There’s no question that doing mission-driven work — whether nonprofit journalism, supporting the hungry and homeless, caring for the sick and elderly, running a small impact-focused business — can be rewarding in myriad ways that feel particularly important these days.

But hear this: It is, also, very very hard.

A 2024 survey from the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that 95 percent of all nonprofit leaders cite burnout among staff — and themselves — as a top concern. That is slightly worse than last year, and is especially true for leaders of color. And there are no real signs of it getting better anytime soon.

“The pressure is incredibly intense,” says Kimberly McGlonn, vice president of social impact Fitler Club and president of the Fitler Club Foundation. “I’ve seen the burden in different manifestations and it’s made me hyper-aware of how heavy that crown is for people who are trying to make a positive impact with their one life. What are we doing to take care of them?”

One answer: McGlonn and the foundation are launching its first Impact Residency, providing eight to 10 nonprofit or B Corps leaders with a yearlong membership at Fitler Club along with other emotional, physical and professional support. Applications for the residency, which will run through 2025, are open now through December 30.

The program is open to nonprofit and B Corps executives who run organizations with budgets under $1 million — a threshold, McGlonn says, which means they are unlikely to be able to afford a club membership — in areas defined by Pew as the most pressing for Philadelphia: education, gun violence, opioid addiction and mental health. Nominations are open now.

Fellows will receive:

• • One year membership to the club.
  • Personal training and nutritional counseling for the year.
  • A curated library of books about fundraising, executive leadership and wellness, and membership in a book club to talk about them.
  • A hotel staycation at Fitler.
  • Spa credit.
  • Quarterly meetings with Fitler Foundation board members — including creative strategist Natalie Nixon and Arun Prabhakaran, president of Urban Affairs Coalition — for advice and mentorship.

The total monetary value of the residency is $8,000. But McGlonn expects the benefits to go well beyond. “I hope Fitler becomes a place of reprieve and personal growth for our residents,” she says. “With a membership at the club, these leaders can reach funders, amplify the work they’re doing, gain experience talking about their work, and maybe get help with fundraising goals.”

McGlonn is a thoughtful and far-reaching social entrepreneur whose Grant Blvd — now NOOR by Grant Blvd — is a B Corp that employs women returning from prison or on probation; in January, Grant launched Fashion the Future Forward, a career development and mentorship program based in Kensington that builds skills through textile education. McGlonn has run Fitler’s social impact work since early 2023.

The residency marks the relaunch of the Fitler Foundation, which was part of the original vision for the social club, which aims to be a more diverse, more accessible, civically-engaged alternative to the Union League. (Full disclosure: The Fitler Club is an events partner of The Citizen.) The Foundation’s other endeavour so far is its long-running Artists in Residence program, which showcases the work of emerging Philadelphia artists and helps connect them with members.

“The burden that all of us in public service feel is not foreign to me,” McGlonn says. “I know there can be an internalized fatigue that people in leadership are burdened by. They have to absorb so much heaviness in their work. We want to give them some relief.”

Know a nonprofit leader who might benefit from Fitler’s Impact Residency? Nominate them here. Winners will be selected by the Foundation board and announced in January.

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