I used to be really involved in volunteer work, and some political activism, though the latter I've lost a lot of faith in. Volunteer work proved to be very fulfilling and I recommend it. I think there is an office and website for Cal Corps, which is a good place to see what volunteer opportunities are near you for issues you care about. I personally recommend Habitat for Humanity. On the money side, I just got involved with Kiva.org. They do microloans. I've put in a bunch of money so far, and it's been over a year. I haven't made any interest, of course, but I also haven't lost money ( ... )