Read for Good
Read for Good is a UK charity that runs sponsored reading programmes in schools (Readathon) and delivers books plus storyteller visits to 31 major children's hospitals, funded entirely by donations, grants, and corporate partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersNailsworth, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Read for Good does
Read for Good is a UK-registered charity founded in 1984 (originally as Readathon) that operates two flagship programmes: a sponsored reading scheme for schools called Readathon, in which pupils choose what to read and raise sponsorship funds, and a hospital programme delivering brand-new books and professional storyteller visits to children in all 31 major UK children's hospitals across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The organisation runs an extended product portfolio including the free Track My Read digital reading tracker (a web app described as "Strava for readers" that lets pupils log reading time and lets teachers run challenges and export data), Brilliant Box of Books (curated book collections for schools, medical and community settings), Storymaker (a creative storytelling web app for children), and Secrets of Storytelling (a free 30-minute online training course for professionals working with children in medical settings). It also produces book recommendations, downloadable school resources, and an events archive featuring authors and illustrators.
The business model is donation-dependent and free-to-user: all programmes and resources are provided at no cost to schools, hospitals, and community settings, funded entirely by individual donations, school Readathon sponsorship proceeds, charitable trust and foundation grants (including The St Paul's Schools Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Julia Rausing Trust, Edward Gostling Foundation, and others), corporate partnerships, and legacy gifts. The Readathon cycle creates a closed-loop funding mechanism whereby school-sponsored reading directly finances the hospital book programme, with Scholastic Book Clubs (partner since 2010) supplying and distributing over 300,000 books to date and providing schools with book vouchers worth 20% of sponsorship totals. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on school registration through a portal, school-run fundraising, hospital partnerships, and author/illustrator events.
Operations are run by a small team of 19 staff alongside trustees and volunteers, based at Nailsworth Mills Estate in Gloucestershire. The charity holds registered trademarks (Readathon, Read for Good, Track My Read), dual registration with the Charity Commission (1130309) and OSCR (SC041036), and compliance accreditations including Cyber Essentials, Living Wage Employer, Disability Confident, and Good Business Charter. It has maintained support from nearly every UK Children's Laureate since 1999, with Roald Dahl as its first Honorary Chair in 1984, and is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Readathon in 2025.
Read for Good firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Read for Good
- Legal name
- Read for Good
- Website
- https://readforgood.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Read for Good is a UK charity that runs sponsored reading programmes in schools (Readathon) and delivers books plus storyteller visits to 31 major children's hospitals, funded entirely by donations, grants, and corporate partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Read for Good industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Literacy Charity Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Literacy & Reading Intervention Technology (EDAJAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs (EDAGAAAD), Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups (EDAMAJAG)
Keywords
Where Read for Good is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nailsworth
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Read for Good business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Read for Good receives donations from individuals including one-off and regular gifts. Donors can sponsor children taking part in Readathon or make general donations to support the charity's work.
- Trust and Foundation Grants: Charitable trusts and foundations provide funding to support Read for Good's programmes. Major supporters include The St Paul's Schools Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Julia Rausing Trust, and many others listed on their supporters page.
- School Readathon Fundraising: Schools run Readathon sponsored reads where pupils raise money by reading. Money raised supports the hospital programme. Schools receive free book vouchers worth 20% of sponsorship totals to spend at Scholastic Book Clubs.
- Corporate Partnerships: Businesses support Read for Good through various means including fundraising through sales, holding events, or providing services and gifts in kind. Publishers provide books at reduced cost or free.
- Legacy Donations: The charity receives legacy donations from supporters, including a notable donation from a Bangor University lecturer's sister in memory of an avid reader.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free programmes for schools and hospitals |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Read for Good product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Read for Good is a UK children's literacy charity that delivers free reading programmes to schools and hospitals. In schools, it operates the Readathon sponsored reading programme, where pupils read books of their choice and gather sponsorship from friends and family. In hospitals, it supplies brand new books, mobile bookcases, and professional storyteller visits to children in all 31 major UK children's hospitals. These core programmes are complemented by the Track My Read digital reading tracker, the Brilliant Box of Books curated collections, free storytelling training, and downloadable school resources.
