Heritage volunteers

Volunteers are key to managing and caring for our heritage, and ensuring it’s used as an asset. Having a team involved increases capacity and supports succession planning, so that if one volunteer leaves, others can continue working with the collection. 

All volunteers should be registered as members of Scouts. If they already hold a role, their membership record should be updated to recognise their role with the heritage team. 

How heritage teams work together

It’s important to consider where your heritage volunteers sit within your local structure and who’s overseeing, supporting, and advocating for their work. 

Some counties have set up Heritage Volunteer Teams, with a team lead and supporting volunteers. This provides clear lead and line management, and oversight of the team’s work. 

Role descriptions can be created showing the different kinds of work volunteers can undertake with the collection. These can include cataloguing, digitisation, curating displays, and leading engagement activities. 

Volunteers should not work in isolation, as this can create knowledge gaps and reduce transparency. 

Recruiting volunteers 

You’ll probably find existing local volunteers who are interested in working with a heritage collection, but you may also be able to bring new volunteers into Scouts through this project.  

People who are aspiring to work in the heritage sector are often seeking volunteer experiences to enrich their CVs. Promoting your project more widely or through local colleges and universities may help reach these potential volunteers. 

It’s also useful to consider how this could link to the Scouts programme. Volunteering with the collection could contribute towards the higher Chief Scout Awards, the King’s Scout Award and the Duke of Edinburgh awards. 

Training 

There are various museums, archive and records development or support organisations around the UK who offer training and support. Local heritage organisations, particularly those led by volunteers, may also be able to make useful suggestions.  

The Scouts Heritage Service will also be creating learning resources to support local volunteers.