Every year, hundreds of people collectively donate thousands of hours of overtime to support good causes with their most valuable assets: their passion and expertise.

(Previous Event in Netherlands)

‘8 Hours Overtime for a Good Cause (8-i)’ started over 10 years ago in Netherlands and has taken place worldwide in cities like Amsterdam, Bratislava, Caïro, Istanbul, Münster, Rio de Janeiro, Vienna and New York, connecting professionals with local charities.

This year, a group of independent volunteers aims to put Edinburgh on the 8-i map, by organising the first event of its kind in the Scottish capital. The event is enjoying the full support of its main sponsor Skyscanner, as the company actively encourages all its employees to support local and international charities and give back to the community.

On March 18th, it will be more than ‘business as usual’ for the leading global travel search engine Skyscanner, as the company will be hosting Edinburgh’s first 8-i . The event starts at 7pm, when professional volunteers specialised in marketing, communications, web development, web accessibility, design, branding and recruiting will work together in teams of 3-6 people to solve ambitious project briefs set forth by local charities and social enterprises. At 3am the overtime will end and the project teams will present their results to the charities and the other teams.

Alexandra Haret, 8-i Edinburgh event organizer comments: “I think Edinburgh’s creative minds have great potential to lend a helping hand to the local charities. This event is also a great opportunity for professionals to meet like-minded people, exchange ideas and develop their skills further by working with new and diverse people. The volunteers will gain a lot of experience from delivering projects in just 8 hours, and we hope this will enrich their professional experience“.

The 10 participating organisations are: Scottish Adoption, Get2Gether, The Teapot Trust, Sustainably, Freedom Unlimited Enterprises, Tiphereth Trading, People Know How, Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network, Edinburgh Festival of Cycling and Crossing Countries. Projects range from building new websites, communication campaigns and animated ads, to developing recruitment campaigns and product prototypes.

Applications are open for volunteers who are encouraged to fill in a short form detailing their professional experience and interests: edinburgh.8-i.co.uk/volunteers

For further details, please contact: Alexandra Haret – edinburgh@8-i.co.uk / 0740 4463 705/Elin Nordberg – elin.nordberg@skyscanner.net