Centre on Philanthropy’s Conference Report

The Centre on Philanthropy’s Third Sector Conference, held February 24-26, challenged charities and their donors to move beyond accepted norms and into the “Adventure of Change”.

For two-and-half days The Fairmont Hamilton Princess was home to more than 175 members of Bermuda’s third sector as they listened, laughed, shared and ultimately learned from some of the world’s most renowned leaders and innovators in the nonprofit field.

A spokesperson said, “Time and again these presenters made the case for change that, whilst scary and daunting, inevitably presents opportunity. With the Government embarked on sharp cuts across its services it is the charitable community that will pick up the slack. Be it the Arts, Social Services, Sports or Education charities were encouraged to make use of modern technologies, engage their board members, explore new media and build partnerships with the people and organisations that fund them.”

“One of the central themes to the conference was that the days of simply picking up a cheque are over,” says Pamela Barit Nolan, executive director of The Centre on Philanthropy. “But maybe not in the way you think. The point being hammered home is that donors, philanthropists, volunteers, want to feel a connection to the service they are supporting and it is up to the charity to make sure they do.”

Tony Elischer, of THINK Consulting Ltd., summed it up for the standing room only Harbourview Ballroom crowd by encouraging them to be willing to “destroy what they are used to doing and then re-imagine what is possible.”

“A lot of media attention is focused on decreases in funding available for nonprofits, but this event was all about lifting the third sector, sharing new ideas and collaborating on how we can all improve the work we do,” continues Ms Barit Nolan. “Make no mistake, we recognize the scope of the challenges that lie ahead but to focus only on the negative would be a disservice to the hard working people of the third sector.”

Accepting the “Adventure of Change” was the message delivered by Dr. Jeff Salz, an author, explorer, cultural anthropologist and TV personality, who closed the conference. By sharing tales of his search for the meaning of life in the wild lands of Argentina’s Patagonia mountains, Dr. Salz says it is service to others that we are all seeking. Those in the third sector can take heart, he said, because they are already serving their community and that there is meaning in that service.

The conference, which is hosted by The Centre biennially, featured 23 speakers from the US, UK, Canada and Bermuda. Participants included nonprofit staff, board members, faith-based groups, charitable foundations and corporate donors, individual volunteers and philanthropists.

Other highlights included the presentation of The Centre’s Youth of the Year Award, a special 20th Anniversary presentation, a focus group addressing the challenges presented by the 2011 budget, and more.

The Centre would like to thanks the many sponsors and volunteers that helped make the conference such an uplifting event.

[Photo courtesy of Peter Backeberg]

#CharityEvents #SeminarsInBermuda

Category: All