Staying up-to-date with information about what’s happening at the federal, state and local level is tough to do. But that’s just part of the job for Melissa Miyashiro, who has served as the executive director of Hawaiʻi Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations since March 2024.
Prior to HANO, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa graduate led clean energy nonprofit Blue Planet Foundation.
“What drew me to the position is that in my years working on climate issues, I became interested in the convergence of social challenges and recognizing that nonprofits are so often on the frontlines of disaster relief, resilience building and supporting communities. That breadth and working at the systems level really intrigued me,” said Miyashiro, who succeeded Lisa Maruyama after leading HANO for more than 15 years.
“One thing I didn’t think about is that HANO serves nonprofits and we are a nonprofit,” she said. “Leading by example is important to me.”
Aloha State Daily asked Miyashiro more about HANO’s responses to federal funding cuts and plans for the year ahead.
How has HANO responded to President Donald Trump’s funding freezes? What impacts are being felt locally?
It was a lot of learning as we went, and we’re still assessing. In partnership with Aloha United Way, we’re collecting nonprofit data using this survey, because I think the needs are different now and more urgent. There are a lot of legacy challenges around building sustainable funding models.
We communicated information from the National Council of Nonprofits. We set up a HANO huddle with a speaker from the council who shared their perspective from D.C. and the importance of a crisis plan – with over 200 nonprofits that registered. We want to do those periodically. We’ve joined meetings with Funder Hui and the Hawaiʻi True Cost Coalition. Everyone’s still in the mode of seeing where things land, so we can know where to go. It’s been hard to find themes because different nonprofits receive funding from different sources. The impacts are across sub-sectors, such as health and social services, and smaller conservation groups and those focused around food, for example.
In the Legislature, we’re in support of SB933, which was introduced Feb. 26, to provide emergency grant funding to the state. We’ve also hired a full-time policy director who is tracking bills impacting nonprofit needs on the federal, state and county levels.
How is HANO’s membership and funding? What is the benefit of being a HANO member?
Membership is steady and dues are part of our revenue mix. Our funding also comes from grants (no federal/state grants currently), and through annual events like HANOCON.
There are many benefits of joining HANO such as discounts on tech tools, executive coaching and even human resources thanks to an ongoing partnership with Altres.
What does a typical day look like for you?
It varies. Right now, we’re getting started planning for HANOCON in the fall, staying busy with the Leg and monitoring federal funding. We will be offering training on topics like financial planning, workplace culture and wellness. You see so much burnout in the nonprofit sector because of the heavy workload. The sector is so people-focused and passionate, so we aim to encourage developing skills and building connections.
I feel so lucky to work with my amazing staff and board members. We have such healthy governance and can test things out first as a nonprofit ourselves, to help other nonprofits with best practices.
For more information about HANO, visit hano-hawaii.org.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
