Earlier this year, I went to a fundraiser and heard a woman speak about the importance of using one’s unique skills and talents to give back to the community. Whether they be skills in sewing, dancing, accounting, teaching or anything at all, her message was that everyone can use their abilities to help the world in meaningful ways, as long as they step out of the traditional boundaries of their skill-set and find new avenues to put these interests into practice. In other words, create and be a bridge between your own interests and helping others.
While this message sounds simple, practically, many of us often find it difficult to find a convenient way to use our skills to help people, especially if those skills are not linked specifically to social causes.
I was recently informed of an organization in Toronto called Well of Change that deals specifically with this issue. They offer a platform where people can volunteer their time and skills in order to raise money for charity and contribute to causes of their choice. Although I have yet to post something on their site, I think it’s a great idea and am definitely interested in volunteering my skills to help raise money for good causes (dance lessons anyone?). Well of Change is a convenient and accessible tool for skilled and talented people to use their unique abilities to help others. Way to go and thank you for helping the world!
1000 Ways to Help the World 
Many people thing we must go green ONLY for people, well I disagreed and went out and made a difference. At age 11 there wan’t much I could do. It’s not like I could I can travel, then it hit me: there is no need to travel when you could raise funds for animals!!!! So I did. I raised 100$ for the W.W.F. When ever I look back at my 2011 accomplishments I always smile!
Thank-you for sharing Nadia and way to go!
Hi There!
Awesome blog post. Have you heard of the organization Catchafire.org?
Catchafire matches professionals who want to volunteer their skills with nonprofits and social enterprises that need their help. They match volunteers and organizations based on a variety of characteristics including skills, cause interests, and time availability.
Projects include marketing plan, pr plan, salesforce customization database, design, strategy, finance etc. etc…
All projects are flexible: Less than 5 hours a week over 3 months or less. This makes the projects perfect for busy professionals.
The volunteer’s skilled service provides 10 times more value than regular volunteering!
Check out the site: http://www.catchafire.org
Hi Emily!
Thank you for reading my blog and sharing your information. It’s great to hear from people from other cities around the world (based on the catchafire.org website, I’m guessing you are from the Greater New York City area)!
It’s wonderful to see people trying to promote volunteerism in ways that are useful and convenient for working professionals. The more people who become actively involved in helping the world, the greater change we can make. Thanks!