only tough times the charities are up against. They must vie with one another for scarce donor dollars like never before.

In fact, when the number of multi-million-dollar capital campaigns now under way or recently completed is considered, most observers said individual and corporate generosity during the economic downturn was remarkable.

"The biggest difficulty for charities these days is that we're all competing against each other,'' said Mr. Barry Brewer, president of Keep Bermuda Beautiful. "Everybody has got capital campaigns going on, and we're all hitting the same people for money.'' Recently: King Edward VII Memorial Hospital overshot its $5.1 million CARE campaign by $600,000; The Aquarium was "very close'' to its $2.8 million target; The Anglican Church had received pledges of $3.1 million toward its $4 million Cathedral goal; The Bermuda Maritime Museum had raised $4 million in its ongoing capital campaign; and The National Trust was in the "silent phase'' of its $6.5 million capital campaign and expected to go public later this year.

Mr. Brewer said the large number of campaigns, many of them co-ordinated by professional fundraisers, was a factor in the KBB's decision to abandon a $250,000 campaign announced last year.

And there is "no doubt'' a capital campaign planned at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research would be launched by now were it not for the recession and the competition, said Bio Station assistant director for external affairs Mr. Hank Maly.

"With the hospital, and the Maritime Museum, and the cathedral, we just said whoa,'' Mr. Maly said.

But it is not just capital campaigns which are competing for donors' pocketbooks. There are more charities on the Island than ever, and most rely on donations to get by, not just for building projects.

There were 206 registered charities in Bermuda at the end of last year, up 33 percent from the 155 charities registered 10 years earlier, Registrar General Mrs. Marlene Christopher said.

And many more charities have come and gone in that time.

Also, there are about 250 not-for-profit organisations which are not registered as charities.

Mrs. Lauren King, vice-president of the Sunshine League, which celebrates its 75th anniversary next year, said the youth home has been affected by the numbers. "For a long time the Sunshine League was in a position where we were one of the only charities,'' she said. Now there are scores of others, and "they're all worthwhile''.

"People are still giving; certainly we're not getting as much as we would,'' she said.

Amnesty International Bermuda noticed contributions at its Tag Day averaged "one or two dollars'' this year, compared to "five to 10 dollars'' before, said section co-ordinator Ms Lena Ostroff.

At The Haven, "donations have been slow,'' said Teen Services director Mr.

Vaughn Harvey. "People are still giving, but they're giving less.

"Definitely you do have to work harder to get the same amount.'' In addition to fundraising problems, "you don't have so much help out there,'' he said.

The recession has sapped the energy of some volunteers, helped force 4,000 foreign workers off the Island in recent years, and sent many spouses with time on their hands back to the workplace.

Unlike the United States and many other countries, charity in Bermuda is not tax-driven, which is why there are no figures on how much is donated in a given year.

But Miss Nancy Smythe, secretary of Bermuda's Committee on Philanthropy, said statistics show that giving does not decrease during a recession, it just may not grow at the same pace as inflation or match expanded needs for services.

Not all Bermuda charities are hurting. The Bio Station "bucked the trend'' last year, showing a 9.5 percent increase in contributions, Mr. Maly said.

However, "we without a doubt had to work harder''.

The Bio Station broadened its support base by mailing donation requests to more households, he said.