I hear you, OP. At my job, I work on building marketing software for large insurance/utility/telecom companies with similar...shall we say disenfranchisement.

I hear you, OP. At my job, I work on building marketing software for large insurance/utility/telecom companies with similar...shall we say disenfranchisement. Firstly a word of warning - as the user akg_67 has said, there is no escape from the workplace politics. My girlfriend works in non-profits and currently works at one that is trying to clean up supply chains in manufacturing outsourcing countries. A commendable initiative, I think, but her workplace is still full of the same petty stupid games as anywhere else. Her previous one was about teaching girls skills and leadership, but you guessed it, there too she was part of the same crap you're trying to escape. But if you can overlook that, and want to work for a worthy cause, you will need to network and meet other people who already work in this field. You will need to surround yourself with those people and get into that. Here's what I would recommend for that, something I am doing myself. Join an org like ImpactHub (there are some in cities all around the world). It's a nice co-working space but also exists to foster sustainable enterprise and bring the community together of social entrepreneurs. They typically try to find connections when you join based on your interests. Speaking of interests, figure out what you're actually passionate about and what you care about. If you really want to get out and do something worthwhile, then figure out what you consider worthwhile. Is it the environment? Privacy? Education? Fighting corruption? Whatever your cause, if you narrow down what you are passionate about perhaps it would be easier to find orgs or people that are like-minded and that share in those causes.