Product overview
Read for Good operates as a charity offering a portfolio of interconnected reading encouragement programmes. The core offering is Readathon, a sponsored reading programme for schools that has operated since 1984, which is complemented by Track My Read, a free digital reading record app (analogous to Strava for readers) that enables pupils to log their reading. The Hospital Programme delivers brand new books and professional storyteller visits to children in UK hospitals. Additional offerings include the Brilliant Box of Books (curated book collections), Storymaker (a creative storytelling web app for children), Secrets of Storytelling Training (free online course for medical professionals), downloadable school resources, book recommendations through Books We Love, and an Events Showcase featuring author/illustrator content. All programmes support the charity's mission to enable children to discover the joy of reading.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Readathon A sponsored reading programme for UK schools where pupils choose any books they want to read in their spare time and ask friends and family to sponsor them, with money raised supporting Read for Good's hospital programme. Schools receive free Readathon kits and book vouchers worth 20% of sponsorship totals to spend at Scholastic Book Clubs.
- Track My Read A free-to-use digital reading record web app that helps engage and motivate pupils in reading for pleasure by tracking what they read and for how long. Teachers can create reading challenges, monitor pupil progress, and analyse reading data.
- Hospital Programme A programme providing regular supplies of brand new books and professional storyteller visits to children in all 31 major UK children's hospitals, with specially designed mobile bookcases that wheel to bedside for children and young people during hospital stays.
- Brilliant Box of Books A curated collection of brand new books targeted to children that schools and medical/community settings work with, available by application to schools, hospitals, and community settings.
- Storymaker A web-based app/game for children to be creative 30-second authors, encouraging storytelling and creative writing.
- Secrets of Storytelling Training A free 30-minute online training programme teaching storytelling techniques to professionals working with children in medical settings, sharing secrets from Read for Good's hospital storytellers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40 years of operation, reaching one in two UK schools
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Read for Good
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Read for Good technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
Read for Good partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- National Book TokensflagshipPartnership for the Brilliant Bookshop Experience programme in 2024. Schools received £10 Book Tokens and pop-up bookshops to spend them in, creating excitement about reading.
- Scholastic Book ClubscoreSince 2010, Scholastic Book Clubs has been the main provider and distributor of books for Read for Good's national hospital programme, providing wonderful brand new books to hospitals across the UK. They also provide book vouchers worth 20% of sponsorship totals to schools running Readathon. To date, Scholastic has delivered over 300,000 books with Read for Good.
- Gloucestershire LibrariescorePartnership in 2023 to provide expert library support and more than 4,500 books to 15 primary schools reaching over 3,000 children.
- Little Box of BookscorePartnership in 2023 for library support initiative, providing books and expertise to primary schools.
- National Literacy Trust - Primary School Library AllianceflagshipRead for Good is a supporting partner of the Primary School Library Alliance, aiming to transform 1,000 primary school libraries by 2025.
- Great School LibrariesflagshipProud member of the campaign working to bring libraries and access to librarians back to every school in the UK.
- Yellow Lighted BookshopflagshipPartner for the Brilliant Bookshop Experience in 2024, providing pop-up bookshop experiences for schools.
- Read With MecoreGloucestershire-based volunteer service providing one-to-one reading support in primary schools. Read for Good works with them to complement READ Gloucestershire activities.
- Cheltenham Festivals - Reading Teachers = Reading PupilscoreNational network of teachers' reading groups reading high-quality diverse children's literature. Read for Good complements this with READ Gloucestershire activities.
- Walker BooksflagshipPartner for Michael Rosen Day events and celebrations, including the inaugural Michael Rosen Day in November 2024.
