Guest blog: A spring in my step and joy in my heart!

I'm delighted to introduce this guest blog by Rosalind Atterwill, about her experience attending a recent charity crowdfunding event. *** Last week, I went along to my first TFN Herts event in the appropriately inspirational surroundings of the revamped St Albans Museum + Gallery.  Having recently moved home to Hertfordshire from London and looking for ways to give back in my local community, I was delighted to find that The Funding Network (TFN) was already up and running here. I’ve supported TFN for over five years, so was surprised how fresh the format still feels and how emotional I got about the three charities who pitched.  I don’t think this is just because I am pregnant (!) but because of the sense of immediacy you get when people stand in front of an audience for six minutes, sharing stories about the work they do and how it improves people’s lives. The chance for the audience to ask questions for a further six minutes is like the best kind of improv – nobody knows the direction the conversation will take.  This part of the evening always helps me get a better feel for the people I am considering investing in. I think it works brilliantly. This time we heard from three diverse local charities: Earthworks St Albans, HACRO and Small Acts of Kindness (whose pitch you can watch above).  In all, over £10,000 was raised for them by people and local businesses coming together to give small amounts that add up to a significant investme