Northern Museums Volunteer Pass Scheme

The deadline to join the scheme for 2023/24 has now passed

The Northern Museums Volunteer Pass Scheme is one of the largest schemes in England and is open to all Accredited museums, or those who have received official recognition of working towards Accreditation, in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humberside regions.

The Museums Volunteer Pass scheme is a mutually beneficial partnership between participating museums and entitles volunteers to free entry and/or other benefits at participating museums across the three regions. A leaflet is produced annually listing all participating museums and the benefits at each institution for volunteers.

To be eligible to participate in the scheme museums must be able to offer a benefit to volunteer pass holders visiting from other museums. This may include:

- free entry to the museum

- 10% discount in the shop and/or café

- free tea and/or coffee.

These benefits can be extended to include one guest accompanying the volunteer pass holder.

What's the benefit to your museum?

- Gaining Inspiration - Museums said the benefits were:
"ideas for future museum development" 

"compare notes with volunteers from other sites" 

"Gain inspiration and ideas from other sites"

- Rewarding your volunteers. As one museum said - "the passes are a good way of thanking our volunteers and definitely something we can offer them in return for volunteering"

- Raises awareness of your museum. As one museum said "[the passes] market what's on offer to future possible visitors" and another "[the pass] helps promote the region as a whole".

- Networking and Benchmarking. Museums said the benefits were: "to build understanding and make relationships to other museums. To see and learn from what other organisations are delivering. To be able to bench mark against what we deliver, and what we could deliver." "Being part of a museum community."

For information about the scheme please contact Gillian Waters: mail@gillianwaters.co.uk.