Teaching Paper: Burnout Prevention Framework for NGOs – A Multi-Level Approach to Staff Wellbeing

Burnout represents one of the most pressing challenges for non-profit organizations, where mission-driven commitment often coexists with resource scarcity, high emotional labor, and systemic pressures. This Teaching Paper introduces a structured Burnout Prevention Framework designed for NGOs, integrating interventions at three interconnected levels: individual, organizational, and systemic. At the individual level, the framework emphasizes resilience training, self-care practices, and peer support. At the organizational level, it advocates institutionalizing wellbeing through policies such as trauma-informed management, role clarity, recognition systems, and flexible arrangements. At the systemic level, it underscores the responsibility of donors and governance structures to embed staff wellbeing into funding and accountability frameworks. By connecting personal resilience to organizational culture and systemic accountability, the framework provides NGOs with practical tools and strategic insight to address burnout not as an individual weakness but as a structural issue requiring collective solutions.