The risk of burnout among charity staff is high, according to latest evidence.

A survey released in November 2023 found a quarter of charities are reporting high levels of burnout.

This survey of 121 charities by human resources firm Personio Foundation also found that two in five charity workforces are blighted by overwork and presenteeism, where staff work despite being ill. These are among signs that an employee is at risk of burnout.

The need for supporting the emotional wellbeing of charity staff is clearly vital, especially as they cope with increasing demand from service users.

Without support employees may decide to leave the charity sector for good. Personio found that more than a third of UK charities have a turnover rate of between one in ten and one in five over the last three years.

Among charities taking action is Cancer Research UK, which in 2023 launched a partnership with shopworkers’ wellbeing charity the Retail Trust to offer its shop staff and volunteers access to mental health support.

This includes offering counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy for workers, as well as children in their care.

Another source of support is to access help through online support groups and networks. Here we detail the array of support groups that are available to help.

Some are specifically set up to support the mental health needs of those in the charity sector. While others offer professional support in areas such as leadership and fundraising but also double up as a valuable peer group to talk to.

Charity Times Leadership Network

The Charity Times Leadership Network is a membership service aimed at charity leaders to offer them a community to share ideas and experiences to help their professional development and support them in the role.

This involves offering leaders the chance to share their thoughts in diaries, case studies, blogs as well as interviews. Access to regular surveys and reports also help leaders with issues around building their confidence and connecting with their peers.

Small Charities Networking and Advice

Another support group via Facebook is the Small Charities Networking and Advice group. This private group has been set up by small Middlesbrough charity Butterfly Giving to share support in areas such as operating on a tight budget.

At the time of writing 3,313 small charity professionals and volunteers had signed up.

Small International Development Charities Network

For those working for small international development charities this 2,300 strong group may be able to help. This is especially for those not based in London or the UK who find opportunities to network with fellow charity professionals difficult.

It acts as “a forum for networking, sharing ideas, experiences, frustrations and laughs”, according to the group.

Charity Women

More than 1,300 people have already joined the private Facebook group Charity Women that offers a space for women working in the sector to tackle inequality and share concerns. All genders are welcome to join.

Chartered Institute of Fundraising

This sector body has set up a nearly 2,000 strong private Facebook group for those working in community fundraising. This offers “a space for learning, sharing your expertise, personal experiences and even failures”.

The aim is to bring together fundraisers to share their experiences and talk and listen. The group was first created four years ago.

Set up your own WhatsApp group

Charity leaders across the sector are having to make tough choices around funding and staffing, amid lockdown and can feel isolated and cut off from the staff they lead amid the pandemic due to social distancing.

Already some chief executives have formed their own WhatsApp group to share concerns, issues they are tackling and act as forum to freely discuss issues such as the mental health challenges of leadership.

At a Charity Times Leadership Conference held during the Covid pandemic, CEOs including Trussell Trust’s Emma Revie, discussed how a Whats App group they set up had provided “a safe place to go” for each other.

“How do I hold it together at work and avoid going home and breaking down in a puddle? For me I go onto the WhatsApp group and break down in a puddle there,” she said.

Charity leaders are urged to ensure they are using social media platforms such as WhatsApp to set up groups to share concerns privately and help each other, especially amid the health crisis.

Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA)

A raft of resources and opportunities to access training and support is available from the social enterprise MHFA for charity workers improve their mental health and wellbeing.

The MHFA website also features a range of blogs aimed at supporting mental health of professionals. This includes advice from the organisation’s director of people and organisational effectiveness Sarah McIntosh on ways to manage stress. Another involves MHFA chief operating officer Fionuala Bonnar sharing her thoughts on preventing workplace mental health problems.

Our Frontline

Mental health organisations, including Shout, Samaritans and Mind have set up Our Frontline to offer support to frontline charity workers across health, care, emergency services and education amid the pandemic. This warns staff working in these fields that they are putting their mental health under pressure and assures them that help is at hand.

This includes one to one support by phone and text, resources around mental health as well as interaction among its social channels, including Facebook and LinkedIn.

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