Changing children's lives - one story at a time

In 2019 QA is supporting Coram Beanstalk to help change these statistics and ensure that no child is left behind because of poor literacy. The partnership aims to raise more than £100,000 for Coram Beanstalk as well as encouraging employees to use their volunteer days as reading helpers, through pro bono skills sharing and beyond!

Fundraise for us!

Help raise vital funds for Coram Beanstalk by taking part in one of our key events or get together with friends or colleagues and organise your own. Download our fundraising pack for details of events and easy fundraising ideas, or simply fill in a expression of interest form to let us know what you are interested in and Coram Beanstalk's fundraising team will be in touch to provide you with everything you need to get started.

All funds raised go through the QA Virgin Money Giving Page , which you will have to register for.

Upcoming fundraising opportunities

Literary Laugh quiz

In partnership with our friends at Literary Laughs, this ready-made festive quiz event is sure to get your literary juices flowing! Book a venue, secure some prizes, charge an entry fee (eg. £20 per head) and throw a party as big or as small as you feel comfortable with. The Literary Laughs team will send the literary quizzes for your party to enjoy and you can be part of the Literary Laughs Book Club Awards.  

When: 5th December 2019 (or any date in December thereafter but not before.)

Coram Beanstalk beanie day 

To celebrate Giving Tuesday, taking place this year on Tuesday 3^rd December we are asking all QA employees to don their favourite festive ‘beanie’ hat and donate £2 (or more if you’re feeling really festive!). It’s simple; wear, donate and tweet a photo to share the love and giving spirit! As the winter cold begins to creep in, it’s the perfect time to dig out your woollies and to start getting in the festive spirit.

World Book Day - Book Swap!

We can think of no better way to celebrate World Book Day on 7^th March than a mammoth book swap! Gather a group of colleagues, friends and family, pick a name from a hat and pass on one of your favourite books from your own collection. We ask everyone taking part to donate £5, which is what it costs Coram Beanstalk to provide one book from its Starter Pack of expertly selected books to a school receiving support.  

Recycling your favourite book is the perfect way to celebrate World Book Day and to give something thoughtful to a colleague or friend. Throw in an epic Bake Sale and you’ve got yourself a (book) party!  

Virgin Money London Marathon

Embark on the ultimate physical challenge by taking part in the world’s largest annual fundraising event! Runners will represent Coram Beanstalk at this iconic event, racing through the heart of the capital alongside over 400 thousand fellow participants.

This prestigious event is always very popular, so we ask employees to complete an application form for a spot on our team. We will review applications and select runners on this basis.

Registration fee: £50  Fundraising Target: £2,000 

When: 26th April 2020

Want to organise your own event?

We can support you to plan your own events, such as sponsored readathons, cake sales or running literary-themed quiz nights. These can be open to employees, friends and family.  

Fundraising toolkit

Below you can find items to help you to fundraise for Coram Beanstalk:

Event poster

Fundraising Poster

Gift aid form

Sponsorship form

Donation form

Offline fundraising form

Volunteer with us!

Coram Beanstalk can offer a range of volunteering opportunities for different time commitments and interests. An overview of these opportunities is provided below.

All those interested in volunteering should fill in this expression of interest form to let us know their location and what opportunity they are interested in. 

Please note:  the partnership will only launch volunteer opportunities in selected locations where we receive the greatest interest from employees. This is because Coram Beanstalk is only able to deliver training to groups of volunteers at a time. It will also ensure that the charity can resource and facilitate sourcing and supporting school placements for those volunteers. We will do our best to support those who want to volunteer to do so but it might not be possible for us to facilitate this for everyone. 

Regular one-to-one reading

What is it? Carrying out one-to-one reading sessions with a small number of children supporting them to increase their reading skills. The commitment to this role will vary dependent upon time commitment allowance and capacity at schools
Who’s it for? QA employees who are interested in getting really involved in the core work of Coram Beanstalk, and have capacity to commit time to regular, consistent support in local settings. Please register your interest via this form.
What is the time commitment? A one-day training course followed by a regular commitment during term time for at least one full academic year.

One-Day Volunteering - Story Readers

What is it? A one-day volunteering experience. In the morning you will engage in a fun and informative workshop with Coram Beanstalk, helping you learn how to get the best out of books and shared reading with children. In the afternoon you’ll put your new-found skills to the test, travelling to a nearby school and reading with a class of children. 
Who’s it for? This is ideal for a group of employees who are not able to commit regular time to volunteering but want to learn more about Coram Beanstalk as well as gain evidenced-based tips in shared reading to use with your own children or grandchildren! 
What is the time commitment? One day (9:30am – 3pm)
How many people can take part? 7 – 15 people

Pro Bono Skill sharing

We want to encourage QA employees to offer their skills and time to help us support some of the most disadvantaged children in the country. 

We would like you to get involved where possible, lending expertise to help Coram Beanstalk innovate and strategise to help raise the literacy levels of vulnerable children at risk of falling behind. Please get in touch to discuss different options for support.

Further information

If you want more information then please do not hesitate to contact us on [email protected] or fill in an expression of interest form for both fundraising and volunteering.