How do you give back to your community?
I am passionate about creating opportunities for the growth and empowerment of those who want to make a difference in our community, which is why I choose to devote my time to projects that hopefully make a lasting positive impact and build capacity in Hawai‘i.

For the past five years, I have been excited to serve as dean for the Rotary District 5000 Leadership Academy where I help to prepare our state’s most talented Rotary leaders to become the next leaders in our community. I also serve on the board of the Association for Fundraising Professionals-Aloha Chapter (AFP) and as chair of the National Philanthropy Day (NPD) conference, an all-day conference dedicated to educating, inspiring and celebrating those who drive positive change through philanthropy.

Lastly, I serve as co-chair of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) Advancement Roundtable, a platform that facilitates collaboration and knowledge-sharing among advancement professionals in our independent

schools. These roles enable me to bring together a diverse group of nonprofit and community leaders, fundraisers, and philanthropists to share insights, inspire each other, and amplify the impact of our collective efforts.

We all have something that we can give to help uplift our community. Volunteering my time in the community gives me purpose. Sometimes a service project can seem too small to be significant, but I strongly believe that each volunteer act is a tiny step in creating the change we want to see in our world.

How do you support local businesses?
As a fundraiser and community volunteer, I make it a priority to support, hire, promote, and collaborate with local businesses. We hold functions at Hawai‘i businesses to showcase their locations, products, and services. We order meals for events from area restaurants or hire local caterers to bring in food and servers.

We purchase gift items from locally owned vendors for our donors and event guests, contract with Hawaii based service providers, and seek out opportunities to collaborate with local businesses on various initiatives. These practices help to ensure that our events will have a unique local flavor while promoting local businesses to a wider audience.

What is the biggest challenge you see in Hawai‘i? How do you think it can be fixed?
Despite living in paradise, Hawai‘i faces numerous significant challenges. One of these challenges is the sustainability of our non-profit community. Non-profit organizations play a vital role in addressing various social, economic, and environmental issues, yet they often struggle with limited funding and resources.

Many non-profits operate on tight budgets and rely heavily on donations, grants, and government funding. Securing consistent and adequate funding can help these organizations expand their services, reach more people, and have a greater impact on the community. Establishing more grant programs, encouraging corporate philanthropy, and increasing government support can provide the necessary financial backing for these vital organizations.

In addition, we need to create more opportunities for nonprofits to build their internal capacity. This includes funding for staff training, professional development, and infrastructure improvements. Creating platforms for nonprofits to share resources, knowledge, and best practices and encouraging non-profits to develop sustainable funding models can also help.

Raising awareness about the work of nonprofits and encouraging partnerships between nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies can create a greater collective impact. Better support of our non-profit community enables them to tackle Hawai‘i’s challenges more effectively. Strengthening our non-profits ultimately leads to a more resilient, equitable, and thriving community.