Part 4: Examples of how these organizations have attempted to meet these needs

The Importance of Organizations to Human Services

Without organizations, the goals of the human services field would be impossible to fulfill. Human
services is a vast sector that includes a broad range of disciplines, knowledge and skills focused
toward enhancing human well-being, both individually and collectively. Just as there are many
causes within the human services sector, so too are there a wide variety of organizations whose
aim is to accomplish these goals. Three main organizational types define the human services field:
nonprofit or NGO, governmental or public enterprise and the private sector. All of them use
different methods to aid the people they serve.

A. The Nonprofit

The nonprofit, or NGO as it is sometimes known, is an organization that works to fulfill a mandate
or series of goals for a particular cause. An example might be a nonprofit that concerns itself with
the extension of medical care to the homeless. By structuring itself within the private sector, but
without a profit motive, the nonprofit or NGO positions itself to receive funding from donors and
grants. As they are not concerned with profit margins, the nonprofit is able to focus the majority
of its resources on realizing its goals. They also often enjoy tax-exempt status and are able to obtain
grants from governments and foundations. In most cases, the nonprofit will have a fairly narrow
focus that gives it the ability to provide in-depth services. Unlike a government agency that may
need to follow a broader approach, the nonprofit is able to tailor itself to meet the needs of a
specific segment of society. As such, the quality of services it can provide is extremely high for its
target group.

some examples of nonprofits include:

1. The American Red Cross: Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton,
the American Red Cross has been the nation’s premier emergency response organization.
As part of a worldwide movement that offers neutral humanitarian care to victims of war,
the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural
disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim
of preventing and relieving suffering.
 2. Voices for America’s Children: The nation’s largest network of multi-issue child-
advocacy organizations. Their nonprofit, nonpartisan network spans almost every state, the
District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They lead advocacy efforts at the
community, state and federal levels to improve the lives of all children, especially those
most vulnerable, and their families.

3. National Industries for the Blind: Today, NIB's role in the Ability One Program is
considered an employment model that encourages private/public partnerships and
empowers people who are blind to become more economically integrated. NIB's strategy
for moving forward includes plans to further diversify employment opportunities for
people who are blind; to create product and service awareness within government agencies;
to aggressively market the highest quality products and services; to generate public and
private partnerships; and to provide technical, operational, marketing and business
development services to its associated, community-based agencies. As the service industry
rapidly expands in the United States and new technologies emerge, NIB will continue to
deliver new and exciting career opportunities for people who are blind.

B. The Private Sector

While there are many advantages to the nonprofit organization, some tremendous strengths can
also be found within the for-profit organizational model. In addition to having the latitude to pursue
any goal they wish in the manner they see fit, organizations in the private sector have the huge
advantage of not being reliant upon external sources of funding. This allows for long-term goals
to be set based on a more reliable accounting situation. The private sector also tends to offer the
best wages available to employees. This can result in a high degree of professionalism. Entering
into the private sector is generally accomplished through finding employment with an agency that
meets your needs.

Some examples of private-sector organizations in the field of human services include:

 Private mental health practices

 Counseling positions within private schools
 Lobbying groups for particular causes such as certain PACs
 Certain private foundations
  Working as a patient advocate within a health care agency to facilitate access to Medicare
and Medicaid

C. The Public Sector

Governmental human services organizations are among the largest in the sector and offer the
unique advantage of being backed by the resources of the government. Usually having broad
mandates to tackle certain social issues, such as poverty and health, the public sector has some of
the biggest impacts of any human services organization. Every state has a governmental agency
that works to administer federally funded programs such as Supplemental Nutritional Assistance
Program and Medicaid. County and city agencies also work on various projects that service human
beings. One can get involved with the public sector by either volunteering at their chosen agency,
or working to obtain employment within them. Volunteering can be an excellent way to establish
oneself in the agency. However, minimum educational requirements will still need to be met.

Some examples of governmental agencies that work in the human services field are:

i. The Department of Health and Human Services: This is the primary federal agency
that oversees the Medicare and Medicaid programs. They fund state, local and private
agencies to administer the federally funded programs.

ii. The United States Department of Agriculture: The USDA oversees the Supplemental
Nutritional Assistance Program at the federal level. This is a huge program that affects a
tremendous number of Americans.

iii. Federal Emergency Management Agency: FEMA is the federal agency responsible for
coordinating disaster-relief efforts in the United States. From hurricanes to tornados and
floods, FEMA is at the forefront of making sure disasters are responded to.

iv. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: This agency is responsible for
helping Americans get access to housing. They oversee the Section 8 grant for low-income
housing. They also work to provide loans to poorer Americans to allow them access to
housing.