Public Policy & Advocacy
Giving Hawai‘i Nonprofits a Voice in Decision Making
Public policy affecting nonprofit organizations, whether at the federal, state or local level, is ever-changing. HANO can help you stay up-to-date on what you need to know.
Before HANO came to be in 2006, there was no sector-level voice at the decision-making table when nonprofit policy issues were discussed. HANO has emerged as the nonprofit sector advocate – tracking the issues, weighing in on the side of nonprofits and introducing or supporting policies that improve the operating environment for more than 7,000 nonprofits statewide.

Governments, hard-pressed to identify new revenue sources, have been looking closer at the nonprofit sector as a source for making up their budget deficits, devolving services they previously provided to the nonprofit sector. Their policy efforts can either enhance or hinder the nonprofit sector’s ability to deliver on the many missions that strengthen communities. Recently, disturbing trends across the nation remind us that nonprofits are not immune from government efforts to increase nonprofit taxation, remove nonprofit tax-exemptions, expand regulations and delay or reduce payments on government contracts. Good public policy and advocacy on the part of nonprofits can improve what should be a partnership with the government.