SHUNA KENNEDY

A few years ago I stayed at a B&B whose landlady happened to be treasurer for The Network for Social Change. She told me about The Funding Network, I joined, enjoyed it and having contributed to selection meetings was invited to become a director and treasurer in 2007.

My early career was in advertising, focusing on brands, great campaigns and increasing sales. Then in 1990, by serendipity rather than any plan to 'do good', I helped co-found the children's charity Whizz-Kidz.

When Whizz-Kidz started the founding trustees had business rather than charity experience, but we like to think that helped! We learnt as we went along and nurtured it from one part-time volunteer to independence and success. It was as much fun as hard work and getting to know some of the kids was an eye-opener to a different world and wonderfully rewarding. So in a change of direction in 1997 I became Marketing and Communications Director for The Children's Society - one of the 'big five' UK children's charities, then Chief Executive of AbilityNet - a charity which helps disabled people use IT by adapting it. I now advise companies and philanthropists on their charitable giving strategies.

I'd just add that The Funding Network is an inspired idea. It's simple, open to everyone, fun to be part of and the direct contact between organisations you'd never normally come across and people who never realised how much can be achieved is magic!

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