How Emma Discovered Her Passion During Skilled-Volunteering | Swire Trust Go-Givers of 2021

Together with Time Auction, the Swire Trust Go-Givers Program encourages skilled volunteers for Swire Trust NGOs partners from 2020 to 2022. 10 outstanding volunteers will be selected annually as the “Swire Trust Go-Givers of the Year” with special rewards & recognition. Meet our 10 Go-Givers of 2021!

blog cover 05 1

Meet Emma!

Emma is currently a Strategic Brand Partnership Manager at a startup in London, helping with developing business and growth by building partnerships with universities across the UK & national brands. 

Prior to learning about Time Auction, Emma had volunteered for nursing facilities and regularly tutored students. “Time Auction completely transformed my mindset towards volunteering”. Emma had always viewed volunteering as something more traditional, but she discovered that your skills, even your favourite hobbies, are often more valuable than you might think - and can lead to huge positive change for others. 

OHyDdD6TI9kiYkpLrTtuPwF4RGChTv3imqjJ4cWy2pi7 g49ckHDo3W4OGPiEKTs9lX0ga9r8xJPbb90FCps3aNIR 0M

Open the Door to Opportunities

“When opportunities knock, open the door”, for Emma, she did her own knocking, and made her own opportunities! 

Emma has a background in PR & External Relations, having worked for organisations within both London and Hong Kong, as well as working as a freelance journalist. One of her friends heads up Partnerships at ImpactHK and always felt like her role sounded like something she’d love to try to get into. So, when she came upon the opportunity as Partnerships Lead for Time Auction on Instagram, she immediately signed up for it and was matched!

“The Partnerships Lead position at Time Auction seemed like a fantastic way of experiencing this first-hand and seeing if it's where I’d like to take the direction of my career.”

As the Partnership Lead, Emma was responsible for finding experiences to incentivise volunteering in Hong Kong, sharing Time Auction’s vision with business owners across Hong Kong. With her abundant knowledge about inspiring and fun experiences in HK, she reached out and developed strategic partnership with the donors.

“Not only was it a lot of fun working with the Time Auction team, but I got to meet the founders of some really exciting organisations in HK!” 

Emma’s great work has led to the creation of 15 new experiences, with experiences ranging from Virtual Reality Gaming, to Floating, to Mosaic Lamp Workshops, that volunteers could redeem with volunteer hours, and this equated to over 900 volunteer hours donated to charities! 

jl 6NXAq4MJ0FbWO8ENVYnOJj0nlLgS3k y U6i6GAhbk a0vtjM8mSKc2ZnqczJ3YnaRPcOdSSadwPjy7Xzsw63 tf FmoFAsOCLzGWqkA5gQBScmGsAsfbWYHGTaEeME4svVaz
Emma and Time Auction team 🙂

Volunteering to Shape Your Career

“The experience confirmed that I want to pursue a career in Partnerships, full of collaborative opportunities and opportunities to meet interesting people, leading to the role I’m in now.” 

Reflecting on the experience, Emma particularly enjoyed forming partnerships with organisations in Hong Kong, and gained insight into the exciting experiences the city can offer, from companies big and small. It offered her the opportunity to determine if she truly enjoys Partnerships before putting in the effort to change careers. “Without a doubt, my Partnerships Lead role at Time Auction played a huge part in securing my new position!” 

Congratulations on Emma’s Well-Deserved Recognition!

"Emma has proven to be a trustworthy volunteer who is passionate, efficient and thoughtful. We are so happy that how volunteering advances her career too! With the restraint in resources and the lack of experience in soliciting these kinds of incentives before, we cannot stress enough the paramount importance of her work to our organization."

— Ivy Wong, Time Auction

Volunteering can offer you the chance to meet people you probably wouldn’t have crossed paths with if not, to move outside your comfort zone, and challenge your perceptions. You can gain experience within industries you’d perhaps never considered, or realise new skills you didn’t know you had. Working pro bono often allows you to practice and learn, ultimately making you more assured of your abilities.

“I’m so grateful and proud to be selected, and really want to extend my thanks to the inspiring team at Time Auction who I’ve learnt so much from, the other volunteers who’ve helped others, and the organisations that believed in Time Auction’s mission too.” 

“It can definitely sometimes feel like, as just one person, you might not make a huge impact on how an NGO develops, but your actions and ideas might just trigger another idea, which snowballs, and snowballs.” 


