When Neil Cohen lost his marketing and sales role in 2001 with Campsix Inc., a San Francisco-based professional-services firm, finding a new job took over a year. It was "a disappointing time for me and for lots of people, especially here in Northern California," he says.

But Mr. Cohen didn't let his skills lapse. He plunged into volunteer work, serving as a member of the board of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters chapter in San Francisco, while job hunting.

"I've been with nonprofit boards for the past 15 years of my life," he says. "It's important to give back to the community in some way, shape or form."

The board role helped Mr. Cohen sustain his network of contacts, which in turn led to his new position as vice president at Tranvia Inc., a transaction-processor based in New York City. His contacts, developed over years of volunteering on the board, helped lead to the new job. "If there's some good karma that comes back to you as a result [of volunteering], so be it," he says.

Other unemployed executives find a similar strategy works for them, according to Brooke Mahoney, executive director of New York City-based Volunteer Consulting Group and founder of boardnetusa.org, a service that links executive volunteers and nonprofits in need. There are about 1.2 million nonprofit board seats that become available every year, notes Ms. Mahoney, and about 1 million executives who want to serve as a volunteer board member.

Serving on a nonprofit board offers several advantages for executives. It can help them to keep their skills sharp and spirits up and to develop new contacts and job leads.

"There are a lot of senior executives who are what I call 'atrophied thoroughbreds,' '' says Ms. Mahoney. "They may be brilliant in their own framework. But getting out of their hierarchical world may be a real growth experience."

Serving on a nonprofit board can help them develop additional skills, such as setting strategy and vision for an organization, which they may not do on a day-to-day basis in their professional roles.

"From a management point of view, many executives' skills have withered [while unemployed] because they haven't used them," says Gary P. Steuer, president and chief executive officer of the Arts and Business Council Inc., a New York-based nonprofit which connects executives with boards of nonprofit arts organizations. John D. Rockefeller III and the Board of Trade in New York City founded the group about 30 years ago.

"By volunteering for a nonprofit, they can work on big-picture issues," says Mr. Steuer.

Executives bring to the table a variety of attributes -- time, wealth, skills or connections are just a few. By using these to aid a group's mission -- whether it's funding homeless shelters, AIDs research or a university-endowment program -- executives are expected to influence others, particularly their well-heeled peers.

It's wise to get involved while you're still working, particularly if you're interested in working with a large, prestigious organization.

"We counsel [nonprofits] to build a board based on the skills, interests and contacts that are needed," says David King, vice president of Alexander, Haas, Martin & Partners, an Atlanta consulting firm to nonprofit founders.

Mr. Steuer puts it bluntly: Major "organizations want you for your skills and your company." He adds, "Don't have unrealistic expectations. If you're currently unemployed, you're less valuable."

Smaller organizations -- the bulk of nonprofits -- may be more amenable to a pitch from an unemployed executive, however. There are about 820,000 nonprofits in the U.S., but more than half have budgets of $25,000 or less. "That's a great place for a young person to be," says Ms. Mahoney.

She says executives should view serving on boards as their "board career" and develop strategies that will help them enhance their professional career and make a contribution to the nonprofit's mission.

Finding the right organization to assist is key. Before volunteering your services, consider what you want to do. Don't choose something that will become a chore. Instead, narrow your choice to a cause you can commit to, says Mr. King.

"Being employed or unemployed isn't the main point," says Maryanne Peabody, founder of Boston-based nonprofit consultancy Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire, and founder of boardoptions.com, an online service for executives interested in nonprofit-volunteer services. "You must choose the organization whose mission you agree with."

Many executives join the Arts and Business Council because they want to reconnect creatively with themselves and the arts, says Mr. Steuer, a former theatrical producer. His group runs Business Volunteers for the Arts, which recruits business executives with a passion for the arts and puts them through a 10-hour training program to orient them to the nonprofit arts world. Scores of volunteers filter through the program every year in its offices across the country.

Executives who complete the course start as pro bono consultants to arts groups. "Eventually, they end up joining the board of directors," says Mr. Steuer. "It serves as an organic boards program, and it gives us insight into what individual businesspeople get out of involvement."

In turn, the volunteers feel as though they're making a difference and rekindle their former passions, such as a love for art or music, he says.

Some executives volunteer for reasons Mr. Steuer describes as "enlightened self-interest" -- meaning that their volunteer work helps further a personal goal as well as helps others. For instance, as a volunteer for babybuggy.org, Tina Sharkey, a former executive at Children's Television Workshop Online and other dot-coms, feels she's contributing to a good cause while maintaining her connections in the entertainment industry.

Babybuggy.org, based in New York, provides "gently used" and new baby clothes and accessories to impoverished new mothers who can't afford them because they live below the poverty line. Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comic Jerry Seinfeld and mother of toddler, Sascha, founded the group. Ms. Sharkey is currently working with Majestic Partners, a New York City new-media firm, and connects with other entertainment executives through her volunteer work.

"These kinds of engagements can hone business skills, in addition to benefiting [you] in other, intangible ways," says Mr. Steuer. "Often business is highly specialized. If you're in marketing, you're responsible for sales of a brand. It's rare to get a chance to step back and look strategically, rather than tactically, at problems. This is a chance to apply the skills one has."

Parker McDonell recently left his position as a senior vice president at Bank One in Columbus, Ohio, and formed an investment company in the music business in Nashville, Tenn. He serves on an array of boards, including Schools and Communities, a national organization with local branches, which helps students in troubled inner-city schools. "This has helped more broadly establish my networking contacts," says Mr. McDonell.

Unemployed executives who serve on nonprofit boards often find their volunteer work is invaluable in landing a new job. Potential employers who meet you through the board will already be familiar with your work, says Mr. King.

"Serving on a board is networking with people who may be able to hire you directly or recommend you to someone else," he says. "Hiring is often a risk. You see [someone] on paper and check references, but you're going on faith. If you've served on a board with someone, you have actual and direct experience with how they get things done. That can be beneficial."

In the long run, becoming a nonprofit-board member or consultant can boost your career.

"If someone has been a good board member, fulfilling the expectations of the organization, it can be a real advantage," says Mr. King. "Especially if you're surrounded by other people who have influence -- CEOs and owners of companies, people high up on the corporate food chain. If you do what they expect, you have credibility."

Executives caution that once you are unemployed -- you may be inundated with requests from smaller boards of directors to serve. "My advice to other executives would be that when you leave your job, be prepared," says Mr. McDonell. "Others will assume that you have all the free time in the world to serve, and the requests to serve may be increased. But be careful to not jump into too many things. Searching for a job itself can be a full-time job. You have to manage your time."