The real capacity challenges grassroots clubs and nonprofits are facing (and why it’s not just you).

If you’re running a small club, grassroots group, or tiny nonprofit, you’ve probably felt it lately: more people needing help, fewer hands to help, and the same two or three people carrying everything. It’s exhausting, and it’s not imaginary.

Research by the Charity Insights Canada Project in 2026 found that about 65 percent of Canadian charities still say demand for their services is higher than their capacity. That number was even higher the two years before. Funding instability sits at the top of the worry list for most groups, and staffing and volunteer shortages come right behind it.

A lot of us are also dealing with burnout. Research by YMCA WorkWell showed that more than half of nonprofit workers experience regular burnout, and leaders feel it even harder. Volunteers are harder to find and keep — many groups report they simply don’t have enough consistent people showing up.

Common challenges right now look like this:

  • The same core people doing most of the work
  • Short-term funding that makes planning hard
  • New people joining but not staying
  • Decision-making that feels slow or unclear
  • Feeling like there’s never time to improve systems because everything is urgent

The good news? Naming the problem is the first step. When we stop pretending we should just “push through,” we can start building smarter. Capacity isn’t only about doing more. It’s about creating systems so the work doesn’t always land on the same few shoulders.

Simple starting tips:

  • Write down the three things that only one or two people currently know how to do
  • Ask the group (honestly) what feels heaviest right now
  • Celebrate small wins publicly so people feel the progress

This fall and winter we’re leaning hard into transformation. We’ve spent a lot of time on physical infrastructure this year, but with our program mostly virtual while people are away for school and work, we’re turning our attention to the backbone stuff: board and governance models, organizational development, and pathways for creative leadership and succession. Each week we’ll dig into one of these pieces so small groups like ours can get stronger from the inside out.