Bad news travels fast, and sticks longer. We see it in our news feeds, in conversations and even in the stories we remember. Psychologists call it the negativity bias: our tendency to give greater attention and weight to negative information than to equally positive information. Negative experiences can therefore have a disproportionately powerful effect on how we perceive people, organisations and situations.

The non-profit sector has itself suffered from this bias. Historically, stories about non-profits have often focused on crises, funding shortfalls and organisations in difficulty more frequently than the quieter, everyday stories of positive impact. Those stories have their place, and accountability matters, but when they dominate the narrative, they can reinforce inaccurate and unfair perceptions that non-profits more generally are inefficient or ineffective.

In 2022, the Non-Profit Alliance of Bermuda conducted informal research to better understand some of the challenging or unhelpful perceptions surrounding Bermuda's non-profit sector. The most common perception we heard was that non-profits were poorly managed and measured — inefficient, ineffective and unable to clearly demonstrate their impact. A year later, our national Omnibus Survey gave us another important data point. In 2023, only 59 per cent of residents reported trust and confidence in Bermuda's non-profits. Among those who lacked confidence, the most common concern was a perception that non-profits were ineffective or not making a difference.

Those findings highlighted a challenge that those of us doing charitable work understood well. Across the non-profit sector, we know the impact we are having, but the public doesn't always see it. The stories we tell, or don't tell, shape how our organisations are perceived and whether they are seen as credible, effective and essential contributors to our community. One story of poor or questionable management taints the picture of the entire sector, when so many more instances exist of excellence, professionalism and impact.

That is why, over the past several years, the Non-Profit Alliance has deliberately invested in raising the profile of Bermuda’s non-profit sector as a whole. The goal has been to shift the community narrative and help people better understand non-profits as professional, collaborative and impactful organisations making an essential contribution to Bermuda; hopefully then inspiring them to get more involved.

Over the past five years, we have run two major public awareness campaigns. The first used animated videos across social media and during Bermuda Broadcasting’s evening news. The second was Third Sector Spotlight, which profiled non-profits every week through The Royal Gazette, Bernews and social media. Third Sector Spotlight also went beyond simply providing publicity. NAB supported participating organisations to articulate the problem they were addressing, explain their approach, demonstrate their impact and communicate their contribution to Bermuda more clearly.

Encouragingly, the picture is beginning to change. A 2026 Omnibus Survey found that trust and confidence in Bermuda's non-profits had increased from 59 per cent in 2023 to 65 per cent in 2026. Trust today is driven largely by perceptions that non-profits help people and have strong reputations. Perhaps even more encouraging is what we learnt about those who still lack confidence. Limited information and familiarity are now more commonly associated with a lack of trust, while general negative perceptions were less frequently cited than they were in 2023. That is something worth celebrating, even if we cannot attribute that shift to any one initiative.

There is, however, still considerable opportunity ahead. Greater trust has also not necessarily translated into greater engagement. Our latest research found that only seven in ten residents support non-profits through donations, while just three in ten support the sector through volunteering or serving on a board, both measures having declined from the 2023 Omnibus survey. Changing perceptions is therefore only part of the task; we also need to turn greater understanding into greater connection.

This is why it is important for us to continue to campaign the sectors' value, importance and need. At NAB, we are excited to be launching phase two of Third Sector Spotlight. Through Third Sector Thursdays, in partnership with The Daily Hour, Bermuda will hear directly from a different non-profit every other week over the next two years. These conversations will go beyond individual programmes, events or fundraising appeals to explore the problems organisations are working to solve, what they are doing about them, what evidence tells us about their impact and how the community can get involved.

If negativity naturally attracts our attention, then positive stories need to be told — and retold. That does not mean creating an artificially positive picture of the non-profit sector. Non-profits face real challenges and should be held accountable for demonstrating that their work makes a difference. But those challenges should sit alongside the thousands of stories of impact, innovation, collaboration and human connection happening across our Island every day.

We hope you will tune in to Third Sector Thursdays twice each month, learn about an organisation you may not know, hear about an issue affecting our community and understand what is being done about it. Then, perhaps, consider where you may fit in — as a donor, volunteer, board member, advocate or simply someone who understands a little more about the role Bermuda’s non-profits play in building a thriving and more equitable community.

• Nicola Paugh PhD is executive director of the Non-Profit Alliance of Bermuda