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Beyond “Psychic Income”: An Exploration of Interventions to Address Work-Life Imbalances, Burnout, and Precarity in Contemporary Nonprofit Work

Author

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  • Robichau Robbie Waters

    (Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A &M University, 4220 TAMU, 77843 College Station, TX, USA)

  • Sandberg Billie

    (Department of Public Administration, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA)

  • Russo Andrew

    (Department of Public Administration, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA)

Abstract

Nonprofit scholars and practitioners alike adhere to a long-held assumption that nonprofit work is, and will remain, inherently meaningful work. The long-term marketization of the nonprofit sector coupled with the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic has undercut this narrative. Our research on meaningful nonprofit work indicates that while many nonprofit workers do find their work meaningful, pay, flexibility, and work/life balance are increasingly important to them. This commentary suggests that nonprofit leaders can no longer presume that workers motivated by prosocial values will seek out and stay with nonprofit work, satisfied with the “psychic income” that comes from doing good work. Nonprofits must be managed and led differently such that they center workers’ contemporary needs and desires. Organizational and public policy initiatives around pay equity and flexible work can support such a transition for the nonprofit sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Robichau Robbie Waters & Sandberg Billie & Russo Andrew, 2024. "Beyond “Psychic Income”: An Exploration of Interventions to Address Work-Life Imbalances, Burnout, and Precarity in Contemporary Nonprofit Work," Nonprofit Policy Forum, De Gruyter, vol. 15(2), pages 139-152, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:nonpfo:v:15:y:2024:i:2:p:139-152:n:2
    DOI: 10.1515/npf-2023-0001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Catherine Bailey & Marjolein Lips‐Wiersma & Adrian Madden & Ruth Yeoman & Marc Thompson & Neal Chalofsky, 2019. "The Five Paradoxes of Meaningful Work: Introduction to the special Issue ‘Meaningful Work: Prospects for the 21st Century’," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 481-499, May.
    2. Blake A. Allan & Cassondra Batz-Barbarich & Haley M. Sterling & Louis Tay, 2019. "Outcomes of Meaningful Work: A Meta‐Analysis," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 500-528, May.
    3. Mona Florian & Jana Costas & Dan Kärreman, 2019. "Struggling with Meaningfulness when Context Shifts: Volunteer Work in a German Refugee Shelter," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 589-616, May.
    4. Louisa Lapworth & Philip James & Nick Wylie, 2018. "Examining public service motivation in the voluntary sector: implications for public management," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(11), pages 1663-1682, November.
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