What Tempo Time Credits does

Tempo Time Credits Limited is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1135143) and private limited company (Company No. 06593956) headquartered in Cardiff, Wales. The organisation operates a Time Credits system in which individuals who volunteer with community organisations in its network earn Time Credits — a recognition currency with no monetary value — that can be redeemed for activities, leisure experiences, and services offered by a network of Recognition Partners including the National Trust, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, CofGâr, Swim Wales, and local businesses. The core technology is the tempotimecredits.org digital platform for account management, credit tracking, volunteer opportunity discovery, and redemption. Tempo also offers vertical-specific products such as the Pathways to the Past Toolkit for heritage organisations.

The company serves four stakeholder groups: volunteers and community members (end users earning credits); community organisations and charities that host volunteers and recruit from their networks; businesses that accept Time Credits as Recognition Partners; and commissioners and funders — principally local authorities, the Welsh Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, City Bridge Trust, People's Postcode Lottery, and housing developers — that commission Time Credit programmes in specific geographic areas. Programmes operate across Wales (22 local authority areas), London boroughs (Haringey, City of London, Westminster), Medway and Swale, Cambridgeshire, Lancashire and Chorley, and Neath Port Talbot and Cynon Valley.

Revenue is derived entirely from grant funding and commissioned services rather than direct fees; Time Credits carry no monetary value to end users. The organisation has been operating since at least 2013, with major regional launches in Medway (2017), Wales (2020), and Lancashire (2017). Leadership consists of a CEO (Rachel) supported by a board of trustees and regional delivery staff across the UK.

Name

Tempo Time Credits

Legal name

Tempo Time Credits Limited

Website

https://wearetempo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tempo Time Credits is a UK charity operating a Time Credits platform that recognises volunteer time through credits redeemable for experiences at partner businesses, serving volunteers, community organisations, businesses, and public sector commissioners across multiple UK regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Commissioned Services: Tempo receives funding from government bodies, local authorities, lottery funds, and charitable trusts to operate Time Credit networks in specific geographic areas. The charity works with commissioners and funders to deliver measurable social impact programmes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tempo Time Credits operates a recognition currency system in which volunteers earn Time Credits for time given to community organisations in its network and redeem those credits for activities, leisure, learning, and entertainment experiences offered by a national and regional network of Recognition Partners. The charity runs a digital platform (tempotimecredits.org) for managing Time Credit accounts, tracking volunteer hours, and accessing redemption opportunities, and designs co-designed, place-based programmes commissioned by local authorities, government bodies, and charitable funders across multiple UK regions.

Product overview

Tempo Time Credits operates as a national charity delivering a volunteer recognition platform. The core product is the Time Credits system, a currency mechanism where volunteers earn credits for their time which can be redeemed for leisure, learning, and entertainment experiences offered by a network of Recognition Partners. The offering functions as a unified platform centred on the tempotimecredits.org digital system for account management, volunteer opportunity discovery, and credit redemption, with supplementary programmes such as the Pathways to the Past heritage toolkit. The company works across the UK with regional programmes in Wales, London (Haringey, City of London, Westminster), Medway and Swale, and Cambridgeshire, each tailored to local priorities while connected to the national network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Time Credits

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistent improvements in wellbeing, confidence, community connection, and civic participation demonstrated across programmes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognition Partner accepting Time Credits at venues. Enables volunteers to access National Trust properties and supports community engagement goals.
• CofGârcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelsh arts organisation serving as Recognition Partner, offering cultural and leisure activities redeemable with Time Credits.
• Uber Boat by Thames ClipperscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon river transport service accepting Time Credits for boat trips and experiences.
• Keep Wales TidyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental charity partner in Wales working with Tempo on community engagement programmes.
• Swim WalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelsh swimming organisation offering activities through Time Credits network.
• HapusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Wales helping improve wellbeing through community connection, volunteering, nature and heritage experiences using Time Credits.
• Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partnerships exploring how Time Credits can improve health outcomes and community participation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Locality: UK network supporting community organisations and social enterprises with commissioning, funding, and capacity-building services. Comparable in working with local authorities to deliver place-based community programmes.
• Groundwork UK: Federated UK charity network running community and environmental volunteer programmes in partnership with local authorities. Comparable in operating model, geographic deployment, and reliance on grant and public-sector funding.
• Volunteering Matters: UK-wide volunteering charity delivering structured volunteer programmes in partnership with local authorities, similar to Tempo's place-based, commissioned approach. Comparable in funder mix, beneficiary profile, and focus on under-served communities.
• Spice: Spice originally developed the Time Credits concept before it transitioned to Tempo. Operates a closely overlapping time-credit / social currency model and remains the closest historical and conceptual peer in the UK volunteer recognition space.
• Timebanking UK: UK national charity promoting time-banking, the closest direct conceptual peer to Tempo's Time Credits model. Both use reciprocal time-based recognition to enable exchange of volunteer effort for services, and both engage commissioners and community organisations to operate local networks.

Broad incumbents

• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): UK umbrella body for the voluntary sector, providing infrastructure, research, and policy advocacy. A broader incumbent in the same ecosystem but not a direct programme-delivery competitor.
• Royal Voluntary Service: One of the UK's largest volunteering charities, with NHS-linked volunteer programmes and a national footprint. A broader incumbent operating in the same overall space of structured UK volunteering but at significantly greater scale and with different funding mechanics.

Emerging players

• vInspired: UK youth social action charity enabling volunteering opportunities for young people. Partial overlap with Tempo's volunteer activation and recognition model, though focused on the youth segment and not operating a redemption currency.
• Reach Volunteering: UK charity matching professionals with voluntary trustee and board roles at charities. Partial overlap in volunteer infrastructure for the charity sector, though it targets skilled volunteering rather than community volunteer recognition.
• Do-it.org: UK national volunteering database connecting volunteers with opportunities. Partial overlap with Tempo's volunteer discovery functionality, but does not operate a recognition currency or place-based commissioning model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tempo_tweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/timecredits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tempo Time Credits