What Passerelles et Compétences does

Passerelles et Compétences is a French nonprofit association (Association loi 1901), recognized as being of general interest, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Paris. The organization operates as a volunteer matching platform that connects solidarity associations across France with qualified professionals willing to donate their skills. It runs a national network of 22 local antennas plus one remote antenna, supported by more than 300 volunteer coordinators (Passerelles) and a pool of 5,000+ mobilizable volunteers, completing over 650 skills-based missions annually. Since inception, the organization has supported more than 7,000 associations in areas such as strategy, HR, marketing, finance, IT, communication, and board governance.

The platform offers three core services: Bénévolat de compétences métier (skills-based missions ranging from a few hours to several months, delivered in person or remotely), Bénévolat de gouvernance (support to renew and diversify association boards), and Bénévolat d'accompagnement (mentoring and support for beneficiaries). Supplementary offerings include short Missions flash (2-3 hours), Formation et Lab Gouvernance training programs, Learning eSSpeditions for association beneficiaries, and regular thematic webconferences. The organization is led by President Laurence Armand and Délégué Général Vincent Godebout, and was awarded 2nd European Prize at the Social Economy Awards 2025 in the Training category.

All services are delivered free of charge to both associations and volunteers. Revenue is generated entirely through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and public funding. Core corporate and foundation supporters include BNP Paribas, EDF, Atos, AG2R La Mondiale, Malakoff Médéric, Fondation Pierre Bellon, and Fondation Caritas, alongside municipal partners including Mairie de Paris, Ville de Lyon, Ville de Bordeaux, Ville de Nantes, and Ville de Saint-Nazaire. The organization has no proprietary technology stack and operates through a traditional community-led go-to-market model leveraging regional antennas, LinkedIn, association forums, webinars, and word-of-mouth referrals.

Name

Passerelles et Compétences

Legal name

Passerelles et Compétences

Website

https://passerellesetcompetences.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Passerelles et Compétences is a French nonprofit founded in 2002 that connects solidarity associations with qualified volunteer professionals through 22 local antennas, delivering free skills-based missions, board governance support, and mentoring across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Skills-based volunteering services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Skills-based volunteering
• Volunteer matching
• Nonprofit associations
• Solidarity economy
• Governance volunteering

Headquarters

HQ city

PARIS, Ile de France

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support the organization's operations and mission to connect volunteers with solidarity associations.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners including foundations and companies provide financial and strategic support.
3. Public Funding: Public actors contribute to funding, as mentioned in partner descriptions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Passerelles et Compétences is a nonprofit skills-based volunteering intermediary that matches qualified volunteer professionals (in marketing, communication, finance, IT, HR, strategy) with French solidarity associations needing specific expertise. Three core programs structure the offering: short- to medium-term professional skills missions (Bénévolat de compétences métier), governance volunteering to renew and diversify association boards (Bénévolat de gouvernance), and mentoring/accompaniment missions for vulnerable beneficiaries (Bénévolat d'accompagnement). All services are delivered free of charge to both associations and volunteers, funded through donations, corporate partnerships, and public grants.

Product overview

Passerelles et Compétences operates as a volunteer matching platform that connects solidarity associations with qualified professionals through three core volunteering services: Bénévolat de compétences métier (skills-based missions), Bénévolat de gouvernance (board governance support), and Bénévolat d'accompagnement (mentoring and support). The organization also offers supplementary services including short Missions flash (2-3 hours), training programs through Formation and Lab Gouvernance, Learning eSSpeditions for association beneficiaries, and regular thematic webconferences. With 22 local antennas across France plus a remote antenna, the platform mobilizes 5,000+ volunteers to support 700+ missions annually for associations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bénévolat de compétences métier Skills-based volunteering service for solidarity associations: after an analysis of need led with the association, the organization connects solidarity associations with qualified professionals for short-term or medium-term missions, in-person or remote, in domains such as marketing, communication, finance, IT, and HR. Mission duration ranges from a few hours to several months. Missions include communication strategy, support for grant applications, financial advice, fundraising research, and website creation or redesign.
• Bénévolat de gouvernance Governance volunteering service that helps solidarity associations strengthen and diversify their board of directors. The service begins with reflection on the organization and functioning of the association's governance, followed by identification and recruitment of motivated, competent board members. Example missions include bureau renewal, cooptation of a fundraising-specialist administrator, cooptation of a treasurer, and president succession. Board terms generally last 1 to 3 years depending on association bylaws.
• Bénévolat d'accompagnement
• Missions flash
• Formation et Lab Gouvernance
• Learning eSSpeditions
• Webconferences

