Bermuda’s charity leaders must pursue a common vision and be committed to improving their organisations, according to the Centre on Philanthropy.

Unveiling plans for a fifth biennial Third Sector Conference to be held in 2016, the umbrella organisation pointed out that the 400 non-profit groups here have raised millions of dollars through hours of volunteer work, and it was therefore essential that charities are “equipped and skilled to serve the social needs of our community”.

The centre has held a biennial conference since 2007 to enable non-profit organisations to “learn, network and collaborate on the common issues that face the sector”.

“Highly qualified professionals from within the sector, both Bermudian and from overseas are invited to speak/present, meet and collaborate with our community stakeholders,” a spokesman said.

The next conference was scheduled to be held next year, but had to be moved back to February 2016 because the venue, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel, is undergoing renovations.

“The Conference is themed to address the overriding issues of the day and past themes have included ‘Together We Can’, ‘Changing Our World’, ‘The Power of One’ and ‘Giving in Partnership’,” the spokesman said.

“The Centre on Philanthropy will be reaching out to its members very shortly to obtain their feedback on the theme for 2016 as well as what topics and speakers that they may recommend.”

Centre on Philanthropy Executive Director Elaine Butterfield added: “There are distinct advantages to holding our own conference here in Bermuda. Cost is essential, but additionally, the opportunity to gather as a group to share and learn from each other’s experiences and collaborate on the issues is priceless. The Third Sector Conference is two days of education and inspiration that helps shape the way the sector moves forward.

“There can be no doubt that Bermuda faces unprecedented challenges, across all sectors of the community. There can also be no doubt that the Third Sector has an important role to play — by working together, with Government and the private sector, we can get more done and be more effective at it.”