Want a tour of Google Canada's Toronto office with its managing director? What about a webinar chat with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield or an exclusive visit with Metro Vancouver board chair Greg Moore at Port Coquitlam city hall?
The good news is, it won't cost you a cent but it will require you to roll up your sleeves for charity.
The exchange is called Time Auction and is the world's first platform to allow people to swap their past volunteer hours to meet with top innovators.
Co-founded by David Wen, Time Auction is a social venture that started last year out of the Sauder School of Business at the University of BC.
Previous auctions have included a Canucks game with COO Victor de Bonis, a cooking lesson with chef David Hawksworth and a visit with Olympic rowing gold medalist Ben Rutledge.
Currently, Time Auction is offering webinars with Frank O'Dea (co-founder of Second Cup coffee), Almas Jiwani (United Nations) and Brett Wilson (Dragon's Den) as well as a personal tour with Moore at PoCo city hall on June 30.
For Moore's auction, which closes on Friday, two winners will job shadow Moore and go out for lunch afterward.
Wen said his company approached Moore as it wanted to add a political punch to its auction menu. "Greg agreed right away and we're really happy to have him."
Said Moore, "It seems like an excellent idea to help reward and provide a unique opportunity."
Wen got the idea for Time Auction while he was a commerce student at Queen's University. There, because of his numerous hours volunteering with math studies and helping to fundraise, he won a scholarship to spend time with Ron Joyce, the founder of Tim Horton's.
"I couldn't have bought this experience. I had to earn it through volunteering."
With that in mind, he formed Time Auction to get bidders use their past volunteer hours as currency. Once bidders log in and send in their details, Time Auction verifies those past hours with the non-profit group and the winners are tapped.
Wen said the concept appeals largely to young professionals, looking to get a leg up in their industry, to network and to build their resumes.
In the future, Wen said he hopes Time Auction will evolve to become profitable.
So far, Time Auction has "collected" more than 13,000 volunteer hours for non-profit groups in Canada, the U.S. and Hong Kong.
"In the end, it's a win-win for everyone," Wen said.
• To bid on Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore's offer by Friday, visit timeauction.org.
