Photo: Thinkstock

When my brother and I were snotty, entitled tweens, our parents got the idea that volunteering one Friday night a month at a homeless shelter might lend us some perspective or something. In the end, surprise surprise, we did actually learn more about the world than had we been vegged out in front of "Perfect Strangers," and though we were both glad to have done it, today neither of us continues the tradition. 

Rachel Chong has an interesting piece at co.EXIST about volunteerism, and the quandary of how to make it relevant to people.  Chong points out that most volunteer opportunities involve things like painting houses and serving food, but these activities don't play to most American's professional skills.  In other words, if you're an accountant, why not devote a few hours not to ladling soup but to offering pro bono accounting work for your local shelter? As Chong writes, "When volunteering doesn’t result in an impactful outcome, people volunteer halfheartedly or they don’t volunteer at all." Sharing your professional skills can not only be more helpful, will probably be more satisfying to you as well. Since MLK Day has been designated a national day of service, there's no time like now to start. Read Rachel Chong's piece to learn about how her organization, Catchafire, can help you to help others —their website can match you with pro bono opportunities that match your skill set in a manner of minutes.

Read More:
Ways for Kids to Volunteer
How to Be a Hero in Hard Times
What Kind of Volunteer Are You?