The appeal for Bermuda to establish national standards for charities was again made yesterday by the Bank of Bermuda Foundation?s director and secretary David Lang.

Mr. Lang was speaking at the Hamilton Rotary Club?s weekly meeting and reinforced the message that chairman of the Centre on Philanthropy Cummings Zuill made clear during a presentation at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute in May and that ACE CEO and chairman Brian Duperreault proclaimed at the United Bermuda Party?s annual gala later that same month.

Mr. Lang emphasised in his talk that ?it is more rewarding to watch money change the world than to watch it accumulate,? a quote attributed to American feminist Gloria Steinman, who is most commonly known for founding Ms. magazine, the first US national magazine run by women.

Mr. Lang underscored the importance of charities in Bermuda with regard to the Island?s social issues, saying: ?Charities deliver a significant portion of the Island?s drug treatment and prevention services. They educate our children and provide a significant portion of Bermuda?s health care needs.?

Among the challenges threatening our charities, Mr. Lang mentioned the availability of funding and volunteers and credibility among the organisations. Mr. Lang attributed the first two challenges, in part, to the lack of credibility, explaining that without being assured of a charity?s legitimacy, few people will volunteer their time or money to such an organisation. Mr. Lang declared that the remedy to there concerns could be national standards that provide structure and support for charities.

Mr. Duperreault had said in May during his keynote address for the UBP gala: ?If we can put in place effective legislation, regulations and infrastructure to support our volunteerism, as we did with international business, we will have a powerful weapon to use as we battle the social ills eating away at Bermuda,? and Mr. Lang echoed this sentiment yesterday.

He said: ?Without national standards, our charities are unsure of the community?s expectations of them, and donors are unsure as to how they can distinguish an efficient charity from a dysfunctional one.

?Certainly at the moment, we have charities operating within a very broad spectrum. Many of them operate at a very high standard with committed boards, strategic plans, measures of success and a strong accountability to their donors, their volunteers and their clients. Others, however, are not as well developed. They are manned by well-meaning volunteers but operate in an inefficient way that compromises their accountability to supporters and their service to clients.?

Mr. Lang noted that national standards would decrease the risk of non-profit abuse as the dollars raised by charities increase, for in the absence of independent auditing, the opportunity for abuse is growing.

Standards would also ensure programme quality across the board, ensuring that client offerings are carried out by suitably qualified personnel in appropriate facilities with measurable results.

The standards would also ensure what Mr. Lang called ?the good housekeeping seal of approval?.

He said: ?National standards would help to assure the donating public that those charities that operate under the standards are legitimate.?

Such standards are currently being developed as a joint project between the National Drug Commission, the Centre on Philanthropy and the Donor Forum, which includes major corporate givers such as Bank of Bermuda Foundation and the ACE Foundation, and some top business professionals.