# A Sabbatical Made My Nonprofit Stronger with Rebecca Stapel-Wax

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/successful-nonprofits-podcast-538501/a-sabbatical-made-my-nonprofit-stronger-with-rebecca-stapel-wax
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/successful-nonprofits-podcast-538501/a-sabbatical-made-my-nonprofit-stronger-with-rebecca-stapel-wax.md
Podcast: [Successful Nonprofits Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/successful-nonprofits-podcast-538501)
Published: 2026-06-30T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://successfulnonprofits.com/portfolio/sabbatical-for-nonprofit-ceos
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/nonprofits/sabbatical-for-nonprofit-ceos.mp3?dest-id=574799
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/successful-nonprofits-podcast-538501/episodes/a-sabbatical-made-my-nonprofit-stronger-with-rebecca-stapel-wax
Duration seconds: 1835

## Resource

Many nonprofit chief executives dream about taking a sabbatical, but few believe their organization is too small to offer sabbaticals . In this episode, SOJOURN Executive Director Rebecca Stapel-Wax shares how she prepared her board, staff, systems, and interim leader for a successful three-month sabbatical that ultimately strengthened the organization. Dolph and Rebecca discuss succession planning, executive burnout, communication boundaries, re-entry planning, and the operational systems every nonprofit CEO should have in place before stepping away on a sabbatical . This episode answers questions like : How do I ask my board for a sabbatical? Can a nonprofit executive director take a paid sabbatical? What should a I put in place before taking a sabbatical? How do I handle leadership coverage during a n executive director's sabbatical? How do I prepare my staff and board before taking extended leave? What should be included in a nonprofit succession planning playbook? Links mentioned in this episode: SOJOURN: sojourngsd.org Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes: I took a sabbatical and so can you with David Huitstuman: [ on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or our website with show notes ] Make your dream sabbatical a reality with Emil Raskin [ Episode Title on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or our website with show notes ]

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## Transcript

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