Finding Joy & Wellness Amid Chaos
The nonprofit field attracts people who care deeply about social justice and for their communities. But as these first chaotic weeks of 2025 have shown, nonprofits, our staff, and the communities we serve are under relentless attacks, including threats to funding and programs. It is more important than ever to keep the wellness of ourselves, our team members, and our clients at the forefront of our work so that we can continue our work for years to come.
Our Mission to Serve
As a nonprofit immigration law firm, ICS is dedicated to defending human rights and providing immigrants with the opportunity to create safe, stable, and meaningful lives. Our mission is to achieve equity and justice for immigrants, which is grounded in a fundamental belief in treating all with dignity, humanity, and respect. We aim to embrace these values both in the care we provide our clients and the care we provide for each other.
Delivering Services with Care
These core beliefs are reflected in the way we deliver legal services. We provide person-centered, trauma-informed care to ensure our clients are empowered to identify goals and work towards them, as well as connect with community resources and support. We recognize the resilience and strength of our clients and seek to tap into each participant’s strengths and community connections for long-term stability and success.
Why Wellness is Mission Critical
When we focus on service to others, it can be difficult to prioritize our own wellbeing. It is easy to become blinded by passion for the work and fail to recognize how that dedication may negatively affect the wellness of ourselves and our teammates. Difficult work—in increasingly difficult times—can lead to burnout, reduce staff retention, and ultimately affect the ability to serve clients in the long term.
According to CLINIC, “Scarcity can make us think we need to do more — serve more people, work longer hours, produce more. The new political landscape we are entering will bring about greater need. When organizations are consistently faced with the overwhelming reality that there are not sufficient free legal services available for the number of people who need them — through endless intake calls, long waitlist times, and a sheer inability to serve everyone eligible for services — it’s easy to get wrapped up in working to build a legal service program that can serve a high quantity of clients.”
Ways to Incorporate Wellbeing in Services
Nonprofits can take the following steps to incorporate wellbeing in staff care:
· Help staff balance and prioritize their workload.
· Encourage staff to use the time off they have earned and respect their time off.
· Train staff to identify and mitigate isolation and secondary trauma in themselves and each other.
· Create spaces for staff to build and hold community with one another.
· Acknowledge and hold space for fearful or other negative responses to current events.
· Celebrate successes where they come and appreciate the positive impact of the organization’s work.
Individual staff members can also adopt the following practices:
· Clearly define your work hours and avoid checking work emails outside of designated work time.
· Talk to your manager about flexible work arrangements if needed, such as remote work or adjusted hours.
· Prioritize tasks effectively to avoid feeling overwhelmed, and ask your manager for help prioritizing as needed.
· Use employee assistance programs if your organization offers them to address personal or work-related challenges.
· Talk to your manager or HR representative if you are experiencing burnout or other wellbeing concerns.
· Schedule time for hobbies and activities outside of work.
Additional Resources:
· 6 Management Tips for Supporting Employee Wellbeing at Work
· How to Focus on Yourself More and Prioritize Your Own Needs
· How To Prioritize Employee Health and Well-Being To Drive Success
· Unmasking the Silent Impact of Trauma in Nonprofits
· Wellness as a Framework for Program Management
· When Nonprofit Work Can Lead to Secondary Traumatic Stress
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Please note that this information is general guidance and not legal advice. For legal advice, request a consultation from ICS or speak to an immigration attorney today.