By the end of 2025, the portal has become a place that activists and leaders return to for tools, knowledge, and support while facing burnout. Burnout Aid offers both tools for self-assessing burnout risk and methods to cope with it. All this at the individual, team, and organizational level. On the portal, you will find knowledge and practical resources: articles, podcasts, workshop scenarios, organizational policies, document templates, and other resources supporting teams in a real change of work culture.
Beginnings
The history of the Burnout Aid portal began in 2019, when the Culture Shock Foundation – in partnership with K-Zona (Croatia) and the City of Women/Mesto Žensk (Slovenia) – launched the Burnout Aid project. This was our first major international undertaking: a multiannual research project requiring the coordination of three organizations working at the intersection of culture, education, and human rights.
In Poland, the topic of burnout was just beginning to enter public awareness, whereas in Slovenia, where "burnout" was named Word of the Year in 2018, the debate was already advanced. However, the perspective of NGOs operating in Central and Eastern Europe was still missing. Therefore, we worked together to find the language and tools to address this issue.
In September 2019, we started the research and analysis of materials from across Europe, and in December, we registered the domain burnout-aid.eu. From the beginning, we wanted the portal to be a place where NGO workers could find content that helps them better understand how burnout develops. We focused on two main perspectives: individual
and organizational.
As for the individual perspective, four dimensions were crucial for us: physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. As for the organizational perspective: employee rights, team relationships, communication, types of employment, anti-burnout support, and procedures that increase employees' sense of security, including employment stability.
Our first test to measure burnout risk was available in four language versions (Polish, English, Slovenian, and Croatian). At this stage, the scale of the needs was already visible: the version for individuals was used by over 1,600 people from several dozen countries, and the version for organizations by more than 230 NGOs, not just from Europe. This was a clear signal: burnout is widespread in the civic sector and has a global dimension.
2021-2022
In 2021, we launched the "Let it Work – Let's Act Healthily" project. It was a multilevel, multiannual project, involving educational, research, and implementation activities, which gave the portal its current direction and dynamics.
On the portal, we have placed:
- articles,
- podcasts,
- workshop scenarios,
- organizational policies,
- contract templates,
- exercises,
- short reports.
We conducted supervision, workshops, and consultations, supporting individuals from hundreds of organizations: cultural institutions, small local NGOs, grassroots movements, support networks, and international organizations.
By combining theory with practice on such a large scale, we gradually began to notice common overload patterns:
- organizational collusions,
- operational chaos,
- invisible emotional work,
- communication difficulties,
- tensions related to responsibility and pace of work.
We also observed how strongly global crises, systemic inequalities, and the pace of digital development influence burnout.
New knowledge of the sector allowed us to work on new materials, tools, and methods.
2023-2025
This is a period of intensive development thanks to the financial support of the Open Society Foundations. OSF funding made it possible to revamp the portal’s content, UX, and visual design, while also upgrading its infrastructure.
At this time, we also established the Oxygen Consortium – an international network of organizations working for human rights and civil society, striving to make attention to well-being and mental resilience an important part of workplace standards. We share experiences and look for ways to make changes together. New knowledge of the sector allowed us to work on new tools, methods, and resources.
Simultaneously, we are developing a network of experts who provide pro bono and low bono support to organizations in crisis or undergoing long-term change. The result will be a database on the portal showcasing best practices and examples of activities for well-being and human rights.
The current Burnout Aid model builds on the foundations laid in the first phase, yet it is more nuanced and precise.
It helps you understand what really fuels burnout:
- rhythm of work and pace of tasks,
- organizational culture,
- quality of relationships and communication,
- division of responsibilities,
- emotional safety,
- social, political, and digital factors.
Burnout Aid shows that burnout is a process within a network of relationships, although it manifests at the individual level. That you can spot them early. That it's reversible. And that organizations really can shape the work environment for the people who make them up.
From the beginning, the portal was available in four language versions: Polish, English, Croatian, and Slovenian. In the following years, we expanded both the Polish and English versions.
Preparations are underway to launch the Ukrainian and Russian versions – adapted to the needs of civil society in Ukraine and the entire region.
We don't stop. Our plans also include:
- online courses;
- an application supporting online education;
- further development of content supporting individuals and organizations in regaining balance.
Stay tuned.
If you want to support the development of the Burnout Aid portal, you can donate for the statutory purposes of the Culture Shock Foundation.
If you have expertise you would like to use to support civil society, we invite you to join our network of experts providing pro bono and low bono support.
