General FAQs

How much does it cost to run a RIF project?
It costs approximately £23 per child per year to run a RIF project. This includes three free books per child (using discount provided by RIF's online book supplier), support costs (i.e. a handbook, ongoing support from your project manager, a subscription to our termly magazine, RIF, UK Update and access to password-protected areas of this website) and materials costs (a RIF bag and bookmark for each child, three stickers and bookplates for each child, a set of posters to promote your project, and a family activity pack for each child to take home).

How do I order a handbook?
RIF handbooks are only available to project coordinators running registered RIF projects. They contain a great deal of specific information that is only relevant to trained RIF volunteers. If you are thinking of applying to run a RIF project and are looking for more information, please visit the 'About RIF' pages or contact us. If you are currently running a project and have mislaid your handbook, please contact your project manager.

Can I get a RIF discount on books without running a RIF project?
RIF discounts may only be used by registered RIF projects with an active RIF code. Once your project has come to an end, your RIF code will no longer be valid and you will no longer be eligible for discounted book purchases. RIF's online book supplier is provided with a list of valid RIF codes and any orders on expired codes will be refused.

Can you provide me with posters and promotional materials for my classroom/library/reading area?
Registered RIF projects recieve posters to advertise their RIF events. We regret that we are not able to provide posters or promotional materials for general use. The National Reading Campaign provides a range of resources that can be downloaded via its website - www.readon.org.uk (opens in a new window).

Do you only run RIF projects in London?
RIF is a national initiative and projects run all over the UK in locations such as Exeter, Glasgow, Belfast, Sheffield and Cardiff as well as London. We are always delighted to hear from people interested in running or supporting projects anywhere in the UK, so please do contact us.

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Project FAQs - book ordering, delivery and invoices

Important: Contact BBfS Customer Care for all technical questions about the online book ordering service. Tel: 01482 384660 or email: schools.services@brownsbfs.co.uk.

Please note: You must only use your RIF BBfS account for purchases relating to your project and not for any other book purchases. If you wish to order books for other purposes (for example, for general school use) please contact BBfS to open a separate account.

What help is available for selecting appropriate books for the children I work with?

The RIF team is happy to help you select the best books for the children in your project to choose from. If you were not able to participate in a training session, or have taken over the project from a colleague, please contact RIF. Along with the basic information about book selection given in your handbook, RIF has compiled a recommended booklist organised by age range for you to browse for inspiration.
Download RIF's recommended booklist [PDF].
All titles on the booklist may be ordered online by following the instructions given in the Resources section of this website.

Alternatively, you can create an instant booklist, tailored to your requirements, on the Booktrust website www.booktrust.or.uk. Children may enjoy browsing book review websites such as Achuka www.achuka.co.uk, Cool Reads www.cool-reads.co.uk or the Reading Zone www.readingzone.com to make their choices. You can also visit children’s publishers’ websites for ideas, or order catalogues directly from them, to help you decide which books to order. Links to over 50 publishers’ websites can be found here.

Your local Public or Schools Library Services are sometimes able to put together a book selection box of age-appropriate titles that children can select their favourite from.

I haven’t received my order and the planned event will be happening soon
When you process an order (see instructions above) you should receive a confirmation email shortly afterward to let you know that your order has been received. If you do not receive this email, contact BBfS (details above) to check it has been processed. You can then view its progress through the BBfS website. To do this, log in, select Orders - Completed Orders, click Select next to the order you want to view. A symbol will appear next to each title, for which a key can be found at the bottom of the page, including a link to the parcel carrier’s website.

There’s something wrong with my order - I haven’t received all the books listed on the invoice, some books are damaged or I’ve been sent the same order twice
If books are listed on the invoice but not in the delivery, some are damaged or you have duplicates, make a note of the titles concerned and call BBfS to request either replacement stock, a credit note/corrected invoice or for unwanted titles to be picked up as necessary.

I haven’t received the level of discount I expected
Call BBfS to request a credit note and corrected invoice.

What should I do with my invoice?
If RIF is managing your book budget for you and paying invoices on your behalf, please send the invoice to RIF for payment (address labels are provided in your handbook). If RIF is not paying invoices on your behalf (this is rare), please arrange for the invoice to be paid promptly.

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Project FAQs - materials

I've run out of bags/ bookmarks /stickers /bookplates, how do I get some more?
In addition to the free books, your funding will have provided one bag, bookmark, set of bookplates and set of stickers for each participant. Any additional sets of materials ordered will be charged at £5 per set. Please contact your project manager to discuss this.

I've lost my handbook, what should I do?
Please contact your project manager, who will send you a new one.

I've run out of address labels, can I have some more?
Download the label template and print them yourself, or you can contact your project manager, who will send you some more.

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Volunteer FAQs

My child is taking part in a RIF project, how can I get involved?
Ask the person running the project if they'd like any help, for example at events. Visit the parents and carers section of this website for more ideas.

How can I volunteer with RIF?
We are always grateful for any offer of assistance from members of the public. However, the nature of RIF projects means that opportunities for regular volunteering are extremely limited, and it is unlikely that we will be able to match you with a project in your area.

You can find out more about local volunteering opportunities through the following websites: Volunteering England at www.volunteering.org.uk, Do It at www.do-it.org.uk or timebank at http://www.timebank.org.uk/, or contact Volunteer Reading Help at www.vrh.org.uk for reading volunteering opportunities.

There are occasionally opportunities to volunteer at the RIF office in London. These are advertised in our email newsletter. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.