Helping climate education grow through skills-based volunteers

Climate Ed is a charity helping young people understand climate science and take meaningful action for the future. Through workshops delivered in primary schools across the UK, the organisation empowers children to make more climate-friendly choices in their everyday lives. 

From the beginning, volunteers have been central to making that work possible. Alongside the volunteers delivering workshops in schools, Climate Ed has relied on skills-based volunteers to strengthen the charity behind the scenes - from digital tools and IT systems to learning resources, governance and strategy. 

Founder and Programme Director, Ben Cuddon, describes the critical role that Reach played in helping the organisation get started and grow: 

‘When I started Climate Ed, I was completely dependent on Reach. I set the charity up myself and in the early days I simply didn’t know how to do most of the things that come with launching an organisation. On a daily basis I was thinking, “I don’t know how to do that” – and I would post a role on Reach and connect with someone who did. 

“What makes Reach so useful is how easy and efficient the platform is. Instead of relying on your personal network or trying to figure everything out yourself, you can quickly connect with people who already have the expertise you need. The quality of volunteers we’ve found has been incredibly high - people who are reliable, professional and genuinely motivated to help. 

“Volunteers have helped us with everything from overseeing our IT systems to creating animation videos and digital resources that help us explain climate science clearly to young people. When someone with real expertise comes in, they don’t just complete the task you asked for. They also highlight other things you hadn’t thought about, which strengthens the organisation as a whole. 

“Over the years we’ve recruited around fifty volunteers through Reach, including trustees and specialist volunteers and some have stayed involved for years. Some contributions solve short-term challenges, but others become a long-term part of how the organisation works. 

“Without Reach it would probably have taken us twice as long to grow. Having a platform that connects you quickly with skilled people who want to help makes an enormous difference when you’re trying to build a charity from scratch. I’m very grateful to Reach for supporting us to succeed.’