The Scouts and Girlguiding have been awarded a more than £2m grant for a joint project to streamline their processes for the recruitment of volunteers.
The Pears Foundation has given the funding to the two charities, which said they would use it to work together on a project that would digitally transform how they engaged and welcomed new volunteers.
Scouts and Girlguiding said they had faced challenges in finding new adult volunteers over the past year because of being unable to hold face-to-face meetings during the pandemic.
The new scheme will examine the behind-the-scenes processes involved in recruiting volunteers, look for opportunities to make economies of scale and share learning points and best practice.
Angela Salt, chief executive of Girlguiding, said: “Volunteers are the life-blood of our movements and we want to make it easier for new volunteers to join so that young people can benefit from the wealth of talents and skills that a diversity of volunteers bring.
“We share similar challenges onboarding new volunteers, so collaborating through this digital transformation project seems like a good idea to us.”
Matt Hyde, chief executive of the Scouts, said recruiting volunteers was an important matter for both charities.
“We are committed to creating a more welcoming and inclusive experience for new volunteers,” he said.
“Having undertaken extensive consultation, this project will enable us to make transformational improvements to make the joining experience more positive and accessible.”
The new digital system is expected to be rolled out in 2023.