Every week, a Reed employee will be drawn randomly to nominate a charity of their choice to receive an incredible donation. This means that by April 2025, the Reed Foundation will have donated a whopping £520,000 on behalf of 52 of its employees.
Sir Alec Reed, CBE, Founder of Reed, commented: “I’ve always believed it’s our duty as a business to have a positive impact on the world around us, by supporting communities both near and far. In the last twenty years, The Reed Foundation has donated over £22.5m to charities.”
Sir Alec’s various charitable initiatives, including the match funding charity Big Give, have raised hundreds of millions of pounds, and throughout the years, he has founded seven charities and two schools and is the author of four business books. Knighted for services to business and charity in 2011, Sir Alec has also founded several companies, with Reed being established in 1960.
He adds: “Of course, hitting a milestone birthday this year, alongside 65 years of the Reed Group meant we wanted to do something extra special.”
The Reed Foundation owns 18% of Reed, making it the largest single shareholder of the business. Under the new scheme, employees will be able to pick any UK-registered charity which is regulated by the England & Wales Charity Commission, Scottish Charity Commission or Northern Ireland Charity Commission of their choice to donate to.
“We are incredibly excited to see what charities will be picked and the impact it will have on the community that relies on them. This gives our co-members the opportunity to choose causes which matter to them and make a real difference to charities close to our hearts.
“We hope our donations not only drive a positive impact for a plethora of UK charities but will also help to offer support and stronger purpose to our much-appreciated employees”, concludes Sir Alec.