Organization

One lens through which to view your career.

An organization is a structure through which people work together to make things happen. Some people enter public service careers because of employment with — or a desire to work with — a specific nonprofit organization.

For example you might admire the work of a nonprofit that has a unique approach and that is getting a lot of media attention, like Harlem Children's Zone or Teach For America.

Additionally, you might have heard that a nonprofit had excellent family-friendly benefits, or received an award for being a great place to work.

Your next steps if you're approaching your career through the lens of "organization" may be to:

• Research the organization(s) you find most compelling and figure out specifically what's drawing you. Consider doing an informational interview with a staff person at the organization, volunteering there, or applying for a job opening.
• Identify other organizations doing comparable work, and investigate how the organizations distinguish themselves in their approach, model of change, scope, mission, etc.;
• clarify the specific issue(s) that your favorite organization is championing;
• understand what roles people play within the organization;
• figure out whether the system that the organization operates within is appealing to you.

Often similar organizations will see each other as competitors — for attention, funding, volunteers. Understanding the ways each organization distinguishes itself from other similar organizations is crucial.

• BACK to the five lenses.