1. Volunteer your vacation
Okay, so you might not be able to commit to volunteering on a regular basis; why not use your vacation time to explore a part of the world and give back to a community at the same time? There are a number of organizations that offer “volunteer vacations,” where you can spend anywhere from two weeks to a few months working in orphanages, teaching English or caring for the environment in countries such as Uganda, Tibet or even Fiji. Learn more at volunteerabroad.com l

2. Find your cause
It can be overwhelming to pick a single cause out of the thousands of organizations and charities out there, and every one of them has different needs. You might not have 20 hours a month to spare, but you probably have one or two. Go Volunteer has a searchable database of volunteer postings, which you can browse by activity, location and organization. govolunteer.ca l

3. Get on board
If you’ve got some time on your hands and expertise to share, consider joining the board of a charity or non-profit group. Not sure where to start? No problem. Altruvest Charitable Services has a service, BoardMatch Fundamentals, that matches people to boards of directors. They’ll interview you, provide orientation and set you up with a group you can feel proud of working with. boardmatch.org