My name's Amanda and I've been donating my expertise to causes I care about since 2016.

Sometimes people you meet make passing comments that have a huge impact. For me it was when an acquaintance said “the key to life is to find what you’re good at and then find a way to make the world a better place with it”. As cheesy as it sounds this made me realise that something needed to change in my life. My career in advertising strategy, creating adverts for some of the world’s biggest brands, was intellectually stimulating but it was morally mis-matched to my own values and desire to help others, leaving me feeling dis-satisfied and restless. So, in 2016, I began offering out my skills as an advertiser pro bono to causes I care about, and I’ve never stopped. Not only do I find this hugely rewarding but I’m also continually inspired by the passion of the people I work with, and the causes I, in a very small way, contribute to. I’m also amazed by how much I’ve learnt from it personally; it’s made me better at my job and much more appreciative of the skills I have as a marketer.

Having chatted to many people about my pro bono work and hearing “I’d love to do that but…I don’t know how / where / when I could” in response I was inspired to set up ‘Skilling Time’, supporting professionals to donate their expertise to causes they care about, and developing professionally at the same time. Nothing makes me happier than hearing that someone is doing pro bono work and realising the transformative power it holds, both for the cause and for themselves. So please email me at amanda@skillingtime.co.uk to let me know about your experiences.