SOCIAL BUSINESS TRUST Privacy policy

We are committed to protecting your personal data. This statement outlines our policies regarding the collection, use, and transfer of your personal data, the security measures we employ to safeguard it, and your rights and choices concerning its access and use.

Please read this privacy statement carefully to understand how we handle your personal data.

Information about us.

Social Business Trust’s (SBT) mission is to support high growth potential social enterprises to scale-up their impact. We do that by investing cash grants and professional support from our world-class corporate partners in a carefully selected portfolio of social enterprises.

Social Business Trust is a registered charity (registration number 1136151) and our main trading address is Room 71, 2nd Floor, New Wing, Somerset House, London, WC2R 1LA For any questions on data protection at Social Business Trust contact us at: info@socialbusinesstrust.org

How We Collect Information

We collect personal information in various ways, including when you:

• Use our website
• Enquire about our activities
• Register with us
• Consent to receive our newsletter
• Communicate with us via email or phone
• Ask a question
• Become a volunteer
• Apply for a position at SBT
• Become an employee of SBT
• Attend a SBT event
• Provide us with personal information through other interactions

These interactions may occur online, in person, or over the phone.

We may also receive information about you from third parties, including:

• Corporate partners providing volunteer information
• Individuals or organizations that share our interests and introduce you to us

Additionally, we may collect information through external interactions, such as:

• Engaging with you on social media (e.g., if you follow us or we follow you)
• Connecting via a third-party platform

We may also collect publicly available information from sources such as:

• Companies House
• Published articles, annual reports, and newsletters
• LinkedIn or other professional networking sites

What Information Do We Collect?

We only collect the information necessary to support our mission. The personal information we collect may include:

• Name, employer, and job title
• Email address, postal address, and telephone number
• Records of your requests for information and feedback you provide
• Photographs or videos taken at Social Business Trust events
• Technical data related to your use of our website, such as browser type and Internet Protocol (IP) address

Employee Information

We collect personal information about our employees during the application and recruitment process, either directly from candidates or from third parties such as:

• Employment agencies or background check providers
• Former employers, credit reference agencies, or the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Additionally, we may collect further personal information throughout the course of employment.

Keeping Your Information Up to Date

We strive to ensure that your personal information remains accurate and current. If your details change (e.g., name, email address) or you wish to unsubscribe from our newsletter, you can update your information by:

• Clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any newsletter
• Emailing us at info@socialbusinesstrust.org

Website Usage Data

We collect general information about website usage, such as the most frequently visited pages. We may also track user interactions with links in emails or social media posts. Wherever possible, we use aggregated or anonymous data that does not identify individuals.

For details on data retention, please refer to Analytics Cookies Data below.

Legal Basis for Processing

We collect and process your personal information to fulfil our mission and deliver our services. The lawful bases we rely on include:

• Legitimate Interest – Processing is necessary to support the charitable purposes of Social Business Trust, provided it does not override your rights or interests.
• Consent – You have given explicit consent for a specific purpose, such as subscribing to our newsletter.
• Performance of a Contract – We must process your personal data to fulfil a contract with you. Failure to provide this information may prevent us from fulfilling our contractual obligations.
• Legal Obligation – We may process and disclose your personal data when required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to support our mission and ensure effective communication. Specifically, we may use it to:

• Promote the aims of SBT and keep you informed about our activities, events, and achievements
• Respond to your enquiries about volunteering and manage your volunteering activities
• Explore and respond to professional partnership opportunities
• Provide you with services, products, or information you have requested
• Manage recruitment processes and job-related activities for employees and candidates
• Maintain a record of your engagement with us
• Gather feedback to improve our services
• Administer and notify you of changes to our services
• Enhance website security and keep our platform safe

If you prefer not to have your personal information used in this way, you can contact us at any time by emailing info@socialbusinesstrust.org.

Who Has Access to Your Information?

SBT may share the personal information you provide with:

• Internal teams within our organisations.
• Corporate partners and supported social enterprises (details available on our website) when necessary to fulfill our mission.
• Service providers such as contractors, publishers, IT specialists, auditors, event organisers, and suppliers who assist in delivering our services.

We may also use your information to help manage programs and services that may be of interest to you.

For employees, we may share personal information with third parties:

• When required by law
• When necessary to administer the employment relationship
• When we have a legitimate interest in doing so

Some of these disclosures may involve transferring your personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), where data protection laws may be less strict—such as when using service providers with servers in the USA.

How We Protect Personal Information

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal data is accurate, complete, current, and reliable for its intended use. To protect your information, we implement appropriate technical and organisational measures, including safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, alteration, or loss.

When sharing personal data with social enterprises, business partners, or third parties, we do so strictly for the purpose of fulfilling our mission. We require these entities to maintain the security and confidentiality of the data and to process it in accordance with applicable laws.

For employee data, we limit access to only those employees, agents, contractors, or third parties who have a legitimate business need to access it. They are required to follow our instructions and are bound by confidentiality obligations.

How Long Do We Keep Your Information?

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this privacy notice and to comply with legal obligations.

Where legal or regulatory minimum retention periods apply—for example, for tax purposes as required by HMRC—we will retain your information for the statutory minimum period.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• To be informed

• Access your personal data.
• Request updates or corrections if your data is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Restrict processing or request the removal of your data from our system.
• Request erasure of your data (the “right to be forgotten”). While we will comply with such requests where possible, we may retain certain data for statistical purposes.
• Opt out of marketing communications at any time.
• Right to data portability.
• To object (UK GDPR)
• Not to be subject to decision making including automated profiling.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided above. We will process your request as soon as reasonably possible.

Before granting access to your personal data, we may request proof of identity to ensure security.

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us so we can resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.

Our Use of Cookies

Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help track website activity and enhance your browsing experience.

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies to:

• Distinguish you from other users
• Improve website functionality and user experience
• Store your preferences for future visits
• Compile statistical reports on website activity

By continuing to browse our site, you agree to our use of cookies.

Managing Cookies

You can delete existing cookies using your file management software or block them by adjusting your browser settings. However, blocking all cookies (including essential ones) may limit access to certain parts of our website.

Third-Party Cookies

Third parties, such as advertising networks and analytics providers, may also use cookies over which we have no control. These may include:

• Analytical/performance cookies – to track website traffic and usage
• Targeting cookies – for personalized advertising and marketing

For more details on managing cookies, refer to your browser settings or visit your browser provider’s support page.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that help websites recognize your browser, remember preferences, and enable features like personalized content and smoother navigation. While cookies are not required to browse our site, enabling them can improve your experience.

1. Necessary Cookies.

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

2. Statistic/Analytics Cookies

Statistic cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

3. Advertisement/Marketing Cookies

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

4. Functional Cookies

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback and other third-party features.

Changes to This Policy

Social Business Trust reserves the right to change this privacy policy as we may deem necessary from time to time or as may be required by law. Any changes will be immediately posted on the website, and you are deemed to have accepted the terms of the privacy policy on your first use of the website following the alterations. You may contact Social Business Trust by email at info@socialbusinesstrust.org.