Not sure if I’m stating the obvious here, but whether person X would do more good following person Y, or trying to improve themselves to acquire all missing skills, that depends on the combination of [X, Y]; it cannot be answered by looking at X alone. You need to find Y who requires someone with skills you have, and doesn’t mind the skills you don’t have. It even depends on the project Y is currently working on.
Making the potential X’s and Y’s meet each other, that in itself is a project someone would need to choose as their priority, otherwise it won’t happen. I could imagine something like a job agency, except for rationalist volunteers. (Actually, it could also include paid jobs.) Where some people could specify they are looking for someone with some skills, and others could apply. The agency itself needs to be visible enough so that people know about it. It would probably need some checks against bad actors, because it would be tempting to extract work from volunteers. As I said, this is a problem someone might choose to solve.
Without systematic solution, I suppose you could simply post an offer here, explaining your skills and the amount of time you can donate, and see what happens. (Possibly nothing. Possibly something even more disappointing than nothing.) Or you could do the same in person at your local meetup.
Not sure if I’m stating the obvious here, but whether person X would do more good following person Y, or trying to improve themselves to acquire all missing skills, that depends on the combination of [X, Y]; it cannot be answered by looking at X alone. You need to find Y who requires someone with skills you have, and doesn’t mind the skills you don’t have. It even depends on the project Y is currently working on.
Making the potential X’s and Y’s meet each other, that in itself is a project someone would need to choose as their priority, otherwise it won’t happen. I could imagine something like a job agency, except for rationalist volunteers. (Actually, it could also include paid jobs.) Where some people could specify they are looking for someone with some skills, and others could apply. The agency itself needs to be visible enough so that people know about it. It would probably need some checks against bad actors, because it would be tempting to extract work from volunteers. As I said, this is a problem someone might choose to solve.
Without systematic solution, I suppose you could simply post an offer here, explaining your skills and the amount of time you can donate, and see what happens. (Possibly nothing. Possibly something even more disappointing than nothing.) Or you could do the same in person at your local meetup.