Surviving and Thriving After Job Loss in the Nonprofit Sector
In recent years, a growing number of nonprofit professionals have reached out to me seeking guidance after experiencing job loss.
This trend isn’t exclusive to the nonprofit sector. Headlines have endless stories about layoffs affecting employees at major companies like Lyft, Whole Foods, Deloitte, Disney, Google, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Spotify, JP Morgan, and Meta.
Closer to home, nonprofits grappled with the uncertainty of meeting fundraising and income goals during Covid. Some organizations have let staff go in anticipation of budget constraints and lower revenue that may or may not have occurred.
While the nonprofit industry seems to be thriving in my area and there are lots of open nonprofit positions, daily news about layoffs can raise our collective anxiety level. There also may be a limited number of senior nonprofit positions requiring 10+ years of experience, making the situation even more challenging.
The emotional toll of job loss
Losing a job can have devastating emotional and psychological effects. It can lead to elevated stress, anxiety, and decreased self-esteem. The stigma of being out of work, coupled with the loss of your daily routine and professional identity, can be overwhelming.
Financial concerns can exacerbate the situation, particularly if you’re the primary earner in your household.
It’s understandable to feel disbelief, anger, numbness, shame, and despair. With the prospect of trying to find a new job in this job market, it’s easy to see why you could emotionally spiral into depression.
Challenging your perceptions
What concerns me most is the mindset of folks who have lost their job, through whatever circumstances led to their separation from their last organization.
I’ve seen very talented nonprofit professionals let go, and it’s rarely because of their work performance. Far from it.
Maybe it was a case of “last in, first out” layoffs, where the newest employees are the ones to be let go first in times of cost-cutting.
To navigate this challenging situation effectively, consider these questions:
What story are you telling yourself about why you were let go?
Is that story true, or is it simply a story you’ve created in the absence of facts?
Have you allowed yourself time to process your emotions, to feel what you feel, and know what you know?
Do you have someone you can confide in, like a counselor, minister, friend, mentor, or coach?
Despite the job loss, do you feel confident in your professional skills and abilities?
Can you point to instances in your past where you performed well?
Are you considering all the options for your dismissal? Is it possible that the reason you were let go had nothing to do with your job performance, and was instead because of some outside, external reason over which you had no control?
What are some times in your life when you demonstrated excellent performance, superior skills, and knowledge of your field?
After you’ve survived the initial trauma of being let go, are you willing to see this episode as something to learn from, and something that might put you on a better path?
Can you be open to the idea that you may eventually find something that’s a much better fit for you?
Thriving beyond job loss
While losing a job is challenging, it’s important to remember that you can thrive afterward. You can’t change what happened, but you can change how you react and think about it.
If you want someone to talk with you about what happened, please reach out to me for a complimentary coaching call. Together we can talk through what happened, and what’s next for you.
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Let’s develop an effective fundraising plan, boost the performance of your team, ensure your organization’s sustainability, and overcome your leadership challenges by examining your mindset now. Contact me today!