I’m feeling inspired. Maybe it’s some early holiday cheer, maybe I’m feeling so fortunate that I’m inclined to be generous, or maybe I read a blog that made me realize it’s not all about me.

My inspiration? Actually, it really was a blog. I have to give a shout out to Becka and her “Force behind the force” blog.

Becka’s blog mentions two great websites where we can look for volunteer opportunities: CatchAFire and Community Corps. There are also the Taproot Foundation and VolunteerMatch. I got lucky and found a local volunteering opportunity on VolunteerMatch – but given the nature of Salesforce administration, there are a lot of virtual volunteering gigs out there as well. So if there’s nothing in your area, you can volunteer from home – or from the office, if your company is awesome like that!

Do you need a better reason than the warm fuzzies you will feel from generously sharing your expertise? I hope not. But if you want another reason, here it is: you will get better at your job. Every database is different, and the more of them you work with, the more you grow.

One more thing – while we are on the subject of giving – the Salesforce.com Foundation is matching all donations made to Red Cross Disaster Relief this week, to assist those affected by Hurricane Sandy.