HANOCON is our largest annual gathering in which we bring together nonprofit professionals–as well as sector allies, supporters, and advocates–to network, learn, share ideas, collaborate, and partner. A schedule of the days’ events appears below, followed by descriptions of each session.
View additional 2019 conference details here.
Conference Schedule
PRE-CONFERENCE SESSIONS | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2019
Registration for these two pre-conference sessions is completely separate from the main conference event on Friday, Oct. 11. For complete descriptions and registration links, click the session titles listed below:
- A Disaster DIET: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Transformation Before, During, and After Emergencies
- Deep Roots: Navigating Mission-Driven Executive Transitions in Hawaiʻi
HANOCON & AWARDS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
07:30 to 08:15 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
08:15 to 09:45 a.m. Welcome, Opening Remarks, and Plenary Presentation
09:45 to 10:00 a.m. Coffee Break – Visit Exhibitors
10:00 to 11:15 a.m. Morning Breakout Sessions
11:15 to 11:30 a.m. Break – Visit Exhibitors
11:30 to 01:30 p.m. Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon
01:30 to 02:00 p.m. Break – Visit Exhibitors
02:00 to 03:15 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions #1
03:15 to 03:30 p.m. Break – Visit Exhibitors
03:30 to 04:45 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions #2
04:45 to 06:00 p.m. Pau Hana Reception
View additional 2019 conference details here.
Session Descriptions
Get Expert Support: When, Why & How to Work with Consultants
session time:
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
presented by:
Hawaiʻi Community Benefit Consultants
Does your organization have a need or problem that a consultant might be able to help with? Not sure? Come and learn best practices in hiring and working with external consultants. Meet members of and learn about the Hawaiʻi Community Benefit Consultant hui, a local resource and solution for nonprofit needs, and participate in roundtable discussions with consultants, where you can get some guidance on your questions in their areas of expertise such as fundraising, grant writing, talent development, communications, and more. Leave with a directory of external consulting resources and a handout on best practices for hiring consultants.
Getting Partners on the Same Page: Using Visual Templates to Create Shared Understanding
session time:
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
presented by:
Cynthia Y.H. Derosier, The Good Juju Co.
Tomi Nagai-Rothe, Leapfrog Consulting/Leapfrog Learning Lab
Karen Ijichi Perkins, Leapfrog Consulting/Leapfrog Learning Lab
The complex systems of collaboratives (i.e. collective impact, place-based initiatives) require visual tools to see the big picture. This session will share the Accelerate Collaboration Model (includes 7 templates) and demonstrate how the wall-sized Community Systems Map can easily help illustrate the system in which a collaborative or agency functions including organizational relationships, environmental trends, and unmet needs. Presenters will facilitate a demonstration of the Community Systems Map and provide participants with copies of the Accelerate Collaboration Model and Leapfrog’s Suggested Template/Activity Sequence. We will also facilitate a large group conversation about how participants could use these visual tools to help get partner organizations on the same page.
Honest Conversations: Paying a Living Wage in Your Nonprofit
session time:
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
presented by:
Momi Akimseu, Bank of Hawaii Foundation
Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian, Hawaiʻi Island Adult Care
Kim Coco Iwamoto, Iwamoto Family Foundation
Claire Sullivan, MAʻO Organic Farms
…and others
Join us for an engaging discussion about what and how socialized norms and organizational hypo-crises are perpetuating the socioeconomic inequalities present in our communities. Panelists will engage in a dynamic conversation about how organization leaders operationalize values and mission to uplift the community they are serving. They will share how they have contemplated and answered the following questions: How do nonprofits in Hawaiʻi reconcile their operations with the data presented in the 2015 Aloha United Way ALICE Report which reported that 48% of Hawaii households are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed? Are our lowest wage earners being paid a livable wage or are we paying “poverty wages”- are their kids eligible for free and reduced school lunch? What is the role of grant writers, executive staff, board members, funders and foundations in moving toward more economically sustainable communities?
Considering Social Enterprise: Ready or Not?
session time:
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
presented by:
Jessica LaBarbera, Nonprofit Finance Fund
Heather Piper, Hawaiʻi Community Reinvestment Corporation
Many nonprofits struggle to support the full cost of operating their businesses with traditional reliance on government and philanthropic grants. The hardest type of funding to secure is unrestricted, operating funding. This session will discuss the pros and cons of undertaking earned income ventures to support infrastructure investments as well as the full range of nonprofit capital needs (those tied to liquidity, adaptability and durability), the steps involved in assessing if your nonprofit is ready or not, and share resources available to support these endeavors.
Singing Up a Storm: Tuning in to the Creative rEvolution
session time:
2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
presented by:
Tanya Yamanaka Aynessazian, Hawaiʻi Island Adult Care
Sherri Thal, Musician and Music Educator
This session aims to inspire the Creative Warrior within. See firsthand the Artist’s role in creating momentum for social change both historically and more recently in Pahoa following the lava flow of 2018. Leaning on their musical theater and comedy experience, Sherri and Tanya teamed up as The Singing Lobbyists to express themselves and bring fun and play into advocacy during very trying and politically challenging times. Attendees will embark on a creative journey with Sherri and Tanya, showcasing emotional expression as a core component of social change. Learn how to get out of your head and create something from nothing—making many group decisions in a short amount of time—it’s easier than you think! Fire up the creative rEvolution: Everyone loves music, and everyone remembers what they sing. Experience firsthand how to raise awareness and educate and inform through writing in rhythm.
Strategically Improve the Way you Recruit and Retain the Right People for your Organization!
session time:
2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
presented by:
Kuʻulani Keohokalole, People Strategies Hawaiʻi, LLC
Verna Wong, Verna Wong HR Services, LLC
You’ve got a great mission. How do you find and keep the right people to carry it out? Learn effective talent recruitment and retention strategies that help to ensure stronger mission delivery. You’ll walk away from this session with applicable tools to begin developing a recruitment and retention plan for your organization that aligns to your overall mission and strategy. Participants will gain a high-level overview on how to develop a recruitment and retention plan to align with their mission strategy, learn action steps to begin implementing a recruitment and retention plan, and be able to leave with short-term ideas, which can be immediately be executed.
I Say Soy Sauce, You Say Shoyu: Identity, Power, & Privilege in Hawai’s Nonprofit Sector
session time:
2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
presented by:
Ophelia Bitanga-Isreal, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation
Joyce Lee-Ibarra, JLI Consulting
Hawaiʻi is seen by many as a model of racial and ethnic harmony, but we resist acknowledging an undercurrent of discord that often plays out in “us” versus “them” scenarios. These speak to our own identities, and the ways we see and understand power, privilege, and belonging. In this session, we invite participants to consider race, culture, power, and privilege through a local and personal lens. Together we will explore how our sense of self impacts our work in Hawaii’s nonprofit sector, especially our ability to nurture a mutual sense of respect and trust among the people, places, and communities we serve, and among one another.
How to Develop Social Enterprise Activities While Staying Mission Aligned: A Talk Story Session
session time:
2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
presented by:
Amber Ternus, Kauaʻi Humane Society
How has the social economy, grant economy, and donor community changed over the past 10 to 20 years? The new reality is that all nonprofits need to demonstrate their ability to be self-sufficient and stretch donations and grant dollars as far as possible. Social entrepreneurship (combining earning income with our mission work) is part of the new economy we all work in. This session will include a lively and honest discussion about what social enterprise means and how to do it in a way that stays mission aligned. Participants will hear about successful models employed by local nonprofits, brainstorm and share ideas for their own social enterprises, as well as discuss common fears and concerns about engaging in social enterprise endeavors.
Island-style Inclusion: Building Community & Connection
session time:
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
presented by:
Twinkle Borge, Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae & Hui Aloha
James Koshiba, Hui Aloha & Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae
The ways we approach “equity” and “inclusion” in Hawaiʻi are different than on the continent because we are gifted with great diversity, Aloha, and islands that heal and connect. One issue that has tested our inclusiveness, though, is the issue of homelessness or houselessness. The houseless village of Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae (POW) provides lessons in how to build inclusive community, even in the most challenging circumstances, and how heroic acts of community-building can inspire others – houseless and housed alike – to grow inclusive community together. Hui Aloha is a volunteer-driven effort that applies the lessons of Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae to help build community in challenging settings, including in houseless encampments across the island. Thru this work, HA aims to strengthen connections between people, and between people and place, that are the foundation for truly inclusive, equitable, and beloved community. Learn more at www.alohaliveshere.org and www.huialoha.org.
Let’s Talk About It!
session time:
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
presented by:
Georgianna DeCosta, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation
Ophelia Bitanga-Isreal, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation
…and Grantee/Partner Organizations
The inequality that exists in the grantee-funder equation is often attributed to a lack of trust. Funders usually approach their grant making with caution, and nonprofit grantees often feel that they can’t be transparent about their imperfections. In trust-based philanthropy, however, honest conversations occur between funders and grantees that result in more productive partnerships. In this session, participants will hear from both grantees and funders who will share their experiences in overcoming challenges. Participants will hear stories and learn tips on being brave and open in building trusting relationships to better serve our communities.
Youth Leadership in Nonprofits: the👍, the 👎, and the 💩
session time:
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
presented by:
Imiloa Borland, Vote16 Hawaii
Pedro Haro, Mental Health America of Hawaii
Grace Peralta, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii
Daniella White, Hawaii State Student Council
While many nonprofits that serve youth or families work towards being inclusive of youth voices, many are unsure of how to recruit, retain, or engage youth in leadership or advisory roles. This panel presentation will explore the best practices of youth leadership and local lessons learned through the eyes and voices of current and former student leaders. At the end of this session, participants will identify key strategies that have worked to recruit youth, the dos and don’ts of running a youth leadership program, and how to avoid engaging in “tokenism” when working with youth.