LinkedIn, long known as the world’s premier virtual professional networking site, announced today in a blog post that it’s launching a separate volunteer platform for those looking to contract or perform unpaid work. In the post, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman claims the project was inspired by the story of a young architect who was connected with a homeless shelter via LinkedIn.

He also notes that given the changing job landscape, the needs of many LinkedIn users are changing as well. Not everyone’s looking for paid work, and nonprofits many of the same (if not more) challenges recruiting volunteer talent as for-profit companies do.

“When I talk with LinkedIn members, many tell me they aren’t actively looking for traditional job opportunities. Instead, they want to hone or leverage their skills while also making a positive impact on the world… By providing opportunities for all these different kinds of LinkedIn members, we aim to help the social sector by doing what we do best as a company: connecting talent with opportunity at massive scale,” Hoffman wrote in the posting.

Volunteering apparently weighs heavily on the minds of LinkedIn users, with some three million having added information to the “Volunteering and Causes” section of their LinkedIn profiles. Previously, LinkedIn had no way to gain a foothold with those users, as nearly all jobs (for-profit and non-profit alike) on LinkedIn are paid positions. That’s a problem for nonprofits, 92% of whom, according to a Taproot Foundation study, would like add skilled volunteers to their talent pool.

Hoffman believes the LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace can help fill those talent gaps.

“Today, with the launch of LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace, non-profits can discover the relevant members who’ve expressed interest in volunteering. In addition, these members will now be able to browse hundreds – and eventually thousands – of specific, high-quality volunteer opportunities that nonprofits are seeking to fill,” he said.

Currently, idealist.org, run by the nonprofit company Action Without Borders, claims to be the world’s largest source for volunteer opportunities, having been in existence since 1995. It’s unclear whether the new LinkedIn platform will disrupt their business, as organizations do pay a fee to list opportunities on idealist. LinkedIn claims their latest addition is part of their mission to “create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”

“By incorporating volunteer opportunities into the Economic Graph, the right talent will be more likely to find the right non-profit opportunities, which we think is key to solving some of the world’s great challenges,” he said.