Q: When did you join the Centre?

A: I started in November. I am the programme manager. I'm pretty much responsible for ensuring that all of the Centre's activities, our workshops ? we're holding our first Third Sector Conference this year ? just ensuring that everything is working. Where did you work before you joined the Centre?

A: I was at PRIDE. I worked at PRIDE for three years as project manager and before that I had worked at PRIDE as its youth coordinator. So I've been in the charity business for a while.And what led you into charity work?

A: My degree is actually in elementary education ? I actually love working with children. I think that gave me the (interest in) wanting to help the community, to work in the community. When I decided that I was not going to teach, I first looked to see how I could still be involved with young people. Having been affiliated with PRIDE in the States as well as here in Bermuda, I decided that I would work with them. They were starting new programmes and once I got involved in the industry of charity and non-profit and helping the community, I discovered it was my calling.What do your duties involve as programme manager?

A: The Centre is actually a very unique place because it acts as a helping source for other charities and donors. It's kind of an umbrella agency that assists charities in getting to be better organisations, as well as helping donors to better understand the industry, helping them to better understand the role they play with charities and how they can better assist the community.What kind of role do charities play in Bermuda? How vital are they to our progress as a society?

A: There are 400 charities on the book but there are only about 250 charities that are actually functioning, that are actually in operation. I would say that charities are a serious part of Bermuda's foundation when it comes to social issues. We have a very active Government which is very involved, but there are a lot of gaps where we need groups of people to come together who really care about an issue and if they're interested in it and they have the passion for it, then they have the opportunity to kind of see how they can help and make Bermuda a better place.Is it difficult drawing members of the community into non-profit work?

A: I think the unique thing about Bermuda is that Bermudians care. A survey was done, the Centre did a survey and found that 44 per cent of Bermudians volunteer. Which is a high number. I think it's about 29 per cent in the States. Bermudians care and they are involved in their community. So it's not difficult to find them. We've actually launched a new system, an online system called the Bermuda Volunteer Centre which kind of helps charities and volunteers get together. There are a lot of people who want to volunteer, but they don't necessarily know where or how to find an agency, or they might not have the time to look to find somewhere they can volunteer. Our system allows them to go online and search, based on their interests and based on what time they have. Basically, if they're interested in an organisation or a cause, then they can go online and search. As well as it allows charities to post positions and (thereby) get new volunteers that they might never have had access to. And the Centre is involved how?

A: Well we act as the hub. We basically facilitate the process. We have an awareness campaign that we'll be starting in a couple of weeks to kind of push volunteerism and we'll be working with the charities in a volunteer management workshop to help charities better manage volunteers. But no, it's not our programme. We're in charge of it, I guess, but the charities actually drive it. They have to post positions and they have to manage their volunteers. How involved with the charities are you?

A: We actually have a membership base although we do work with all registered charities. We send information to them, we invite them to our workshops and any activities that we have. But we have a membership base and that membership base is basically our main contact. Those are the agencies that we push our materials toward although we do have an e-bulletin that goes out to all members as well as non-members ? so we're open to all charities who need information. And then through the workshops, they learn how they can better assist the community.You mentioned Bermuda's 44 per cent volunteer rate. Is that comprised largely of retirees?

A: Actually no. We've found that the majority of volunteers actually volunteer in their church ? which is not surprising. A lot of people in all age groups do volunteer across the board but they found that most people volunteer in their churches. We believe that people will volunteer more. We believe we can make that 44 per cent get more involved as well as increase the number. And our goal is to get it up to at least 50 per cent by the next year.Do you think that's possible considering how busy we are as a society?

A: I do think it's possible. Bermudians are very kind hearted. I do think that time becomes an issue. I think that people think, I wish I could give or I wish I could do, but I don't have time to call all the charities or I don't have time to find out where I want to go. Or if someone makes a suggestion, it's not really what they're interested in. I think everybody knows the common places where you can volunteer but they might not be something that's interesting to them. This system allows them to actually determine where their interest is and so I think it will increase the number of volunteers that come out and get involved.You mentioned volunteering in churches. Are you referring to specific acts of charity organised to benefit a particular agency?

A: No, not necessarily. More directly volunteering for the church. Within churches you have so many opportunities to volunteer ? you can usher, you can be involved with the youth group, you can be involved with the Sunday school. There's a lot of ways in the churches that people do volunteer.We've all heard of PALS, TB & Cancer and so on, but do the smaller charities attract as many volunteers?

