Reach Volunteering reverses closure after nine funders and donors unite to fund it to 2028

Howard Lake | 23 September 2026 | News

• Tagged with:
• funding
• Recruitment and people
• trustees

Reach Volunteering has reversed its decision to close, three weeks after announcing a managed wind-down. A group of nine funders and donors has put together a package that will fund the skills-based volunteering charity to the end of 2028.

The charity’s Board of Trustees reversed the decision with immediate effect after it had assessed the new position.

On 1 September Reach announced it would close after 45 years, with a 12-week closure plan due to finish on 30 November 2026. It said then that it needed roughly £200,000 a year for at least two years to stabilise, and that the money had to be in place by 10 September.

Nine funders and donors

The funders and donors are:

• The William Grant Foundation
• City Bridge Foundation
• The Clothworkers’ Company
• The Henry Smith Foundation
• Lloyds Bank Foundation
• The Greater London Authority
• This Day
• Postcode Lottery UK
• a private donor

Reach has not said how much the package is worth.

The charity said the sector’s response to the closure news was “extraordinary”. Charities, volunteers and others sent thanks, stories of impact and messages of support. That response then prompted “a small number of people” to work on finding a way to keep the charity open.

Services resume

Charities and community groups can keep using Reach’s online platform to recruit trustees and skills-based volunteers. Volunteers can keep searching and applying for opportunities. The TrusteeWorks search service will take on new clients again.

Reach will undo the operational and technical steps it had already taken towards closure, including renewing contracts, and will consult its staff. It expects minimal disruption to its services.

“An extraordinary and joyful reversal”

Janet Thorne, Chief Executive of Reach Volunteering, said:

“This is an extraordinary and joyful reversal for Reach. 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.”

She added that the stability would let Reach “transform with confidence”, growing earned income, reducing costs and developing a sustainable model. She also pointed to the wider issue behind the crisis:

“Perhaps most importantly, the response to our intended closure has highlighted the 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.”

A new conversation on infrastructure funding?

Jane Ide OBE, Chair of Trustees, called the way the funding was secured “unprecedented”. She said:

“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.”

She said the team would “take a short pause to recover and reset” before starting the next phase of Reach’s development.

In its closure announcement, Reach said funders’ narrowing focus on specific places, causes and groups had reduced support for infrastructure bodies that serve charities of every size. The funders who stepped in say they plan to keep working together and bring others in.

Reach’s reach

Over the last ten years, charities and community groups have recruited more than 34,000 volunteers and trustees through Reach. In 2025 they recruited a record 5,996, contributing an estimated £60 million in professional expertise. Reach is the largest single source of trustees for the UK voluntary sector.

Reach will update its FAQs as its plans develop.

• Reach Volunteering awarded £300,000 to help charities with trustee recruitment (10 May 2018)
  
• Two thirds of charities actively seeking to improve trustee diversity, study finds (16 November 2022)
  
• Employee volunteering could generate £17 billion a year for charities (27 October 2022)

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.