Last summer, the website VOLUNTEER.bm launched a campaign in tandem with Bermuda's 400th Anniversary celebrations. "Our goal was to reach 4,000 volunteers in 400 days," said Jennifer Burland Adams, Development and Engagement Manager for the Centre on Philanthropy.

Interviewed shortly before the deadline, Ms Adams added: "We're pretty optimistic we'll reach that."

According to the centre, last year nearly 1,000 volunteers created profiles on VOLUNTEER.bm.

With community service mandatory in the Island's schools, Bermudians from Primary Six upward are now required to volunteer a number of hours. "In all secondary schools it's at least 20 hours per year," Ms Adams said. "Some of them go up with their requirements."

Although the website caters to all, VOLUNTEER.bm fills a niche for school age Bermudians: a recent visitor to the site found a quick checklist of schedule needs, hours required and types of volunteering. The site is interactive, allowing a customised search for volunteer activities, and includes a short list of suggestions for those short on time. It also permits users to search for activities suitable to their age group and their location in Bermuda.

Ms Adams said, "Right now the site has profiles for 178 nonprofit organisations. The profiles tell you what kind of work they do and what their mission is, and posts volunteer opportunities that are available, so you can select something small such as a bake sale to longer-term opportunities such as coming in somewhere once a week."

The registration procedure appears about as simple as signing on for an email account, and all the data is stored on a protected site. "It's all private, and none of your information is going to be sold," Ms Adams said. "The site makes everyone's life easier and it's great for volunteering, which is such a vital part of our community in Bermuda."

The centre has found that roughly 44 percent of Bermudians volunteer for the community. It also identifies "lack of time" as the main reason why more do not. VOLUNTEER.bm is at the fore of its efforts to simplify this process and get more of us – and not just students – connected with the most suitable volunteering opportunities.

"Back in the day, you usually had to call a charity that you knew of and you had to find out for yourself what was available," Ms Adams said. "With the Internet you can find activities based on when you're available and what you're most interested in, or you can just learn about the organisation. Once you've set up your profile, you click on a tab saying you want to volunteer."

The Centre on Philanthropy has keenly promoted the site at Bermuda's schools, both to students and teachers. Representatives from the centre are available to speak at school assemblies or give talks showing students how to use VOLUNTEER.bm.

For younger students, community service is generally just a recommended school activity. Ms Adams said: "It can be more difficult to find opportunities for primary school aged kids, but they can still use the site to search for opportunities with family members or with supervision."