Life Beyond the Screen - Living Out Your Nonprofit's Mission as a Support Staff

by Shania Lovelace

You’ve done it. You got the job working for a nonprofit you truly believe in, and you feel so thrilled and excited to support the mission in every way you can. 

Or at least, you did. 

Now, it’s been a couple months, you’ve been working remotely or in limited quantities in the office, and your drive for mission-based work has drained. It feels like a corporate day job, and sometimes you forget why you’re even there. 

This is the life some nonprofit support staff find themselves leading. Sitting behind a screen all day can make it hard to see and realize the difference that your mission is making. Our vision of how passionate and inspired our job would be turns to a mundane, scripted role each day that wears us down and clouds our vision. This doesn’t have to be the case. As a support staff member, you can still live out your nonprofit’s mission in a variety of ways that will bring your work life beyond your screen. 

Volunteer and Engage with Those Your Serve

Support staff team members often work in separate general offices from where programming happens. This behind the scenes work can make it hard to see programming and change occurring in the community. Step out of your role as a nonprofit employee and become a regular volunteer to take on a new perspective of your mission. Engaging with the community you support every day in your work can reinvigorate your sense of purpose.

Talk with Program Workers

Your line of coworkers extends past those on your support team. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your fellow colleagues doing work in the field who can offer examples, stories, and a fresh view of the mission that’s different from the standpoint you take every day. Ask them what their reason is for working at the nonprofit and allow it to mix with and light your fire again.

Have Real Conversations with Donors

If you are doing fundraising, you may already be routinely conversing with donors. But if you’re not, start. Nonprofits work because donors, workers, and recipients all believe in the mission. Donors can offer valuable perspectives on why they dedicate their time and money to your organization. Often, you can find common ground and refocus on your inner spark for community needs and change. Motivation is hard to keep alone, and you have to realize that not every day working in a nonprofit is meaningful, but constant conversations with other supporters can be a significant source of inspiration. Take diligence to leave your script about the mission at the door though, and be ready for vulnerable conversations to reach the best source of revelation.  

Revisit Your Mission Statement Weekly

In applying for the job, you probably read the mission statement once or twice, but when’s the last time you truly sat down and thought about the weight of the statement? Reminding yourself of why you do the work you do is important to keeping your sights set on the goal. As a nonprofit worker, it is clear you are drawn to bettering the lives of others through your own sense of purpose and justice, but it’s tiring to be stuck behind a screen instead of being the one doing the field work. Sustain your passion through engagement and weekly reminders of who you are and why your work is important. 

A Final Piece of Advice

Don’t get caught up on needing intense, burning passion every single day of your career. It’s OK to have days that are uneventful and boring. However, take caution to recenter yourself every now and again through some of the ways listed above because you can, and should, live out the mission past your screen and fulfill your inner desire for that feeling of being a part of something more than yourself. 

- Shania Lovelace -