode:
- Staffing the Mission website
- Survey of Funders (Staffing the Mission)
- Share Your Burnout Story (A Staffing the Mission Initiative)
- Report: “Staffing the Mission: Improving Jobs in the Nonprofit Sector”
- The Boston Foundation’s Skill Works
- Class Action website
- Email Betsy
- Class Action is on Twitter at @ClassismExposed
- Class Action on Facebook
Betsy Leondar-Wright Bio:
Betsy Leondar-Wright is an economic justice activist, sociologist, and survivor of several burnout nonprofit jobs. As a board member of Class Action, a national nonprofit that raises awareness about class inequality, classism and race/class intersections, she coordinates the Staffing the Mission project on improving burnout nonprofit jobs. Dr. Leondar-Wright is an associate professor of sociology at Lasell University, where she teaches about race and class inequality and social movement strategy. Her latest book, Missing Class: Strengthening Social Movement Groups by Seeing Class Cultures, has an interactive online toolkit. She is also a co-author of The Color of Wealth - The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide and the author of Class Matters: Cross-Class Alliance Building for Middle-Class Activists. She lives in Arlington, Massachusetts with her partner of 31 years, Gail Leondar-Wright.
Listen to this episode on Spotify.