Take the Vacation Time

Why Nonprofit Folks Need Time Off (and How It Actually Helps Your Mission)

Let’s talk about something we’re notoriously bad at in the nonprofit world—taking a vacation. You know who you are. You’ve got 120 hours of PTO banked, and every time someone mentions “self-care,” you roll your eyes because you’re too busy keeping your organization afloat. The mission never sleeps, right? We give our time and energy to the work.

But here’s the truth: if you don’t take time off, you’re not a hero—you’re a liability. For yourself and for your organization.

When you go too long without a real break, your brain starts working in half-power mode. Decisions take longer, tempers flare more often, and creativity goes out the window. Think of your cell phone or laptop: when the battery gets low, the screen dims and switches to power-saving mode. Unfortunately, our bodies don’t have that feature. We have to make an intentional decision to slow down.

Taking a vacation isn’t indulgent—it’s maintenance. You come back with energy, better ideas, and (shocker!) more patience for that board member who always “has a new idea.”

And if you’re in leadership (yes, that includes you, from the board to the director to the frontline), others are aware that you don’t take time off. That includes the people your organization serves. You might think you’re showing commitment, but what others see is that busyness is valued more than balance. 

So, here is your mission, and I hope you accept it: normalize boundaries.

Then, take an actual Monday through Friday vacation, not just a long weekend, and call it “good enough.” Or what about taking a full day off midweek without answering emails from the doctor’s waiting room? Turn off your notifications. When you take your own time off, you permit others to do the same without guilt. If you want to build a culture where people stay longer, share bold ideas, and don’t quietly burn out—use the PTO.

I promise, your nonprofit will survive a week without you. How do I know? Because I’ve done it at three different non-profits with very different missions. But let’s be real, the first time I did it,  it was really HARD! Guess what? They survived. I even took 18 consecutive days off once. Okay, fine, I checked email twice a week—but I set those times intentionally and stuck to them. Guess what? They survived.  Here’s what I learned: taking a vacation builds trust. It shows your team that they can handle things, that the work doesn’t depend on one person. That’s real leadership.

If your absence causes panic, congratulations—you just found your next strategic priority. You need better systems: shared files, clear documentation, and delegated responsibilities. Taking a vacation isn’t a luxury; it’s a stress test for your organization’s sustainability. So go ahead—take the damn vacation.