What If “Doing More With Less” Is Hurting Us?
- Sheree Cannon
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Updated: May 14
How to challenge scarcity-based expectations and reset the standard for what nonprofit leadership really requires
Sheree Cannon | Nonprofit Strategist & Consultant | Author
© Sheree Cannon, author. All rights reserved.
Introduction
The phrase is so common you barely notice it anymore:"We just do more with less."
It’s become a point of pride in the nonprofit sector. Lean teams. Tight budgets. Big impact. And while that efficiency can be admirable, many nonprofit leaders are beginning to ask: What if this expectation is actually hurting us?
This white paper explores how the “do more with less” mindset has become embedded in our culture—and what it’s really costing us in terms of staff wellbeing, program quality, sustainability, and leadership longevity. If you’ve been quietly wondering how much longer you can hold everything together, this is for you.
The Origin of the Scarcity Standard
The nonprofit sector has long been underfunded and overextended. Donors expect impact without overhead. Funders prioritize outcomes over operations. Boards fear being seen as wasteful. Leaders internalize the pressure to prove worththrough personal sacrifice.
It starts small:
Not replacing a departing staff member
Taking on one more role “just for now”
Underpricing your value in partnerships
Saying yes to every opportunity because funding feels uncertain
And over time, the scarcity becomes a system—one that leaves no room for rest, risk, or recalibration.
“Scarcity is not a strategy. It’s a wound that too many organizations have learned to normalize.”
The Cost of Doing More With Less
While “efficiency” sounds smart, this culture can quietly lead to:
Staff burnout and turnover
Declining program quality
Incomplete projects or missed deadlines
Lower donor retention due to inconsistent follow-up
Leadership exhaustion and reactive decision-making
Organizational instability masked as scrappiness
This is not about blame. It’s about awareness—and the opportunity to shift.
Five Ways to Challenge the Scarcity Standard and Lead Differently
1. Name It Clearly: This Isn’t Sustainable
The first step is simply truth-telling. In staff meetings. With your board. In budget planning. Say it out loud: “We’ve been doing too much with too little, and it’s not healthy for the mission—or the people.”
You can’t shift what you won’t acknowledge.
2. Build Real Costs Into Every Plan
Whether it’s a grant proposal, a new program, or a partnership—include the full cost of implementation. Staff time. Technology. Overhead. Communications. If a program isn’t fundable in its entirety, it may not be fundable at all.
Don’t backfill with burnout.
3. Re-educate Funders and Donors (Gently, Consistently)
Include messaging about sustainability in your appeals and reports. Show how funding staff capacity, operations, and infrastructure leads to better impact—not just more activity.
Use your voice to reframe what real generosity supports.
4. Normalize Boundaries and Rest at the Leadership Level
Scarcity culture starts at the top. Model healthy boundaries. Take vacations. Pause before overcommitting. Say no to partnerships or opportunities that don’t align or overextend your team.
This doesn’t weaken leadership—it deepens it.
5. Define What “Enough” Looks Like for Your Organization
Enough staff. Enough space. Enough funding. Enough clarity.
Create an internal benchmark for what sustainability really means—so you’re not constantly chasing “more,” but building from a grounded, supported place.
Conclusion: You Deserve a New Standard
You’re not lazy for wanting balance. You’re not weak for wanting help. You’re not failing if you’ve realized this pace is too much.
You are a leader—one with the power to help your team, your board, and your donors unlearn the harmful belief that purpose requires exhaustion.
Start where you are. Speak the truth. And let your leadership reflect a model that’s built to last.
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