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2025 Australian Community Boards Wellbeing Report

2025 Australian Community Boards Wellbeing Report cover final
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Australian research reveals rising stress and burnout rates across workplaces and not-for-profits¹⁺², but until now, there has been almost no national data specifically on the wellbeing of the members of not-for-profit boards.

Board member wellbeing is critical because stressed or disengaged directors can affect organisational sustainability, and the effectiveness of the services NFPs deliver to the community. On a personal level, wellbeing feeds resilience, contributes to happiness, and helps enable people to live their lives to the fullest.

The Annual NFP Board Wellbeing Survey, conducted by the Institute of Community Directors Australia (Community Directors), seeks to change that. This landmark research gives voice to the experiences of over 570 board members across Australia.

The data reveals how governance structures that help to determine workload, compliance and culture directly affect board members’ willingness to stay involved, and describes clear pathways for change.

This sector-leading survey is specific to community board members rather than staff. The board members surveyed come from diverse organisational types and sectors, so the survey provides a broad snapshot of governance and wellbeing across Australia’s NFP landscape.

The report positions wellbeing not as a personal, individual issue but as a governance and retention concern, reframing how we think about board leadership roles in the community sector. The inclusion of free-text responses from board members makes the findings nuanced and grounded in rich qualitative data.

The data shows that board challenges are not inevitable, and solutions already exist within the sector. Ways to reduce board members’ stress are generally well known. However, Australian NFPs vary in size, and the data highlights the need for targeted support rather than a generalised approach.

I hope this report will serve as a baseline for measurement in future years as well as provide practical actions organisations can take in the short term to increase their own sustainability and that of the community sector as a whole.

Adele Stowe-Lindner
Executive Director
Institute of Community Directors Australia

Executive summary
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This year’s survey results tell a story of very high rates of mission alignment by board members and senior NFP leaders, acknowledgement of high rates of board-related stress, and also an interest in accessing help to support NFP boards reduce that stress.

The results reveal a striking paradox: the average not-for-profit board member rates their personal wellbeing at a decent 7 out of 10, and 75 per cent of board members report confidence in remaining effective in their board roles for another 12 months. Yet at the same time, over two-thirds have previously considered stepping down because of stress or overwhelm.

What leads board members to feel stress and to consider stepping down? Time commitments, governance complexity and interpersonal conflict emerged as leading sources of pressure. Almost one in five board members reported feeling unsafe expressing dissenting views during board discussions, which is a signal of cultural challenges within governance structures.

This data matters because board members are the stewards of mission, accountability and impact in the community sector. Their ability to lead and to support is directly affected by how supported, respected and resourced they feel.

An important protective factor against board member (and staff) burnout is very high engagement with organisational mission. Over half of respondents declared that they never or rarely feel more detached from the NFP mission today than when they started.

Almost 90 per cent of respondents (89 per cent) said they feel alignment with their organisation’s mission and this contributes to their sense of wellbeing as a board member.

This report highlights areas of strain and also opportunities for pathways forward. In free-text responses, respondents called for clearer induction processes, the sharing of responsibility among board peers, improved conflict resolution tools, and wellbeing check-ins that feel genuine.

Strong messages from the data include:

  1. Wellbeing is widely valued yet inconsistently supported over and above compliance requirements

  2. Many boards are struggling but some boards report no stress

  3. Culture and leadership shape the wellbeing of board members

  4. There is a policy gap when it comes to wellbeing, but there is also appetite for changing that

  5. Responses to wellbeing challenges must be tailored to individual organisations, to reflect the breadth of the sector.

By shining a light on the human experiences behind governance roles, this report invites sector leaders and funders to consider wellbeing to be a cornerstone of effective leadership and therefore of organisational sustainability. When board members thrive, the communities they serve stand to benefit the most.

Wellbeing Tools and Resources by Community Directors
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Running a healthy, effective board requires more than just good process, it demands attention to wellbeing at the governance level. When board members feel supported, clear in purpose, and aligned in culture, the whole organisation thrives. That’s why we’ve curated a suite of tools to help your board lead with wellbeing:

  • Explore how wellbeing intersects with effective board and organisational culture in our Board and Organisational Wellbeing help sheet.
  • Use the Wellbeing Strategy Template to map out board-level commitments to wellbeing.
  • Navigate your oversight role with confidence using the Wellbeing Governance Guide.
  • And build a robust foundation with a downloadable Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy, tailored for not-for-profit boards.

Together, these resources empower boards to model wellbeing, support their organisations, and drive lasting cultural resilience.

Click on the cards below to open these tools and resources.

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