Here's how to volunteer your way into a fulfilling and interesting life.

For stay-at-home parents, the best job may be one that doesn’t pay.

Volunteering is one of the rewards of not having a full-time job outside the home. Doing volunteer work keeps your skills sharp, provides variety in your life, and gives you the satisfaction that you’re making a difference.

Stay-at-home parents make up a big chunk of the volunteers in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics about 61.2 million people volunteered for an organization at least once last year. More women volunteer than men, more married people volunteer than their single counterparts, and according to the survey, “parents were considerably more likely than those without children to engage in some types of volunteer activities that are frequently related to children . . .”

Vary Your Volunteer Work

If your children are in school, you’re likely to be asked to help in the classroom or in a parent-teacher organization. Many parents find satisfaction in volunteering in programs in which their children are involved. Volunteering at school will allow you to be an involved parent, help you get to know your child’s teachers and make you familiar with his school day.

You may want to add a project from church or in the community, just to vary your volunteer work and keep it more interesting.

Know When to Just Say No

Don’t automatically say yes to every volunteer project you’re asked to do. At your child’s school, you may be asked to do everything from bake cookies for the teachers’ luncheon to run the entire after-school program.

Decide ahead of time how much time you want to spend on volunteer projects. Don’t let it snowball into a situation in which you’re spending time away from your own children to volunteer.

Choose something you enjoy

If you were an accountant in your last life, you’ll probably be asked to be the treasurer of every group you encounter. Be sure that’s how you want to spend your free time. Pick a volunteer position that will be fun for you.

Use the skills you have

If you’re a champion fund-raiser, by all means, sign on as fund-raising chairman of your PTA. What are some of your skills that can be put to use for your school, church or community? What can you offer that no one else can?

Use skills you want to have in the future

Think ahead to the day when you go back to the workforce. What job will you want? What skills will you need? Volunteering is the perfect way to get experience for your resume.

According to Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin, authors of Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work, (Warner Business Books, 2007), volunteering is a great resume builder, as well as a good way to network your way into a new career when you decide to return to work.

Make it fit your lifestyle

Is the volunteer job flexible enough? Do you find yourself staying up late to finish projects or hiring a babysitter to do volunteer work?

Before you volunteer, make it clear to the supervisor if you plan to bring along your baby, if your hours are limited, and that your children will always come first.

Taking your children along on volunteer projects is a great way to set an example of community service.

Choose an arena where you want to make a difference

Whether it’s animal rights, literacy or AIDS research, there are volunteer opportunities to match whatever cause you want to help.

Non-profit organizations know that today’s volunteer is busy, with very few spare hours, but is willing to help if the work is flexible and rewarding, according to VolunteerPower.com.