- HarperCollins Children's BooksflagshipPartner for author events including David Baddiel online event for Readathon schools.
- Macmillan Children's BooksflagshipPartner for hospital book donations, including The Gruffalo's Child Christmas gift to children in hospital.
- Publisher PartnerscorePartnership with major children's publishers including: HarperCollins, Hachette Children's, Farshore, Nosy Crow, Oxford University Press, DK, David Fickling Books, Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury. Publishers provide books, support events, and help promote reading.
- Literacy OrganisationsflagshipPartnership with Booktrust, National Literacy Trust, The Reading Agency, Authors Aloud UK, EmpathyLab, and other literacy organisations.
- Literary FestivalscorePartnership with book festivals including Cheltenham Festivals, BBC 500 Words, Chiswick Book Festival, and Stroud Book Festival.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Read for Good competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): US children's literacy non-profit providing free books and reading resources to underserved children. Similar donation-funded, school-channel model outside the UK market.
- Reach Out and Read: US non-profit that gives books to children at paediatric checkups and trains providers in literacy promotion. The closest international peer for Read for Good's hospital programme model.
Direct peers
- BookTrust: UK children's literacy charity that gives free books to children and runs school and family reading programmes. Most direct comparable in mission, school channel, and donation-based funding model.
- Beanstalk: UK charity that recruits and trains volunteers to provide one-to-one reading support in primary schools. Comparable volunteer-led school literacy model and donation-based funding.
- The Reading Agency: UK charity that runs national reading programmes for children and adults, including Summer Reading Challenge. Comparable donor base, school and library channel, and reading-for-pleasure focus.
- National Literacy Trust: UK charity working to improve literacy across schools, families and communities. Overlapping school programmes, trust-funded, and a primary partner in the Primary School Library Alliance with Read for Good.
- Bookmark Reading Foundation: UK children's literacy charity providing volunteers to read with children in schools. Overlapping school channel and trust funding model, though focused on one-to-one reading rather than hospital work.
Broad incumbents
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Global book-gifting programme mailing free books to children from birth. Operates at much greater scale and brand recognition, but shares the donation-funded free-books-for-children model.
Emerging players
- EmpathyLab: UK charity focused on using books to build empathy in children, with strong school programme and author partnerships. Smaller scale but overlapping literacy-and-empathy mission and teacher audience.
- Authors Aloud UK: UK agency that arranges author and illustrator visits to schools. Directly linked to Read for Good via trustee Annie Everall, and competes for school author-event budgets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks2 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Read for Good social profiles
Digital presenceRead for Good compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Read for Good financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Read for Good leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Read for Good funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Read for Good M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Read for Good
What does Read for Good do?
Read for Good is a UK children's literacy charity that delivers free reading programmes to schools and hospitals. In schools, it operates the Readathon sponsored reading programme, where pupils read books of their choice and gather sponsorship from friends and family. In hospitals, it supplies brand new books, mobile bookcases, and professional storyteller visits to children in all 31 major UK children's hospitals. These core programmes are complemented by the Track My Read digital reading tracker, the Brilliant Box of Books curated collections, free storytelling training, and downloadable school resources.
Is Read for Good a public or private company?
Read for Good is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Read for Good founded?
Read for Good was founded in 1984. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Read for Good based?
Read for Good is headquartered in Nailsworth, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Read for Good make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are trust and Foundation Grants, school Readathon Fundraising, corporate Partnerships and legacy Donations.
Who are Read for Good's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Reach Out and Read. Direct peers are BookTrust, Beanstalk, The Reading Agency, National Literacy Trust and Bookmark Reading Foundation. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are EmpathyLab and Authors Aloud UK.
Does Read for Good have an API?
No public API is recorded for Read for Good.
What industry is Read for Good in?
Read for Good's product category is Children's Literacy Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAF, Literacy & Reading Intervention Technology, with a secondary code of EDAGAAAD, Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs. Its NAICS code is 611710.