Partner With Our Charity

Reading Mencap offers mutually beneficial partnerships that allow your company to make a tangible impact on the lives of local people with learning disabilities. By working together, your company can enhance its brand, boost employee morale and strengthen its commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Ways your company can get involved

Volunteering

Empower your employees to make a difference! We have a range of volunteering opportunities for your employees, from fundraising events to supporting our clients to enjoy leisure activities. Your staff will not only contribute positively to the local community but also gain valuable experience and develop new skills. At our Walk a Mile in Our Shoes event, more than 100 volunteers from Grant Thornton, Virgin Media O2 and AXA Insurance helped ensure the event’s success.

Pro Bono Support

Do your employees have specialised skills they’re willing to share? We’d love to hear from you. Whether it’s training, expert advice or technical support, your staff’s professional expertise can significantly benefit our team, volunteers and clients.

For example, we have successfully partnered with Dexter Montague Solicitors and Rowberry Morris Solicitors to deliver legal seminars to our family carers.

Charity of the Year

Chose Reading Mencap as your company’s Charity of the Year and let our dedicated Fundraising Team inspire your employees with exciting ideas to raise vital funds. This partnership will not only help local people with a learning disability but also significantly raise your company’s profile and generate positive publicity.

Sponsor a Service or Project

See the direct impact of your generosity by sponsoring one of our vital services, such as our helpline or minibus. Your company will gain clear visibility into how your support is making a real difference in the lives of local people.

Payroll Giving and Match Funding

Payroll Giving, also known as Give As You Earn or workplace giving, is a highly tax-efficient scheme that enables an employee to make regular donations to Reading Mencap directly from their salary before tax. For basic rate taxpayers, a £10 monthly donation costs them only £8!

This flexible and easy-to-set-up initiative is processed by your payroll department and sent to a Payroll Giving Agency, which is regulated by HMRC – examples include Charities Aid Foundation and Charities Trust.

Consider matching your employees donations through ‘match funding’ – either partially or pound for pound. You can also match fund sponsorship raised by staff participating in events like marathons, further amplifying their fundraising effort.

Other Ways

• Donate unwanted office furniture or stationery: We can put your surplus items to good use.
• Display our collection tin or leaflets: Help us raise awareness by placing our materials in your reception area. For example, ten local solicitors have our ‘gifts in wills’ booklet available for their clients.
• Organise fundraising events: Host fun activities like dress-down days or cake sales and donate the proceeds to Reading Mencap.
• Offer discounts to our beneficiaries: This can not only support our clients but also potentially increase your sales and client base.
  

Why partner with Reading Mencap?

Beyond making a significant difference to local people with a learning disability and their families and carers, partnering with Reading Mencap offers many benefits for your organisation:

• Positive publicity and enhanced brand image: Aligning with a local charity like Reading Mencap adds value through brand association, boosts your corporate social responsibility credentials and generates positive publicity.
• Stronger community links: Our partnership will forge closer connections between your company and the local community
• Improved staff morale: Employee volunteering and team-building activities create an enhanced working environment.
• Increased awareness: Employees will gain a deeper understanding of the support Reading Mencap provides, potentially benefiting themselves or someone they know.

The impact of your support

Your support is crucial in helping us continue delivering vital services to hundreds of people in the local community.

Family Support Service: Our highly in-demand Family Support Service provides personalised information, advice and advocacy to families and individuals. We assist with complex and long-running issues such as lack of respite or social care provision, ill health, hate crime, debt or poverty, poor housing or special educational needs. We stay with families for as long as it takes to ensure their needs are met. As a result, our clients feel less isolated and anxious, make informed decisions and are empowered to overcome daily barriers.

Leisure Activities and Social Clubs: These clubs offer adults with learning disabilities a safe environment to make friends, stay healthy, have fun and learn new skills, all supported by trained staff and volunteers. Activities include singing, drama, arts and crafts, and trips out in the community. These clubs also provide much-needed respite for family carers, giving them time to themselves while their loved one is enjoying themselves at Reading Mencap.

4ME Activities Service: Our popular day activity service for adults with learning disabilities takes place every weekday at Alexandra Road. Group members make decisions about their own activities and encourage each other to try something new. Members enjoy all sorts of activities including playing tag rugby, dancing, yoga, canoeing, walks in the park and visits to places of interest.

Reading to make a difference?

To find out more about how your organisation can get involved and create a meaningful partnership, please contact us at fundraisingmanager@readingmencap.org.uk