Thoughts from Two CEOs on Building a Culture of Care

For our Los Angeles community, 2025 started with an overwhelming reminder of both impermanence and permanence—much was devastated by the fires, but our hope and resilience remain. Events like these show that the work of mission-driven organizations addressing vast and complex issues, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change, has never been more vital. In addition to meeting growing demand, the social, economic, and environmental factors that drive the need for nonprofit services often create increased stress and burnout for the team members working to tackle these challenges. 

The good news is that focusing on employee well-being can help mitigate these increased pressures, create healthier organizational cultures, and boost employee engagement. To cultivate a more supportive and productive work environment that does more than pay lip service to well-being, leaders must prioritize holistic wellness by addressing physical, mental, and emotional health. While implementing comprehensive wellness programs and fostering a culture of self-care and care for each other are straightforward ways to enhance employee satisfaction and long-term success, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Seeking practical expertise, we spoke to two incredible nonprofit executives leading engaged, impactful teams serving Los Angeles about how they have built organizational support for wellness that meets their employees’ needs.  

Dr. Sandra Cano

Executive Director, City Year Los Angeles

Lifelong educator Dr. Sandra Cano joined City Year in 2021 after the organization retained our firm to identify a leader for its efforts in Los Angeles. As well as more than 25 years of experience as a teacher, principal, and administrator for Los Angeles and Ventura County schools, Sandra has personal knowledge of the communities served by City Year L.A., having been raised in some of the same neighborhoods where students currently live. City Year is a nationally recognized nonprofit that places AmeriCorps members as mentors, tutors, and role models in systemically under-resourced schools to help students from all backgrounds thrive.

At City Year, our well-being initiatives support our professional staff and the AmeriCorps members serving with us. These dedicated young adults between the ages of 17 and 25 are deployed in schools for 11-month terms. Much of what we do focuses on helping them activate the City Year community, introducing a conceptual foundation for well-being, and providing regular access to resources. Each location is part of a Pueblo—a community we create of neighboring schools—with organized Pueblo Days each month that enable teams serving in the same Pueblo to gather, build community, and learn about resources. Each Pueblo Day features a Monthly Wellness Hour that focuses on specific wellness topics or provides time to center and prioritize wellness. Our Corps Clubs offer additional opportunities for AmeriCorps members to connect around shared interests. 

We begin each year by grounding the corps in the eight dimensions of wellness, emphasizing the importance of having a holistic framework for understanding, improving, and maintaining balance in personal wellness. We support the concepts with practical resources that AmeriCorps members can access through our continually updated and always accessible one-stop shop that outlines their benefits and available support. Announcements of new rollouts, quarterly refreshers, and monthly highlights of available mental health and wellness resources, such as our employee assistance program, Talkspace, or the Crisis Text Line, help keep these resources in mind.

Our staff are actively engaged in this as well. Our program managers have heat maps for AmeriCorps members experiencing fatigue or mental health and wellness challenges, which they can utilize to get support for struggling members. Program managers and the program directors who oversee the Pueblos have a Mental Health & Wellness one-pager that provides guidance on supporting AmeriCorps members through wellness-related challenges. Finally, we are always looking for ways to adapt. We hold quarterly roundtables to identify opportunities for needed shifts based on culture data and our shared experiences.

Lori Carmona

Chief Executive Officer, YWCA Greater Los Angeles

Lori Carmona has been the CEO of the YWCA Greater Los Angeles since the fall of 2023. Known for her person-centered approach, she has dedicated her nearly 30-year career to leading equity-focused initiatives at community-based organizations. Prior to this role, she was the chief executive of AbilityFirst, where she expanded impact and innovation in the services available to the region’s youth and adults with disabilities. The YWCA Greater Los Angeles has a talented and long-tenured professional staff that works to eliminate racism and empower women through low-cost and often free early childhood education, youth empowerment, senior engagement, job training, and sexual assault crisis services.

YWCA Greater Los Angeles recently embraced a new values statement emphasizing connection through courage, compassion, collaboration, and commitment. These values are integral to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where every individual feels empowered and valued. By prioritizing these principles, we aim to create a culture of trust and mutual respect, encouraging personal and professional growth. This approach enhances YWCA Greater Los Angeles’ impact and ensures that every staff member can contribute meaningfully to our collective mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.

In addition to this values-driven approach, YWCA Greater Los Angeles has introduced “refresh” zones at all our sites. These dedicated spaces are designed to support staff mental well-being by providing a tranquil environment where employees can recharge and manage stress. Recognizing the importance of holistic wellness, these zones offer a respite to help staff maintain their physical, mental, and emotional health.

…

Lori and Sandra, thank you both for sharing your approach! Both methodologies actively connect team members to a sense of purpose, shared values, community, and resources while providing the specific practical support each group requires. By learning from other models and implementing strategies that address the unique needs of their teams, leaders can create a more sustainable and impactful future for their organizations. Let us commit to building cultures where employees thrive, compassion is valued, and a healthy, engaged workforce helps uplift our communities.