Reach Fundraising is proud to announce it has officially signed the Armed Forces Covenant, reinforcing its commitment to supporting the UK’s armed forces community.
The move is part one of a two stage military collaboration with a new Reach Fundraising training initiative set to launch in Spring.
Veterans and their families play a vital role across Reach’s organisation, from face-to-face fundraising teams to digital marketing and operations. That belief in the value, skills and integrity of ex-servicemen and women has delivered exceptional results — most notably through Reach’s partnership with The Veterans’ Foundation.
Since supporting the launch of the Veterans’ Foundation in 2016, Reach’s teams have driven sustained growth and helped build the UK’s largest single-cause charity lottery, the Veterans’ Lottery. Funds raised through the lottery have since been distributed to more than 500 military charities and projects nationwide, at a time when reports show nearly one million fewer people are supporting military causes.
Paul Ridgway, Reach Fundraising Director and military veteran, said:
“We’ve delivered growth and impact in an increasingly tough financial climate because of our vision, our commitment, and our decision to actively embrace the veteran community within our teams. Veterans and their families supporting veterans in need is authentic and powerful — and the public responds to that. The results speak for themselves.
“Signing the Armed Forces Covenant is a natural next step. Our values are fully aligned with its mission, and this formalises what we already live and breathe as a business.”
The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge to ensure that serving personnel, veterans and their families are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged compared to other citizens. It recognises the sacrifices made by the armed forces and promotes support across employment, public services and communities.
As part of this commitment, Reach Fundraising is launching free training courses in face-to-face fundraising and digital marketing for veterans and their family members. The programme will be delivered at Reach’s Northamptonshire headquarters and includes paid, hands-on work experience alongside in-house teams.
Interested candidates can apply by emailing Head of Recruitment, Bethany, at careers@reachfundraising.co.uk.
Paul added:
“The data around donations to military charities is worrying, and everyone at Reach wants to be part of the solution. We’ve proven that a veterans-supporting-veterans model can outperform national trends in both revenue and impact. By training more veterans and helping them build careers in the sector, we believe the ripple effect could be transformational for hundreds of charities — and the people they support.”