Pros
AARP has political clout due to its membership. It has the potential to be involved in a range of important issues. There are some bright and hard working people who are committed to AARP's social mission. Great benefit package.
Cons
Unfortunately, the focus tends to be more on internal politics, turf wars, and finding new ways to profit than on achieving the organization's social mission. Managers are inexperienced and afraid of taking a misstep. There is a culture of bureaucracy, silos, cronyism, reorganizing staff and finger pointing. This culture leads to employees being unwilling to share their knowledge and skills freely as well as a tendency to be closed off to new ideas. Managers sometimes take full credit for the ideas of their staff. I would tell bright and passionate people who want to apply and sharpen their skills in a nurturing and nimble environment to look elsewhere.