Volunteer safety
Know where everyone is. Reach them fast.
When something happens near a project, the first questions are always the same: who is there, are they safe, how do we get them home. We help you answer them.
Incident
Severe weather near project site
Alert received 06:40 local · 12 travelers in the area
Before, during and after
A plan for when things go wrong
Before: know who is going
Every volunteer's itinerary in one place, with the contact details your team agreed to share.
During: monitoring
Incident monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We match incidents to the travelers they affect.
During: reaching people
We contact affected travelers and your coordinator, and keep a record of who has replied.
During: getting them out
Rebooking, alternative routes and extra nights, handled by a person.
After: accounted for
A clear record of who was affected, who was reached and what was changed.
After: lessons
What happened and what changed, for your own review and reporting.
Your safety plan
What your organization should have
- A named person on call for every trip, with a backup
- Emergency contacts for every volunteer, and permission to use them
- A way to account for everyone quickly, by phone or message
- Insurance that covers the destination and the work, including evacuation if you need it
- Government travel advice checked before departure and during the trip
- For US citizens, enrollment in STEP so the nearest embassy can reach them
- A decision rule for when to pause or bring a team home
See the full duty of care checklist.
Official sources
Travel advice from governments
Questions
Safety questions
Who is responsible for volunteers' safety?
Your organization, which sends them. silentVIP supports that duty of care for the travel we book: knowing who is where, monitoring incidents, reaching travelers and rebooking.
How fast do you respond to an incident?
Incident monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When an incident affecting your travelers is confirmed, we make a first contact attempt within 30 minutes of an incident being confirmed.
What number do volunteers call?
Urgent help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: +1 (212) 347 5600 (US) or +61 2 9100 0800 (Australia), for travelers booked through silentVIP. Your organization's own emergency contact should be on every volunteer's itinerary too.
Do you provide medical evacuation or security services?
No. Those come from your insurer or a specialist provider. We handle the travel side: changing and rebooking flights, finding seats out, and keeping you informed.
More in Volunteer travel
Put a safety net under every trip
Tell us how your volunteers travel and we will show you how incidents are handled.