Membership FAQs

Currently volunteers in England & Wales need to apply for membership – this costs from £12 a year. Depending on the role you are volunteering for, you may also need to provide references and apply for a DBS. Apply to become a member to start the process. We’ll keep you updated by email.

Volunteers in Scotland need to complete our sign up form. There is an option to make a donation if you wish. Depening on the role, you may also need to provide references and complete a PVG application.

To continue your Woodcraft Folk membership, please go to our payment portal and make your annual contribution. Membership costs from £12 a year.

If you need to update us with changes to your personal information, membership or contact details, please use our change of information form.

No! If you’d like to support Woodcraft Folk’s work by making a financial contribution, but don’t plan to volunteer, you don’t need to apply for membership or complete volunteer screening checks. By completing our direct debit form you can become a Friend of the Folk and support our work with a monthly or yearly donation.

Yes – DFs need join Woodcraft Folk as individuals so they can participate in activities locally and nationally. DFs aged 16 & 17 do not need to complete DBS or PVG checks unless they are volunteering regularly, or taking a role at a camp or residential that involves them being responsible for others. DFs aged under 18 can pay just £12 per year for membership.

DFs becoming individual members of Woodcraft Folk for the first time should apply to become a member via our website.

Some districts pay for the first year of membership for Venturers when they turn 16 and become DFs. To arrange this, Membership Secretaries should email membership@woodcraft.org.uk with the names of the new members so an invoice can be issued for the correct amount.

Whether you’re joining for the first time or need to renew your membership, you can pay securely via our Payment Portal. If you’re able to sign up for a monthly or annual direct debit, this saves Woodcraft Folk time and money. Alternatively, you can make a one-off payment for the full rate or the concessionary rate membership (these links take you to Stripe, who handle payments on our behalf).

To update us on changes to your contact information or membership details, you can complete our Change of information form. The details are then sent immediately to the Membership to make those amendments.

You can cancel your Woodcraft Folk membership by either completing our online Change of information form or alternatively you can email the membership team at membership@woodcraft.org.uk.

If you’ve made a donation to Woodcraft Folk (including membership) we assume that you meant to do this, but if it was a mistake then we’ll happily return your donation if you contact us within 30 days. Please contact us on membership@woodcraft.org.uk or 020 7703 4173 (option1) and our friendly membership team will be happy to help.

If you made your donation (including membership) online or over the phone then you legally have a 7 day ‘cooling off’ period to change your mind. Again, contact us at the email address above.

Many roles that involve working directly with our young members require additional background checks. In England & Wales these are done through the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). Once you have joined Woodcraft Folk, your local Membership Secretary or Group Co-ordinator will be able to advise you if you need a Basic or Enhanced DBS check for your role. Woodcraft Folk uses First Advantage- KnowYourPeople to complete DBS checks online – to apply, complete the online form using the ‘organisation PIN’ and the ‘secret word’ given to you by your local Membership Secretary or Group Co-ordinator.

You can look up the PIN for your district, or ask your Membership Secretary or Group Co-ordinator for advice.

It wouldn’t be much of a secret if we put it here, would it? Ask your Membership Secretary or Group Co-ordinator – you’ll need this to start applying for your DBS through First Advantage. Alternatively email membership@woodcraft.org.uk.

Joining the DBS Update Service saves time and money by enabling Woodcraft Folk (and any other organisation you volunteer with) to update your disclosure when it expires. When you apply for your DBS through Woodcraft Folk, email membership@woodcraft.org.uk to tell us that you wish to be enrolled for the update service. If you already have a DBS (recently issued), you can apply to join the scheme online. See our Update Service guidance for more information.

If you’ve joined the DBS Update Service we can use information from your existing certificate to access your records, which saves Woodcraft Folk time and money. You’ll need to show your existing certificate to your local Membership Secretary to start this process – see our Update Service guidance for more information.

Background checks for volunteers in Scotland are carried out as part of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, rather than through the DBS as in England and Wales. Online applications can now be submitted for PVG checks – your local Membership Secretary needs request a new PVG application using the PVG request form. More information is available directly from Volunteer Scotland or on our PVG guidance page.

On completion of your application you’ll be emailed your results, follow the instructions.

1. Log on or create a Scot Account to view your results 
2. You will be given option to share your online results with Woodcraft Folk 
3. If were unable to access your results we may ask you to request a paper copy 

Those who do not share their results will be referred to their local Membership Secretary and Group Safeguarding lead, which could lead to you not being allowed to volunteer until such time that the above step is completed.

Quite possibly – only certain offences will be a barrier to volunteering with young people. Other convictions may affect the kind of volunteering you will be able to do. In some cases we will need to ask you for more information so that we can do a risk assessment before you start to work with us.

You can find out more by reading our Member Screening Procedures.

Not necessarily – though volunteers working with children and young must have these checks in place if they are volunteering regularly, or overnight (e.g. at a camp or residential). More details are available in our Member Screening Procedures, or by speaking to your Group Co-ordinator.

We ask for two references from potential volunteers – at least one of these has to be someone outside Woodcraft Folk. You need to send your referees a link to our online reference form for them to complete.

Woodcraft Folk uses an online platform called Groop to manage our network of volunteers. Advice for Woodcraft Folk groups can be found on our Groop Guidance page.

If you encounter a error or bug when using Groop, you can resolve this most effectively by contacting Groop directly, either by using the chat icon on the bottom right of your screen, or by filling in the support request on their website.

You can email membership or volunteering queries to membership@woodcraft.org.uk, or contact us by phoning 020 7703 4173 and selecting option #1.