Years ago, when reading a book on my tube journey to work, a line stuck with me and it went something like this: "most people are good at more things than the world gives them the opportunity to do".

My career in the voluntary sector gives me the chance to speak to policymakers and also engage with philanthropists who are eager to understand what I've learned through the course of visiting charities and social enterprises up and down the North West.  Ultimately, my day-to-day role As Head of Region for the CSJ Foundation is finding small social impact organisations with on-the-ground insights and a track record of meaningful impact. When I find them, I want to do what I can for them to access more income and gain more influence.

Last month I assumed the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Funding Network. The challenge gave me an opportunity to put my mind to work in yet another way. The Funding Network sustains and grows two important communities: one of generous donors and another of great charities that generate social impact. Our job is to make sure that when they meet each other, the interaction is one of high value that fosters greater trust between them.

There are so many captivating and brilliant social entrepreneurs and charity leaders that excel at describing both their visions and missions. When given a platform to speak, they inspire donors to give anywhere from £10 to £10,000. The Connector events that The Funding Network produces are magical as a result. The team has cracked the art, the science, and the discipline that's needed to ensure every engagement is conducive to creating connections that change the world.

One example is Streetlife. Established in 1982 in Blackpool, they are an organisation that assists vulnerable young people aged 16-25 by providing emergency shelter and support. Its experienced staff, specialists and volunteers are dedicated to supporting young people in what could be their greatest hour of need - and the aim is always to enable and empower them to make informed choices, about issues affecting their lives.

In October, Streetlife presented in front of an audience of 100 – made up of people in the room and others joining virtually from home. At the end of a six-minute pitch, and having answered a series of questions, they secured over 50 donations that resulted in them raising £23,856. This funding will help them establish a peer mentor group made up of young people with lived experience of homelessness, addiction, mental health issues and criminal behaviour, so that they can support even more vulnerable young people.

The Funding Network coordinated, curated and ensured quality communication so that Streetlife - and so many other charities over 20 years – could benefit from the generosity of our donor community, easily and efficiently.

I'm lucky that my day job means a desk is not often needed. In fact, in the first six months of working for a Westminster-based policy thinktank *but based in Manchester scouring the North West region for the best charities, I had seen the Blackpool Tower more times than I had seen Big Ben. While I was aware of Streetlife I had yet to pay them a visit. So, you can imagine my delight when I realised they were now part of The Funding Network community of charities and leveraging our model to boost their sustainability.

Now, I'm lucky that my new role as Chair of The Funding Network will mean I will work with my entire Board and the Chief Executive to steer our mission and model forward. While I am new to the job as Chair, I'm not new to connecting with individuals from different backgrounds and with a variety of ambitions and skills and so it's a task I feel poised to do and will give it my best.

What better motivation is there to try my hand at stewarding good governance for a terrific social mission than finding more gems like Streetlife in Blackpool - giving them the connections that can change the world for those who depend on them.