Starting at One College — Expanding Globally

How It Works

Turn your spare hour into real impact. Build your skills. Help make the world fairer.

The Simple Process

Whether you're offering help or requesting it, OneHourHelp makes it dead simple.

1

Connect

Students: You have a spare hour. Open the platform. See nearby requests in your field (law, consulting, finance, tech, design).
Help-seekers: You need support. Submit a request describing your problem in 2-3 sentences. We match you with a skilled student.
2

Schedule

Once matched, you schedule a one-hour live video call at a time that works for both of you. Usually within 24-48 hours.

3

Meet Live (Mandatory)

This is non-negotiable: Every OneHourHelp session includes a live one-on-one video call. No automation. No bots. Real human conversation. Personalized, tailored support.

💡 Why live meetings? Consulting and support must be personalized. Context matters. Body language matters. Real-time problem-solving beats asynchronous messages every time.

4

Work Together (One Hour)

You collaborate to solve the problem. The time limit creates focus. Most issues can be resolved or significantly advanced in 60 minutes.

  • Student gets a real case for their portfolio
  • Help-seeker gets professional-level support, free
  • Both sides practice human-centered problem-solving
5

Follow Up

Both participants share brief feedback: Did it help? What worked? What could improve? This data helps us refine the matching and support process.

What Problems Fit?

OneHourHelp works best for focused, practical problems across professional fields.

⚖️ Law

✓ Good Fit

  • Nonprofit compliance questions
  • Contract review (simple)
  • Legal research on specific topics
  • Understanding legal documents
  • Basic IP/trademark questions
  • Employment policy review

✗ Not a Good Fit

  • Active litigation or lawsuits
  • Criminal law matters
  • Immigration cases
  • Complex corporate transactions
  • Anything requiring licensed attorney

💼 Business & Consulting

✓ Good Fit

  • Small business strategy brainstorming
  • Operations improvement ideas
  • Market research guidance
  • Nonprofit program planning
  • Process optimization suggestions
  • Business model feedback

✗ Not a Good Fit

  • M&A or major restructuring
  • Complex financial modeling
  • Full business plan development
  • High-stakes decisions
  • Regulatory compliance (complex)

💰 Finance

✓ Good Fit

  • Household budgeting help
  • Nonprofit financial planning basics
  • Understanding financial statements
  • Simple forecasting models
  • Expense tracking setup
  • Grant budget templates

✗ Not a Good Fit

  • Investment advice (regulated)
  • Tax preparation or filing
  • Debt restructuring advice
  • Complex valuation work
  • Anything requiring CPA/CFP license

💻 Technology

✓ Good Fit

  • Website setup or troubleshooting
  • Social media setup
  • Basic coding help
  • Software tool guidance
  • Tech literacy for elderly
  • Data organization

✗ Not a Good Fit

  • Enterprise IT infrastructure
  • Cybersecurity audits
  • Complex software development
  • Server administration
  • Regulated data handling

🎨 Design & Communications

✓ Good Fit

  • Logo or branding feedback
  • Social media graphics
  • Simple flyer or poster design
  • Website layout suggestions
  • Copy editing or proofreading
  • Communication strategy ideas

✗ Not a Good Fit

  • Full brand identity development
  • Professional ad campaigns
  • Large-scale publication design
  • PR crisis management
  • Video production

Not sure if your problem fits? Submit a request anyway. We'll let you know if it's something a student can help with, or point you to better resources.

Why One Hour?

Time-boxing isn't a limitation—it's a strategic design choice.

🎯 Forces Focus

One hour means you can't waste time. Both sides arrive prepared. You define the problem clearly. You prioritize what matters most. You solve it efficiently.

📚 Low-Stake Learning

Students practice professional skills with real cases, but without the high-pressure stakes of paid consulting. Mistakes become learning opportunities, not career risks.

⏱️ Manageable Commitment

Students can fit one hour into busy schedules. Help-seekers don't feel like they're imposing. Everyone can commit without overwhelming their week.

✅ Actually Completes Things

Most small, focused problems CAN be solved in 60 minutes. You walk away with a result, not just another meeting scheduled.

🔄 Enables Repetition

Because it's only one hour, students can help multiple people. Each case builds on the last. Skill mastery comes from volume of practice.

🧠 Builds Portfolio

Each session is a documented case. Students accumulate real-world projects that demonstrate their capabilities to future employers.

"One hour is enough to solve the problems that block someone's entire week—and enough to give students real professional experience."

The Future: Student-Verified AI Advisors (AI Agents)

Technology will enhance—never replace—the human connection.

🤖 What AI Agents Might Do

  • Offer student-verified specialized AI advisors (AI agents) in niche professional areas
  • Help students prepare for sessions with research summaries and context
  • Suggest relevant templates, frameworks, or resources
  • Assist with language translation for global reach
  • Generate follow-up documentation and session notes

🚫 What AI Will NEVER Do

  • Replace the live meeting — Non-negotiable
  • Make decisions for students
  • Give advice without student verification
  • Conduct sessions autonomously
  • Eliminate human judgment and empathy

The Principle: Every OneHourHelp session will ALWAYS include a live, one-on-one video call between a student and the person they're helping. Student-verified AI agents may assist students before or after the call, but the human conversation stays at the center.

How We Match Students & Requests

🎓 Field of Study

Law students get legal questions. Finance students get budgeting requests. Tech students get technical problems. We match expertise to need.

📍 Location & Time Zone

We prioritize nearby matches when possible (especially for community-based help). Time zones matter for scheduling live calls.

⚡ Availability

Students indicate when they have spare hours. Requests are routed to available students first.

📊 Experience Level

We consider whether a problem needs a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student. We track past session outcomes to improve matching.

What Happens After the Session?

1. Both sides share feedback

Quick form: Did the session help? Was the problem solved? What worked? What could improve?

2. Student documents the case

Students write a brief summary (anonymized) for their portfolio: problem type, approach taken, outcome achieved.

3. We track outcomes

We measure: response time, satisfaction scores, problem resolution rates, session completion rates. This data informs our matching algorithm.

4. No long-term obligation

Each session is standalone. If ongoing support is needed, we'll help connect you to professional resources.

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you want to build skills or get help, OneHourHelp makes it simple.