Cultivating Compassion Satisfaction

Workplace burnout and compassion fatigue are terms that many in the nonprofit sector may be familiar with. These terms are associated with the type of fatigue and secondary stress that can occur while doing meaningful but challenging work. They are reactions that occur as a result of exposure to stressful or fatigue-inducing experiences. Burnout and compassion fatigue typically have negative connotations and are experiences we hope to avoid or mitigate. 

Compassion satisfaction may be a less familiar term, but is an equally important concept in the nonprofit sector. Compassion satisfaction is a response to the positive aspects of being part of a helping or social change profession. It includes strong positive feelings associated with a sense of fulfillment or meaning making in our daily activities. Compassion satisfaction is something we intentionally cultivate and it serves as a buffer to burnout and compassion fatigue. The table below offers a helpful comparison of feelings associated with compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction.

Tips for Cultivating Compassion Satisfaction 

Define your personal “why”? When our personal values and passions align with the mission and vision of our organization, it increases opportunities for compassion satisfaction. The more often we can engage in value-aligned behavior, the greater our sense of empowerment, fulfillment, and hopefulness. 

Establish personal short and longer-term career goals. Our organization may not fully achieve its mission while we are working there or even in our lifetime. Setting personal goals around achievement can help us feel both satisfied and proud of our impact. Shorter-term goals might include committing to treating each person you encounter with kindness and dignity, developing a gratitude practice, engaging at least one person in your organization’s mission each month. Longer-term goals might include seeking opportunities to use your unique talents to improve a process, lead a project, or solve a meaningful problem.  

Know your limits. How would you know when compassion satisfaction begins to look and feel more like compassion fatigue? Who can you ask for support if you notice symptoms of burnout? Establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries around our time, our resources, and our relationships can help create an environment which promotes personal resilience.  

To learn more about compassion satisfaction, including ways to measure both compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction, check out the Professional Quality of Life Measurement Tool.  

Funding and support for this project has been provided by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Safety and Health Investment Projects.