Do-It-Yourself Sabbatical Guide for Nonprofits

This guide was created by the staff and board of the Durfee Foundation to share the knowledge they have gained from more than 20 years of working with nonprofit leaders before, during and after their sabbaticals.

The guide addresses the special circumstances of nonprofit Executive Directors/CEOs taking sabbaticals of approximately three months. It assumes that they have already cleared this decision with their board. If you need help getting board approval, use the studies cited above to make the case that Executive Director sabbaticals  benefit the entire organization.

Many organizations have implemented sabbatical policies to benefit all staff who have been with the organization for a certain number of years. Sample policies are included at the end of the guide.