A: There are a lot of charities out there, the list is long. There are small charities, there are large charities. I think half of the 250 charities that we know are active, probably have a budget of less than $25,000. They might not have a full-time employee. They might be completely run by volunteers or they might have one employee and the rest of the staff is run on a volunteer basis. So there's a vast range. I know people know the common charities but there are a lot of organisations and a lot of people that are out there doing good things and just trying to help. Just because they're small doesn't mean they're not making an impact. Some of them can make the largest impact because they're concentrating on a small group of people that definitely can feel their work. Can you give an example?

A: Well, I have a heart for animals. There's the SPCA, which is the larger charity, but there's also a group of people who go out feeding the stray cats so that they're taken care of. I think that's not something that's necessarily well-known although it's one that's close to my heart because I love animals. There are charities that help young people, there are charities that help our seniors ? the Admiralty House programme, the Bermuda Senior Islanders, that pulls the seniors together ? so there's a lot of different charities that are out there. We have the environmental charities ? I was just at KBB which is a charity that's very well known, but for the past few years has kind of dropped off and they're now trying to get back up and running. So there are a lot of charities out there that are doing things.Is there any area that you look at and feel it isn't being well-served?

A: When I first came here it was interesting because I was coming from another charity into the Centre. There are people out there that come up with ideas when really and truly there's a charity out there that they could probably partner with, that's doing something similar to what they're interested in. And, because there are so many charities in Bermuda, it's one thing we encourage people to do first ? look at what agencies are out there, what organisations are out there. If they have any questions they're welcome to call the Centre. If they have an idea and want to do something with it, they can call us and ask us. We can direct them if there's a charity out there that they can partner with or talk to or share their ideas with. So that's one of the areas where I think that the Centre is very valuable ? when it comes to charities wanting to get started. We also have the information they need to get (their charity) through the Registrar General's office and all the paperwork. We've actually just had a meeting with (the Minister for Social Rehabilitation Dale) Butler and gone through the Charities Act with him in trying to help assist with that process. The Centre is definitely geared towards looking at what the charities need as well as the donors and I think that's something that we have to always remember because although we know that the donors are out there and are interested, they don't always know what is happening necessarily ? what charities are doing, what charities are active, what charities are responsible handlers of funds. So they rely on the Centre and are looking at how we work with our membership base as well as how they can benefit the community.So they can assume that any organisation registered with you is a bona fide charity?

A: You have to be a registered charity to be a part of the Centre on Philanthropy. So you have to have gone through the Registrar General and applied. The Registrar General is actually trying to do a better job ? I guess you could say ? of looking to see what organisations are already established so that there isn't as much duplication of what people want to do and what's already being done. How difficult is it to establish a charity?

A: It's actually not that difficult, which is one of the things the Charities Act is going to look at ? kind of raising the standards. That's one of the things the Centre has been working with (various organisations) to increase the standards for charities. It's not so much so that people can't get registered or can't become charities, it's more just so that people are responsible with the funds they are receiving as well as to help charities do better for the community. So right now, it's not very difficult to become a charity. You do have to fill out forms and send them to the Registrar General and they will then look and see what charities are out there, are already in existence, if there's a duplication. And if there's not and they feel that what you're proposing is good, then they will permit you and give you a charity number.What particularly are you trying to strengthen?

A: The Ministry has been looking at it for some time now, looking at strengthening the Act and making some changes and the Centre has offered to be a voice within that. (We've also offered) to hold focus groups and to assist with the process, to make sure that charities as well as donors as well as the rest of the community, understand and agree with the changes.What do you hope to achieve here?

A: Right now what I'm excited about in coming to the Centre is that the Centre has been around for 16 years and it's kind of in a rebirth stage. For the past year they've been doing a lot of workshops and a lot of activities and this year they're actually launching their first Third Sector Conference ? which is going to be in June. I think it's exciting to be involved in an organisation where you can see change. You can see people come in and have questions and walk out with answers. And when you work for an organisation and you can see that it's making a difference, I always think that that's what makes you want to come to work every day?Did your parents foster an interest in charity work as you were growing up?

A: My mother has always been very involved in the community and as a child, that's what I grew up seeing. I grew up with my parents always offering a hand to people and always wanting to make sure, if people needed help, that they got it. And so I did grow up with that. And I grew up knowing that, in some way, no matter what I was doing, no matter what my job was, that I would make a difference in the community whether it was that I was volunteering or whether it was that I was working with a charity. I knew that I would help Bermuda to be a better place.