Thank you so much to Emma for contributing 150 volunteer hours at Time Auction and more to come!

To see details of the Swire Trust Go-Givers Program and support their NGOs partners, head over to Time Auction website.

Interviewed & written by Leo Chick | Edited by Emma Lascelles

Updated on 10 November, 2021
Share on

Volunteer Your Skills for Worthy Causes

Ever thought you could volunteer with your skills?

Discover volunteer projects where you can use your skills to support causes – all while building your resume, gaining references and making a difference!
Discover Projects
【2025義工活動】點樣加入義工行列?5大義工服務種類推介
你對「做義工」嘅認識有幾多?好多人都未必熟悉除咗賣旗籌款同探訪老人院之外,仲有咩其他類型嘅義工服務。究竟坊間有邊啲做義工嘅途徑,可以搵到適合自己嘅義工機會呢? 其實香港大大小小嘅慈善團體或非牟利機構  (NGO) 都會招募義工,而非牟利機構嘅義工服務範疇亦非常多元化,包括技能義工 (Skilled-volunteers),善用義工嘅個人技能同專長服務社會。你可以根據唔同嘅服務種類,或者按自己嘅喜好、關心嘅社會議題選擇義工機會。以下係5種常見嘅義工服務範疇同機構簡介畀你參考: 目錄 (一):動物福利 (二):長者服務 (三):青年發展 (四):環境保護 (五):社區服務 技能義工配對平台推介 常見嘅義工服務範疇(一):動物福利 如果你係狗奴、貓奴,或者鍾意動物,不妨考慮做動物義工!除咗有機會親身接觸毛孩之外,仲可以利用自己嘅一技之長,支援NGO嘅日常運作。雖然根據政府公佈的數據,動物棄養嘅數量有持續下降趨勢,但因近年的移民潮影響,保護動物慈善協會表示棄養寵物個案兩年升近三倍。因此,很多關注動物福利的團體都十分需要義工加入服務行列。 義工服務性質:清潔籠舍、照顧動物、活動推廣等 香港動物基金 Hong Kong Paws Foundation 香港動物基金係一間完全依靠慈善捐款同義工支持嘅動物福祉組織,希望拯救被虐待、遺棄同走失嘅動物。 香港愛護動物協會 SPCA (HK) 香港愛護動物協會係本港首間兼顧動物福利各方面嘅慈善團體,提倡善待動物,同時打擊同防止虐待動物。 Bring Me Home (Suppaw) Bring Me Home (Suppaw) 係一個寵物社交網站,亦係香港首個無償動物領養平台。 嘉道理農場暨植物園 Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden 嘉道理農場暨植物園為需要支持的農民提供農業援助,幫助他們過上獨立嘅生活; 並為公眾提供休閒同教育體驗。  Team for Animals in Lantau South (TAILS) 南大嶼山動物保護隊為有需要的貓狗提供救援、醫療、絕育、養育、庇護、寄養同領養服務,包括那些 流浪、被遺棄、受傷、虐待同忽視既貓狗,大力提倡動物福利,相信教育可以創造有利於香港動物嘅變革。 立即發掘更多! 常見嘅義工服務範疇(二):長者服務 隨著香港長者人口上升,越來越多關注老人家嘅機構都招募緊義工,希望為老友記送上更多關懷。 義工服務性質:家居維修、網頁設計、文字翻譯等 […]
Time Auction Star Volunteers — Natalie Chan & Winson Lui (HKUST) at Dinner with Tom Mehrmann, Former CEO of Ocean Park
What does running a major theme park have in common with volunteering? More than meets the eye, apparently. Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean serving as CEO for hundreds of staff members. It can also mean organizing service trips and leading your teammates. Joy is not just found on rollercoasters and ferris wheels; it is […]
Time Auction Star Volunteers — Wei Song Lim & David Wong (HKUST) at Dinner with Anson Chan, Former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong
Wei Song Lim and David Wong are as busy as a typical Hong Kong university student — juggling studies, sports, and student societies. But even with all that on their plates, the two of them have managed to donate countless hours to organisations like 30 Hour Famine, Habit for Humanity, Food Share, We Care, and […]