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% of associations rate mission impact as 'very important' or 'important' (2023-2024 survey)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• APECcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation for executive positions - collaboration on volunteer promotion during APEC themed week
• HelloAssocoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform partner for processing donations with integrated tax receipt functionality
• Solidarités Nouvelles face au Chômage (SNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation partner collaborating at forums and events for common solidarity goals
• France Bénévolat Maine et LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing Mécèn'Asso 2025 event in Angers
• Habitat et HumanismecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation partner hosting Lyon office and collaborating on events
• Proj'aide 94coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation providing free training to volunteers and employees of associations in Val-de-Marne
• Fondation pour l'EnfancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner collaborating on child welfare initiatives
• France ParrainagescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation partner for mentoring and support programs
• IDEASminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing IDEAS label for associations referenced in ethics charter
• ADEMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing webinars for associative management development
• Mines de PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on webinar series for associative management
• Chaire ESS Lyon 2coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic chair at Lyon 2 university participating in Tour de France events

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• France Bénévolat: French nonprofit connecting volunteers with associations across France through a network of local offices. Operates a near-identical volunteer-matching model and serves the same solidarity association and volunteer persona segments as Passerelles et Compétences.
• Pro Bono Lab: French association promoting skills-based volunteering by connecting professionals with nonprofits for pro bono engagements. Operates the same core skills-based volunteering model that Passerelles et Compétences pioneered in France since 2002.
• Tous Bénévoles: Online volunteer matching platform in France that connects volunteers with associations seeking skills. Closely comparable business model focused on digital volunteer-association matching, with overlap in target persona (qualified professionals) and beneficiary (solidarity associations).
• Benenova: French nonprofit specializing in skills-based volunteering micro-missions, connecting professionals with associations for short, focused engagements. Comparable volunteer-matching focus and association beneficiary segment, though with a different mission-length profile.
• JeVeuxAider.gouv.fr (Réserve Civique): Government-backed national volunteer platform operated by the French State. Directly competes for both association demand and volunteer supply, with structural funding advantages as a public platform serving the same volunteer matching mission.

Others

• Carenews: French media and networking platform for the nonprofit and ESS sector. Adjacent rather than directly competitive; serves similar audiences (associations, donors, volunteers) but as an information and visibility intermediary rather than a volunteer-matching service.
• HelloAsso: French donation platform purpose-built for nonprofits, currently a technology partner of Passerelles et Compétences for processing donations. Serves the same French association ecosystem from a different angle - financial enablement rather than volunteer matching.

Regional players

• Idealist (now Idealist Insight / Philanthropy United): US-origin global platform connecting volunteers and professionals with nonprofit opportunities, including skills-based volunteering. Conceptually similar to P&C's matching model but US-rooted and not directly competing in the French market.
• VolunteerMatch: Long-standing US volunteer-matching platform that pioneered the online volunteer-association connection model. Conceptually analogous to Passerelles et Compétences but operates exclusively in the United States and does not directly compete.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Large global nonprofit operating the HandsOn Network for volunteer mobilization across multiple countries. Operates in the same volunteer-engagement space as P&C but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint, making it an incumbent peer rather than direct niche competitor.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/passerelles-et-comp%C3%A9tences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Passerelles et Compétences