If you are like many busy professionals, juggling all of the components of a full and active life, you might find yourself daunted by, or even skeptical of, the question, “What is your cause?” And, I don’t blame you! It’s the kind of question that can feel big and abstract — what even is a cause, and how can anyone pick just one?

As I discuss in Chapter 2 of Becoming a Causie, which you can download for free on robacton.com, one way to approach the question and structure your thinking is to break it down into more manageable, concrete chunks. Begin by asking yourself:

• What societal needs resonate with you?

• What are you passionate about?

• Do you find the idea of directly helping individuals the most compelling, or is having a broader societal impact more important to you?

• Do you need to see the immediate impact of your efforts, or are you more interested in pursuing lasting, durable change?

MyCauseFinder is a free tool that Cause Strategy Partners has developed to help you explore these questions and identify your unique approach to driving social impact — that is, to serving your cause (or causes!). After responding to a series of questions, which will take you less than 10 minutes, you will receive a personalized Causie profile with insights on the causes you may be drawn to, and how you uniquely can make a positive difference in the world.

Are you a Helping Hand, intrinsically motivated to solve problems and unafraid to roll up your sleeves to do so?

Or perhaps a People Developer, driven by a desire to help others achieve their full potential?

Maybe you are a Reformer who strives for societal-level impact and works to achieve more fundamental change over time.

Or, you might be a Disruptor, focused on rapid change and drawn to innovation and experimentation even when an approach is unconventional.

There is of course no “right” way to serve a cause, but understanding how you prefer to support the issues and communities you care about most is an important step in uncovering your cause, and eventually identifying the ideal type of nonprofit organization to engage with.

As you continue on your Causie journey, head over to robacton.com to check out MyCauseFinder and take the first step to discover your cause!