AT least one charity seems to have responded to Government's call for non-profit organisations to show greater accountability in their day-to-day operations. The Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust (BHCT) this week announced its executive director, Wendy Augustus, has achieved a first for the island - an executive certificate in non-profit management from the Centre for Public & Non-Profit Leadership, at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

The announcement follows an expressed desire by the Ministry of Social Rehabilitation to change the Charities Act in order to improve degrees of accountability, registration and transparency.

The importance of such change was echoed by Ms Augustus, who spoke with the Mid-Ocean News about why she undertook the Georgetown programme earlier this summer.

"What it does is make the position more professional, it's almost like a graduate certificate," she explained. "One thing that I think we've always struggled with in non-profit is our image. I think people see us as mom and pop stores, (organisations) that come in with a good vision saying let's execute (this or that).

"We're now being held now to much higher technical and ethical standards.

"And so, in order to have credibility, in order to let donors know that we're worthwhile in who we are and what we do, I think we need to actually continue to look at this industry becoming more professional."

More and more respected institutions are offering programmes similar to the one she took, as world wide, non-profit organisations are run as professional entities, Ms Augustus added.

Completed over a ten-day period, her course examined advocacy and the public interest, financial management and problem-solving skills, governance, negotiation strategies for non-profit leaders, private and non-profit partnerships, resource and fund development, strategic planning and volunteer management.

"The calibre of the course was both extensive and challenging," she said. "The global trend in the non-profit sector is towards the professionalisation of the field.

"Through course work, industry best-practices and case studies, we explored the specific topics and skills necessary for work in this area, and how they can be applied to a real-life, non-profit setting.

"This isn't just a certificate of achievement, but my testament to the commitment and professionalism of this industry. I am excited to use this expertise to expand my role at the BHCT and to introduce new ideas in non-profit management in Bermuda.

"From what I understand, more and more universities are offering graduate certificate programmes and also graduate degrees.

"It's evolving to a point where the standards are being set and we have to meet those challenges. In meeting those challenges we have to be skilled. And in order to become skilled, it becomes a point of saying, 'Let's look at a university'."

BHCT chairman Philip Butterfield applauded her effort.

"The executive certificate in non-profit management forges an important link between non-profit theory and its application in a real world setting, and achieving this designation is another feather in Wendy's cap," he said. "I offer my congratulations to Wendy and wish her continued success with the BHCT."

The BHCT was founded in 2003 as a fundraising arm for the Bermuda Hospitals Board.

"I think right now, the challenge for charitable organisations is (in explaining how they're) governed, their leadership. I think donors are now looking (at the inside operations of an) organisation as opposed to looking at the programmes they put out. They want to know how charities are managed. Ethics is a big thing within this industry. And I think that when you bring in people that are capable and reliable, the strength of the organisation is raised much higher.

"The area of fundraising has changed so much and our challenges are pretty much the same as any other non-profit. The only difference, when you look at some non-profit organisations, their goal is to educate, to bring awareness and sometimes their goal is about advocacy. The Charitable Trust's role is more specific. Our goal is to fundraise and to assist the hospital in any way possible. Our focus is very clear-cut."

As such, the BHCT is subject to a different form of scrutiny, she added.

"I think what people are really looking - they want to know what are we doing, what we intend on doing and how well are we going to execute that. (My) immediate goal is to get direction from the hospital on what it intends on doing. The second goal is to actually help them fundraise, in order to visualise and make that goal a reality. The third goal is to make sure that the donor community supports all of those."

Plans to replace King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with a new facility are still under consideration, the executive director said.

"That's still a work in progress. It's evolved and it's been a great time for us to make sure we have our ducks in a row - to make sure that when we actually do go to the donor community, that we help them to understand what will the future for healthcare look like and how can it support those efforts."

Her recent certification should prove a great assistance in moving forward with those plans, Ms Augustus stated.

"As executive directors we wear a lot of hats, especially in non-profits. I have so many hats to wear because it's only two of us, and so many responsibilities to my trustees and also to the board of the hospital. The certification gave me three things - the ability to professionalise what I do and how I do it, to get some of the technical skills in order to make my business and also my non-profit arms much more stronger and basically, to let people know that the leadership in the organisation is competent and trained.

"My biggest goal is to ensure that this organisation is strong, that it does what it's supposed to do and does it in an ethical manner - we want it to speak volumes on how well we run the business, how well the community trusts us and how well we support healthcare for the future."

She expressed hope that others would take advantage of the career opportunities on offer in her field.

"Sometimes I think non-profit arena is one you fall into. When you're going through schools and universities, no one suggests (consider it as a career). I think that we have to change that dynamic. I was reading an interview yesterday with Michelle Obama (wife of US presidential candidate and Illinois Senator Barack), where she said we've got to change the conversation. And we do have to change the conversation.

"Non-profit is a sector that is growing. It's growing in the way in which we deal with certain entities and we must help to educate people that this is a career. I think we look at non-profit more from a volunteer aspect than a career aspect - we're held to the same level that any business is."

World wide, approximately 19 million people are employed in the non-profit industry, she added.

"That's a huge population that you're talking about but I don't think we're given the same esteem that other organisations are.

"I'd like to change the conversation. I'd like it so people recognise that we are professionals, that there are professional programmes out there that are directly related to non-profit, that (such organisations) actually have good governance, that we can be competitive like anyone else. The same skill sets that are required anywhere else, are generally required (for professional positions) in non-profit.

"When you really, really think about it, people who enter the non-profit arena are often driven, they're committed to make the organisation authentic, to change their community. But I think the strength of a non-profit is its leadership.

"And that leadership has to be meaningful and it definitely has to become very salient in what it does. That's one of the reasons why I'm here and I think there are quite a number of opportunities for others."