Time Auction lets you exchange volunteer hours for unique experiences

Volunteering will get you experience, jobs and into heaven. New to the list of benefits and perks of volunteering, including the allowance of humble-bragging at dinner parties, is Time Auction.

The company allows you to exchange your volunteer hours for experiences like exploring Google Toronto with Managing Director Sam Sebastian; chatting about business, health and happiness with former Dragon Brett Wilson; or touring Facebook Canada and grabbing lunch with Managing Director Jordan Bank.

“Volunteer work is extremely important. I believe volunteering not only helps the community, but also provides personal rewards as well,” said David Wen, co-founder of Time Auction. “Don’t just take my word for it… Past research and real life examples show that giving people an incentive to volunteer really does work. Our own government introduced a bill to give volunteer fire fighters a tax credit. For the rest of us, Time Auction provides a priceless experience that money can’t buy.”

Essentially, you use your volunteer hours to bid on whatever Time Auction is available, but it’s all based on how many hours you have volunteered in the last three months.

There are two kinds of Time Auctions. First is “everyone wins,” meaning that if you bid, you win. This is mostly for group sessions or webinars. The second is a draw where you can bid but there are only a limited amount of spots available, so your bid will be entered in a draw for a chance win the experience.

Time Auctions are available on a national scale, like grabbing a coffee with Frank O’Dea, the founder of Second Cup Coffee. They also have Time Auctions a local scale.

“Locally in Vancouver, we have a Time Auction with Chef Peter Isacu at the famous Seasons in the Park restaurant, where volunteers get to learn how to make a multi-course meal with Executive Chef Peter – and eat it too, of course. Our chef ones are always popular, with past chef auctions fetching from 400 to 600 volunteer hours each,” said Wen.

The bid for lessons with Chef Peter Isacu begins at five hours, a realistic goal for some those who also balance school and work with volunteering. The only requirement needed on this auction bid is that you must be able to get to the Seasons in the Park restaurant on Saturday, July 11 at 4 p.m.

You can check out other current auctions here.