Future of Good: Equity, Burnout, and Engagement in the Workplace

Environics Research partners with Future of Good to uncover insights on equity, burnout, and engagement in Canada’s non-profit sector.

Introduction

The Changemaker Wellbeing Index is the first nationally representative study focused on the wellbeing of non-profit workers in Canada. Commissioned by Future of Good, the research aims to equip sector leaders, funders, and policymakers with the evidence they need to better support the individuals who sustain the social-purpose sector and the millions of people it serves.

Environics Research was proud to partner on this groundbreaking initiative — co-leading the survey design and fieldwork, and contributing to the interpretation of findings. We also brought a unique perspective by applying our workplace values framework, incorporating a values-based lens to the data for deeper insights. The results of this work will enable organizational leaders to better understand what truly motivates and challenges their staff — helping them turn data into meaningful, actionable strategies to improve wellbeing across their teams.

Background

Non-profit workers are essential to the fabric of Canadian society – and represent a sizeable share of the country’s workforce – yet their experiences have rarely been measured in a way that reflects their full reality. No study in recent history has focused exclusively on this workforce using a nationally representative sample. Previous efforts have relied on anecdotal accounts or small, convenience-based surveys, making it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions or understand the true scale of the challenges these workers face. Without robust data, issues often identified anecdotally in the sector – such as burnout, food insecurity, low pay, and job precarity – have remained under-acknowledged. This research filled a critical gap, offering the first clear, evidence-based look at the wellbeing of non-profit workers in Canada and sparking new conversations about how to better support and value their contributions.

The Ask

Future of Good sought a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based report to inform its editorial and advocacy agenda over the next decade. The ask included developing a baseline index of wellbeing, that can be tracked over time, using rigorous sampling practices to create a representative and unbiased picture of the sector. The goal was not only to surface challenges, but also to offer guidance on practical responses for sector leaders, funders, and policymakers. Our research goals were to provide actionable insights:

1) To understand the current state of wellbeing among non-profit workers across eight domains:

Mental Health
Burnout/Exhaustion
Anxiety at Work
Life Satisfaction
Job Satisfaction
Loneliness
Household Income Sufficiency
Food Insecurity

2) To surface the specific challenges facing community-based non-profits, especially in high-strain fields like social services and arts and culture.

3) To identify tangible and practical ways organizations and funders can improve workplace conditions, HR practices, and retention.

Our Approach

1) Partnering with Common Good Strategies to Deliver Insightful Research

Environics Research was engaged by Steven Ayer of Common Good Strategies, a trusted advisor to Future of Good, who recognized that the project’s ambitious goals required a research partner with deep sector expertise and a track record of producing insight-rich studies for purpose-driven organizations. Confident in our sector expertise and our ability to translate complex mandates into rigorous, actionable findings, he invited us to collaborate. Together we crafted a comprehensive, nuanced questionnaire, and Steven eagerly integrated our proprietary Workplace Values Battery, appreciating its ability to reveal the deeper motivations that drive employee satisfaction and engagement.

2) Capturing a Representative Snapshot of Canada’s Non-Profit Workforce

Environics led the fieldwork using a randomized online panel to ensure sector-wide representation, including often underrepresented groups such as frontline and younger workers. The survey reached 1,116 non-profit workers from across Canada and was weighted using StatsCan benchmarks for age, gender, region, immigrant status, and income to reflect the diversity of the sector. Fielding ran from February 21 to March 14, 2025.

3) Revealing Sector Inequities and Contextualizing Insights

After data collection, we helped analyze patterns across identity, job function, and sector — comparing various sub-groups in the sector to reveal inequities. We also conducted sectoral benchmarking against other national studies (via the Environics Institute) to contextualize findings on topics such as burnout and food insecurity. Environics’ team worked closely with Future of Good to translate insights into public-facing narratives that are compelling and actionable.

We spoke to almost a dozen vendors to find the right partner for this survey, and many told us our research design was too complex to execute. Environics Research proved them wrong, embracing the challenge and delivering exactly what we needed. Their team was collaborative, insightful, and a pleasure to work with—offering thoughtful guidance at every stage of the project.

Steven Ayer

President and Founder, Common Good Strategies Consulting

Application of Insights

1) Development of the Changemaker Wellbeing Index

The survey informed the creation of a composite index that classifies workers as Thriving, Managing, Struggling, or Severely Struggling based on eight key dimensions — from job satisfaction and mental health to income sufficiency and burnout. We found that only 33% were Thriving, while over one-third (36%) had poor wellbeing. The intention is to have this metric updated annually and tracked over time to ensure that decision-makers can understand and respond to changes in the sector.

2) Workplace Wellbeing Framework

A second tool, currently in development, is a benchmarking framework designed to help organizations assess and improve their own practices. It is informed by five core HR indicators and shows a direct correlation to staff satisfaction. Organizations with all five practices had significantly higher Net Promoter Scores (+14) than those with two or fewer (-34). 

3) Narrative Framing for Sector Advocacy

The findings have already catalyzed national discussion around precarious pay, burnout, and the emotional toll of changemaking. Future of Good has launched a complementary content series including webinars, editorials, and newsletters to build public and sector awareness. By informing funder strategies, HR reform efforts, and policy recommendations, the research and the communications it has enabled are helping to centre wellbeing in conversations about the future of work in the sector.

Performance

The Changemaker Wellbeing Index has received widespread attention across Canada’s social sector, generating strong media coverage and uptake among funders and sector leaders.

Changemaker Wellbeing Index

Working with Environics and Steve Ayer allowed us to do something that has never been done before in Canada, and was frankly thought to be un-achievable. We have built the first data-set that is representative of the nonprofit industry in Canada, taking into account young people and front-line care workers. I cannot overstate how good data helps us do our work better and will help inform the nonprofit sector in initiating smart interventions that will build a thriving workplace for those that do good professionally.

Anouk Bertner

Executive Director, Future of Good

The findings of the Changemaker Wellbeing Index 2025 should inspire us to collectively rethink how we support the community sector. Because with every grant awarded, every training provided, and every recognition expressed, we are strengthening the backbone of Canada’s social safety net. If we truly want to build resilient communities, we must invest in the well-being of those who work tirelessly for others.

Claude Pinard

Président et directeur général de Centraide du Grand Montréal

About The Client

Future of Good is Canada’s leading media, learning, and research organization focused on the social purpose sector. Through journalism, events, and insights, Future of Good supports changemakers in non-profits, philanthropy, corporate impact, and government. With thousands of subscribers across the country, their mission is to enable smarter, more impactful organizations that advance equity and sustainability. This Index builds on their commitment to data-informed storytelling and system change.