Pamela Barit Nolan has been The Centre on Philanthropy’s executive director since 2005.Since that time she has more than quadrupled its non-profit clients, helped implement volunteer.bm, an online volunteer matching system, and had December 5 recognised as National Volunteer Day.As Mrs Barit Nolan prepares to step down from her role at the end of the year, she talked to The Royal Gazette about the rewards and challenges of her job and her plans for the future.It was during a two-year break from the corporate world that Pamela Barit Nolan decided to make the shift to the non-profit sector.She left a 20-year career in the financial services industry and decided to travel through the US, Asia, Australia and New Zealand with her husband, Gil Nolan.Experiences on that trip caused the Nolans to re-evaluate their personal values and goals, including the way they lived and what they really needed from life.It was a move that led Ms Nolan to the post she’s held for the past seven years executive director at The Centre on Philanthropy. In that time she has led staff in developing programmes and services to strengthen the non-profit sector.The organisation had been dormant for nearly 18 months before her arrival. She moved quickly to ensure they established programmes focused on best practice non-profit management, volunteer recruitment and management, information sharing, collaborative fundraising and non-profit benefit programmes.During the first two years of her leadership, The Centre launched volunteer.bm and lobbied for and succeeded in having December 5th designated as National Volunteer Day.The Centre also developed and held Bermuda’s first third sector conference bringing global best practices for the third sector to stakeholders that were not able to travel overseas. Since 2007, the conference has brought 45 speakers to the Island.Now under the leadership of Danielle Riviere and supported by Ms Nolan, the conference is lauded as a world-class event and considered one of the organisation’s signature offerings attracting over 200 non-profit representatives each year.Online database www.volunteer.bm now has more than 5,000 volunteers registered and more than 100 non-profits recruiting new volunteers on it every day. Everyone from schoolchildren to senior citizens can now more easily find opportunities that meet their availability and interests.National Volunteer Day has also become a highlight of The Centre’s annual calendar. Ms Nolan said: “We celebrate this day each year with a reception generously hosted by Ace. Last year we had 97 volunteers recognised from 75 non-profit. It’s one of my favourite celebrations.”More recently, and in light of the economic decline, The Centre has been in a unique position to rally community members to raise funds for their favourite causes.The Centre currently runs two annual events that inject over $100,000 into the local non-profit sector. Give Back Games, which allows 12 corporate participants to select and compete in a beach Olympics for a charity of their choice, raises close to $80,000 each year; fundraising event Walk the Walk this year welcomed over 1,000 participants who raised close to $30,000 for 95 non-profits on the Island.Ms Nolan grew up exposed to volunteering. She remembers being seven or eight and helping her mother Gaynor Buesser in her work as a Pink Lady in the Extended Care Unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.“I would sit in the lounge with the residents and brush some of the ladies hair or read books to some that had lost their sight,” she recalled.“As a little girl it was wonderful to see the appreciation of these seniors [who had few visitors]. That certainly sparked my desire to help others.”It was harder to find time to volunteer after beginning her career, but she said she tried to find ways within the work environment to give back.While working at the Bank of Bermuda (New York) Ltd, she oversaw the community reinvestment activities; at Wellington Management she became involved in the company’s charitable fund and was tasked with reviewing grant applications that came in.“So my first two experiences with the non-profit sector were on the funding side rather than on the non-profit side. I also sat on a few non-profit boards, [but] The Centre was my first experience working as a staff member of a non-profit,” she explained.While there have been many accomplishments throughout her time at The Centre, there have also been some challenges.One important lesson learned was “not to get too caught up in specific outcomes” when it comes to collaborative projects.“I have learned to be more flexible as ideas develop and change and as long as the group is working together and towards a common goal — it’s okay. Sometimes that is hard to let go of a specific vision, but I think I have gotten better at that over time,” she explained.Although disappointed that charity legislation had not yet been updated, she expressed hope that there would be some success in the coming year.She was also adamant that none of these successes would have been possible without a dedicated board, staff and loyal volunteers.“I feel one of my best accomplishments has been finding people that are passionate about serving and helping the community through The Centre,” Ms Nolan said.“We answer over 1,500 help desk calls each year and have a constant flow of activity at our offices on Wesley Street. We often get comments about what a warm and welcoming space the office is and how great the help is when you come through the door, are greeted by Betty or Dornell, and get the help needed quickly.”Ms Nolan got emotional when talking about the men and women behind the Island's non-profits, people she has gotten to work with over the years.“The people working and volunteering at our non-profit are incredible," she said. "They work so hard to do what is right for this community and I have been privileged to work alongside of them, to be a confidant when needed, a coach if that was required and sometimes just a friend to celebrate a milestone with.“When I returned to the Island and took up my post at The Centre I was a stranger to many, but since then I have made so many wonderful friends. I hope to maintain these connections as I move on. We really do have an incredible community.”Ms Nolan’s job at The Centre will end on December 31. Her plan is to take a short break and then begin developing a coaching practice helping women to dream big and then achieve those dreams.