YOU’RE AN OVERWHELMED OPERATOR

You started your nonprofit passionately, but now you feel buried under all the tasks. You’re wearing too many hats, and instead of leading your organization, you’re just trying to keep it afloat.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many passionate founders get stuck in this cycle.

 

As an Overwhelmed Operator, here are things you are doing really well:

  • Dedicated and Hardworking: You are deeply committed to your mission and willing to do whatever it takes to keep your nonprofit running. You can learn how to run your organization effectively, but no one can teach you the level of care you already show for your nonprofit. 

  • Detailed-Oriented and Hands-On: You know your nonprofit inside and out, from operations to programs. No one can accurately say that you aren’t involved or know what is happening in your organization. Your dedication teaches others how to show up in your organization well. 

  • Resilient and Tenacious: Despite feeling overwhelmed, you keep pushing forward because you believe in your mission. You have proven your commitment to this nonprofit over and over again- everyone can see you are in it for the long term. 

While being an Overwhelmed Operator shows your dedication and commitment to your organization, it also comes with its own set of challenges:

  • Burnout and Exhaustion: You are doing TOO MUCH and doing all these things on your own leads to stress, fatigue, and burnout, making it hard to continue doing the amazing work you do in your organization.

  • Lack of Delegation: You struggle to let go of tasks, even when there are people who can (and should) help. 

  • No Clear Systems or Priorities: Because you are constantly putting out fires, important long-term planning can take a backseat, leaving the organization stuck. 

So, what can you do to strengthen your leadership and support your nonprofit?

✔ Streamline & Automate: Use simple systems and tools to reduce manual work and free up your time. The sooner you can create these systems that help with repeatable work, the sooner you can start focusing on those bigger, impactful tasks that keep getting put off.


✔ Start Delegating: Identify at least one task you can hand off weekly, whether to a volunteer, board member, or contractor. You don’t need to keep doing it all alone. The job of a founder and leader is to work themselves out of a job- having your hands on everything doesn’t make you the best leader; it makes you a bottleneck.


✔ Focus on What Moves the Needle: Instead of reacting to everything, set 1–3 priorities per week that will have the biggest impact. Once those things are taken care of, you can move on to other things, but having these priorities outlined will keep you focused. 

Here are your next steps:

  • Go check out the results email I just sent you- It is similar to the results you just read, so you have an easy to get to copy 

  • Add my email address to your contact list so you receive my emails this week- I will send you personalized emails to help support you and your organization as an overwhelmed operator that you can implement ASAP and start seeing results. 

  • If you don’t already, follow me on LinkedIn HERE so we can stay connected!

Curious about the other results? Totally understand. Check them out here: