Hawaii Business picks six ‘Great Small Nonprofits’
In its November issue, Hawaii Business profiled six Hawaii nonprofits. They weren’t the biggest, fastest growing or most endowed organizations, though. Instead, the magazine looked at whether each agency achieves its mission, using as criteria a few key characteristics of successful nonprofits and then selecting agencies that exemplify these characteristics.
The list isn’t meant to be comprehensive or definitive – the magazine excluded large nonprofits and instead relied on the recommendations of nonprofit peers, especially funders, consultants and intermediary organizations that work with many agencies.
1. Clear, viable mission: Hanahauoli School – “The school makes the mission the centerpiece of what it does, not an afterthought. “Their board starts every meeting by having someone read the mission aloud. They really review it. Every employee there knows what the mission is. And they live it. … Hanahauoli School’s mission statement is a long, eloquent defense of the educational philosophy of John Dewey. It champions an experiential approach to education, one in which children learn by doing and develop at their own pace. That may seem abstract, but it’s reflected in everything the school does.”
2. Bias toward marketing: HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group support) -- Executive director Donna Witsell says, “Part of it is you start with people that are passionate about what you do. They really, really have a passionate belief in the mission of the organization. All of us know the wellbeing of the families that we serve depends on what we do. If you put that at the top, everything else falls into place quite neatly – most days.” Everybody in the organization is part of the marketing team, whether they know it or not.”
3. Assets-based approach: Hawaii Literacy – “Hawaii Literacy lets the children choose projects and how to implement them. Because the organization doesn’t emphasize their weaknesses, their strengths shine through. Older kids help younger ones. Poor kids work side by side with those who aren’t. (Hawaii Literacy doesn’t restrict its services to the poor.) All take ownership in the program. “
4. Enthusiasm for collaboration: Learning Disabilities Association of Hawaii – “You have to acknowledge what you’re not good at – even when those deficiencies directly affect your programs. Frequently, the answer to this conundrum is to collaborate and develop partnerships – with other nonprofits, government agencies or individuals. One agency that has embraced this is the Learning Disabilities Association of Hawaii, a nonprofit that enhances the education, work and life opportunities of disabled youth. ... The best example of LDAH’s collaboration is its School Readiness Program. … Some of the participating agencies include the Center on Disability Studies, Hale Naau Pono, Waianae Neighborhood Place, PATCH, Keiki o ka Aina, InPeace, the Community Children’s Council Office and several others.”
5. Advocacy: Good Beginnings Alliance – “Its real purpose is to educate the public, legislators and government officials about the importance of helping children from birth to fifth grade. Its real purpose is to track the policies and trends that affect young children. Its real purpose is to drum up support in the community for programs that improve their health and prepare them for an education. Its real purpose is to advocate for young kids.”
6. Community-based organization: North Kohala Community Resource Center – “In many ways, selecting NKCRC as a best nonprofit is cheating. As an agency whose mission is to serve as a fiscal sponsor and general enabler of other organizations, NKCRC can be thought of as a stand-in for the dozens of projects they support and the people behind them. But that’s exactly the point. The success of NKCRC is the quintessential bottom-up, self-organizing body that is community-based development.”
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