Reach Volunteering will continue operating after nine funders and donors offered support following the charity’s recent closure announcement.
The skills-based volunteering charity, established in 1979, announced on 1 September that it would begin a 12-week closure process due to sustained funding pressures.
However, it today announced that a new package of support will fund Reach through to the end of 2028, during which time the charity now plans to reshape its model, introduce efficiencies and grow income to enable it to continue operating long-term.
The William Grant Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, Clothworkers Company, Henry Smith Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, Greater London Authority, This Day, Postcode Lottery UK and “a generous private donor” were all thanked by Reach for “moving so quickly to offer funding”.
A spokesperson for Reach told Civil Society the total of funds pledged was £470,000, which includes covering some of the costs of its previous move to close this year and some donations through to 2029.
Reach thanked the “extraordinary response from charities, volunteers and the wider voluntary sector” prompted by its closure announcement.
“The outpouring included messages of thanks, stories of impact and expressions of support, demonstrating the critical role Reach plays in helping charities across the UK find the trustees and skills-based volunteers they need,” its statement reads.
“This overwhelming response was instrumental in prompting a remarkable effort by a small number of people who understood what the closure would mean for volunteering across the sector and were determined to find a way to prevent it.”
‘New conversation about support for infrastructure’
Several figures in the charity sector had voiced disappointment at Reach’s previous closure announcement and called on charitable funders to step in.
Reach chief executive Janet Thorne said the response had highlighted “widespread concern across the sector about funding for charity infrastructure”.
“It is really encouraging that the group of funders who have been so proactive in recent weeks are intending to continue and widen their collaboration on this vital issue,” she said.
Reach chair Jane Ide said: “Securing new funding in this way is unprecedented and we are really hopeful that this collaborative action by funders is the start of a new conversation about support for infrastructure more widely.
“We will do everything we can to support and encourage this conversation.”
Thorne said Reach’s closure process will now be halted and it will reverse the operational and technical steps already taken, including renewing contracts and consulting closely with its staff.
“This is an extraordinary and joyful reversal for Reach,” she said.
“The past few weeks have been intensely challenging and emotional for everyone associated with the charity, and we are deeply grateful for the overwhelming kindness and support we have received.
“The response to our closure announcement has been a powerful endorsement of Reach and of the critical role that skills-based volunteering plays across the voluntary sector. The stories people shared showed just how much our service matters to charities, volunteers and communities across the UK.
“We are hugely grateful to the funders and donors whose determination, collaboration and generosity made this turnaround possible, and to everyone who worked so hard to bring them together.”
In 2024, Reach reported a total income of £489,000 and expenditure of £508,000.
