Volunteer Passport

Introducing the County Durham Volunteer Passport Scheme: Volunteer Pathways to Neighbourhood Volunteering

What is the Volunteer Passport Scheme 

Funded through the Know your Neighbourhood Fund and in line with the Vision for Volunteering to create a diverse, innovative, ambitious, equitable and person-centred future for volunteering, we have developed a County Durham Volunteer Passport

We are partnering with multiple organisations in County Durham as part of the Volunteer Passport Scheme. This collaborative approach forms a shared agreement on values, goals, and standards regarding the recruitment, good practice, and deployment of volunteers. Allowing the volunteering workforce to move around with flexibility and consistency.

We aim to create a network of volunteers who are fully recruited, trained, supported and ready to respond quickly and appropriately to the needs of the local community.

As part of our partnership working arrangements the single recruitment and training route saves time and resources for Passport Scheme partners and supports capacity building within the smaller organisations.

Benefits of the Volunteer Passport Scheme to Volunteers 

• Volunteers have the flexibility to switch between organisations and experience different volunteer roles without having to go through the full recruitment and training process repeatedly.
• Choose from a wide variety of volunteer roles, ranging from supporting one-off events to long-term volunteering.
• Make a significant contribution to local communities in County Durham, improving your connection to the community in your area.
• Meet new people and make new friends.
• Boost your employability prospects by enhancing your CV with volunteering experience.
• Learn and develop new skills to improve your health and well-being, abilities, and knowledge.
• Keep a record of your volunteer contributions through our online volunteer platform, or paper copies can be provided.

If you would like to volunteer in the passport scheme find out more information about the role and sign up here

Benefits of the Volunteer Passport Scheme to organisations 

Partnering with Durham Community Action's Volunteer Passport Scheme comes with several benefits for organisations. These include:

• Quick access to a network of recruited and trained volunteers, who can be called upon at short notice.
• Access to a wider and more diverse pool of volunteers.
• Time and resource savings, allowing a focus on supporting people accessing services, and ongoing support from Durham Community Action.
• The ability to offer a broader range of volunteer roles, including one-off opportunities.
• Training opportunities available to passport partner organisations. As the program develops, we aim to offer training tailored to the needs and requests of partner organisations.

How to become a volunteer passport partner organisation 

If you would like to sign your organisation up to the passport scheme you can find out more information in our Partner Information Pack here   and complete our Organisation Registration Form here or contact us at volunteering@durhamcommunityaction.org.uk for a chat with member of the team.

This funding is being targeted at people who have not had opportunities to volunteer before, or who are experiencing loneliness. They are being supported to access enriching opportunities that will help to improve their wellbeing, skills, confidence, and social connections. Volunteering opportunities help to connect communities, help people to develop skills and grow their networks; and help public services serve local communities. From a health perspective, volunteering has been shown to have positive effects on mental and physical well-being.