【2025義工活動】端午節假期攻略:無旅行去,喺香港有咩好去處?
月尾就係端午節,代表正式踏入夏季!不過香港嘅夏天真係非一般嘅熱,出街10分鐘已經身水身汗…如果唔想出街,放假可以有咩其他節目,令假期過得有意義之餘,仲可以係屋企嘆住冷氣做呢?以下為大家介紹香港一啲本地嘅義工活動,唔使出門口坐係梳化已經做到技能義工(Skilled-volunteers)。你仲可以喺服務之中Upgrade自己嘅能力同經驗,一齊捉緊機會為社會出一分力啦! 端午節義工活動推介: 寫Blog分享家庭改變故事 為少數族裔年輕人提供就業培訓 構思Instagram Post推動身體多樣性 其他義工機會:香港義工配對平台推介 端午節義工活動(一):寫Blog分享破碎邊緣家庭嘅改變故事 每個家庭都會曾經面對各種各樣嘅人生難關,甚至一度跌入低谷,但係佢地勇於踏出第一步,作出改變,呢D故事都非常值得被紀錄同分享,為更多家庭、更多人帶來意想不到嘅影響! 如果善長文字寫Blog嘅你,只需要透過你嘅少少力量,就可以幫助訴說佢地嘅親身經歷同「改變」,令更多人關注家庭議題之餘,仲為其他家庭帶來影響力!有興趣嘅朋友,即Click入去睇睇呢個義工項目! 【立即申請】 端午節義工活動(二):想做Mentor?為少數族裔嘅年輕人提供就業培訓 初初步入社會階段,唔少人都對於前境感到迷惘,更何况係唔叻廣東話嘅弱勢少數族裔(Ethnic Minority)。佢地要係香港搵工作,往往更需要協助同培訓,以提升佢地嘅自信同能力去自力更生。由於係香港嘅機會同實習/求職培訓有限,其實我地每個人都可以抽空一個鐘為佢地做個簡單線上培訓,同佢地分享下有關寫履歷、面試技巧等專業知識,幫助縮小佢地係社區上就業能力嘅差距。 如果你都有興趣為有需要嘅弱勢少數族裔提供簡單嘅培訓,支持佢地就業並提升自信,就記得唔好錯過啦! 【立即申請】 端午節義工活動(三):支持身體多樣性 構思創作Instagram內容 身型從來無「正常」或「完美」嘅存在。無論種族、體型同性取向,社會上需要對身體多樣性同正面性概念嘅積極文化!如果你善長Social Media Marketing(Instagram)同識用CANVA,想一齊推動身體多樣性嘅社會文化,就報名呢個咁有意義嘅義工項目啦! 【立即申請】 其他義工機會:香港義工配對平台推介 想知更多義工服務選擇同詳情, 不妨瀏覽Time Auction技能義工服務配對平台(Skilled-Volunteer Matching Program)!Time Auction喺2014年成立,致力推動義工文化,至今已為本地超過660+ 非牟利機構(NGOs)招募同配對技能義工,而每個禮拜都近100個新義工服務等緊你去報名幫手! 係Time Auction平台上,你更可以從服務範疇、擅長技能、服務所需時數等一站式篩選、搜尋到最啱你、符合你專長嘅義工服務;兼且可以記錄服務時數,換取各種千載難逢嘅獎賞體驗! 立即探索更多!
From Challenges to Growth: How Agewhale Scaled Its Impact | Co'asis Case Study
Founded by Grace Cheng, Agewhale is a social enterprise startup dedicated to enhancing eldercare through innovative tech solutions. Its all-in-one app helps caregivers manage the complexities of eldercare by providing personalized care planning, consultation support, and access to caregiving resources. As the sole founder, Grace oversees all strategic and operational aspects—a challenging task of running […]
Make Respectfulness A Priority — Timothy Yu, Founder of Snapask
Sometimes the most inspiring conversations happen over casual meals. The Time Auction Blog is a snippet of our meetings with people who have found passion in their life and career, where we get a glimpse into their mentality behind their stories. Snapask has taken Asia by storm — the fast-growing tutoring app that makes learning […]
What we’ve learned from 100 Time Auction Mentors
Time Auction was born out of a quarter-life crisis. 3 years ago, we were at a startup event. Many attendees (ourselves included) were there to explore and answer a question — How do you find your life’s passion and a career you love? On our way out, we were chatting about the idea of Time […]
Top