We’re proud to have helped Social Bite with its governance model and its work to alleviate homelessness
Social Bite is a ‘movement to end homelessness’. It began as a sandwich shop in Edinburgh, operating as a ‘social business’ and giving its profits to good causes.
Seven years on, Social Bite employs around 70 people, distributes over 140,000 items of free food each year via its stores, and has raised millions through Sleep in the Park events.
One issue for Social Bite as it has developed has been governance – finding a model that allows it to help as many people as possible. Its approach has been to register the Social Bite Fund as a charity in Scotland, which wholly owns its Social Bite and Vesta Bar & Restaurant businesses.
To ensure this model runs smoothly, Social Bite has regularly come to Lindsays for governance advice and trustee training.
Our training for Social Bite’s trustees and senior managers has supported them to steer the movement forward with greater confidence – Social Bite can continue to innovate, secure in the knowledge their governance is robust. It’s a useful lesson for charities of all shapes and sizes.
“Social Bite has always tried to do things differently and we’ve grown very quickly. For that reason, it’s important our trustees are sure-footed about their legal obligations and about governance arrangements. Lindsays has been a great help with that.”
Josh Littlejohn Trustee and Co-founder, Social Bite
Many of our trustees and directors have significant private-sector expertise but there are important variations in priorities and nuance when it comes to governance of charities. Trustee training sessions have been very useful in addressing this.
Marjory Rodger Trustee, Social Bite
The World’s Big Sleep Out
Social Bite co-founder Josh Littlejohn has now set up the World’s Big Sleep Out, which will see around 50,000 people around the world sleep out on 7 December 2019. Trustees include Dame Louise Casey, previously the UK Government’s social welfare ‘Tsar’. As with the Social Bite Fund, Lindsays has been advising The World’s Big Sleep Out Trust on governance issues and trustee training, helping it to deliver its goals effectively and sustainably.
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