Cabinet Office

YouthNet is a major strategic partner of the Cabinet Office of the Third Sector. Through do-it.org.uk, we help to fulfil the Cabinet Office's strategic priorities by providing volunteering infrastructure support as well as engaging young people and those from Black and Minority Ethnic Groups.

Our partnership

As far back as 1999, the Cabinet Office commissioned YouthNet to conduct research into the advice needs of young people (the 'Listen Up' report). The major working partnership began in 2000 when the former Chief Secretary of the Treasury, the Rt Hon Paul Boateng, took the bold step of investing £1million into do-it.org.uk, building on the initial London pilot that had been funded by Bridge House Trust.

"The Cabinet Office is pleased to support YouthNet."  Fiona Mactaggart MP

do-it.org.uk was launched by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2001 and swiftly assumed a special position in the volunteering world. The Cabinet Office enabled YouthNet to develop the virtual infrastructure that revolutionised volunteer management. This included development of V-Base, the bespoke software that enables England's Volunteer Centre network to manage their volunteers and volunteering opportunities on do-it.org.uk. It also enabled YouthNet to invest in essential IT equipment, training and customer care support for Volunteer Centres across England.

"The Cabinet Office has enabled YouthNet to develop the infrastructure that ensures do-it.org.uk's success."

YouthNet and the Cabinet Office have built up a long-standing and strong partnership. We have conducted two major national online volunteering campaigns on their behalf and the latest one won a New Media Age Award. We also contributed to the research that informed the setting up of the Russell Commission and were a key partner in 2005's Year of the Volunteer programme.

do-it.org.uk has the respect of Volunteer Centres, volunteer involvers and volunteers themselves. This unique position enables YouthNet to identify the successes and shortcomings of volunteering and to feed this back to the sector and the Cabinet Office, helping improve the experience for volunteers throughout England.

The Cabinet Office says:

"Volunteers contribute so much to the wellbeing of local communities. YouthNet manages the innovative do-it.org.uk project for the Active Communities Directorate of the Home Office. do-it.org.uk takes a fresh approach to volunteering and encourages a wide spectrum of people from all sections of society to take part. Through strong partnerships with local volunteer centres and national charities, do-it.org.uk presents volunteering opportunities in an engaging way, showing everyone how they can do it - no matter what their talents or time available. The Cabinet Office is pleased to support YouthNet." 

Fiona Mactaggart MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Race Equality, Community Policy, and Civil Renewal, Home Office.