Reed in Society
Reed has a long-standing commitment to social initiatives and charitable concerns. Since opening the first Reed branch in 1960, our founder Alec Reed has ensured that an ethos of involvement in charitable and social initiatives has been integral to the company's mission and aims.
Charities
Reed Foundation
Eighteen percent of Reed is owned by the Reed Foundation, and revenue from annual dividends is given to charities – either as seed capital or one-off donations. Reed Foundation has provided the seed funding for a number of charities, namely Academy of Enterprise, Ethiopiaid (in the UK, Sweden, Ireland and, more recently, Australia), Womankind and Women at Risk. Other donations have included a one million Rand grant to the Nelson Mandela Foundation in 2003 to support Education in South Africa, and two million pounds to the West London Academy in Ealing. Donations have also been made to the Royal Opera House and a number of humanitarian and human interest appeals.
Ethiopiaid is a fundraising organisation set up by Alec Reed in 1989 with seed funding from the Reed Foundation. It raises money for local projects in Ethiopia, particularly focusing on organisations in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa. The aims of Ethiopiaid are to ‘relieve poverty and sickness, to preserve health and to advance education amongst Ethiopians who are in need’. Ethiopiaid uses direct mail to raise money from the public and since 1989 has donated over £18 million to Ethiopiaid. There are now Ethiopiaid offices in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Australia.
In 1989, Alec Reed established a charity called Womankind Worldwide to work with disadvantaged women in developing countries. The charity was launched on International Women’s Day and was financed by Reed Foundation and Reed Executive PLC, for an initial period of three years. In 1996, encouraged by the success of Ethiopiaid, Reed set up Women at Risk as a fundraising charity for the sector. Women at Risk generated over £1million for beneficiaries such as women who have survived acid attacks and those campaigning against Female Genital Mutilation. In the summer of 2007, Women at Risk and Womankind Worldwide merged their activities in order to combine expertise and maximise the impact of their work.
Give as You Earn Scheme
Reed has an established Give As You Earn scheme allowing employees to give to charities of their choice in a tax efficient manner. The scheme is one of the most successful in the UK and Reed was highly commended in the National Pay Awards.
Social Initiatives
The Big Give (launched October 2007) is an innovative website that allows wealthy donors and philanthropists to search for charitable projects in their area of interest and make a substantial donation (£100k+). The development of the Big Give is supported by the Reed Foundation, which has allocated £1 million for marketing purposes. The Big Give currently features 3,500 registered charities on the site promoting £1 billion of charitable projects. The website is free to all users.
The West London Academy in Ealing is a 4-18 Academy which has a sports and enterprise specialism, supported by £2 million pledged by Alec Reed. The specialism will mean that the pupils will be more responsible and entrepreneurial and that enterprise will underpin much of the curriculum.
Business Forums and Initiatives
Employers' Forum on Disability
Reed was the first Recruitment Specialist to become a Gold Member of the Employers’ Forum on Disability (estd. 1986), recognised as the authoritative voice on disability as it affects employers and service providers.
TimeBank
Reed works in partnership with TimeBank, an organisation that raises awareness of the value of giving time and skills back to the local community. Reed has conducted surveys of employers and employees to examine how giving time can enhance career prospects and employability, and both Reed branches and reed.co.uk have supported Timebank by giving out information on the scheme and how to volunteer.
Racial Equality and Diversity Task Force
Reed, in partnership with the Institute for Public Policy Research, has established the Racial Equality and Diversity Task Force: Private Sector.
