I’m reading The Purpose Economy by Aaron Hurst. His book Powered by Pro Bono from his days at Taproot Foundation was an inspiration during the founding of Designers for Learning. In Purpose Economy (p. 23), Hurst notes three core categories of purpose desired by professionals who applied to volunteer with Taproot:
- Personal purpose
- Social purpose
- Societal purpose
These three types of purpose overlap what we see from those wanting to participate at Designers for Learning. In our contact form on our website we ask, “Please briefly describe your interest in Designers for Learning” and we hear three things: 1) to gain experience (mainly related to instructional design), 2) to network with other professionals in the field, 3) to give back. As I move through the book, I’m interested to see how we can better understand these purpose-driven needs and help support these needs in our work.