Ed Nishioka, president and CEO of Ronald McDonal House Charities of Hawaiʻi, is hiring. Over the last couple of weeks, hundreds of candidates have applied from across the globe to become the organization’s next Chief Operation Officer.
“I've been consulting with some of our board members who have executive hiring experience. I'm basically operating as if I were executive search firm … But you've got to do it right to find the right fit," he told Aloha State Daily. “We're taking a full approach, [posting] on job sites with [Hawaiʻi Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations], Association of Fundraising Professionals. We've advertised on LinkedIn, which so far, has gotten a high volume of applicants, but they're not as high quality. Indeed the same way.”
Nishioka added that word-of-mouth and referrals have produced the best leads. As part of his long-term vision, he said he morphed duties for this new role from the current director of operations position, which in mid-June, will be vacated by Kanoe Paauhau.
“So, we've got a little time, but I'm guessing they may not cross paths because it's just that lengthy of a process,” said Nishioka, who took the helm of the organization in February 2024. He previously served as director of development for the Boy Scouts of America, Aloha Council, and managed Marcus Mariota’s Motiv8 Foundation.
“I think for this type of job, I’m looking for someone with a similar management style and personality that fits the culture I’ve built over the last 16 months. Someone who has their own local contacts on-the-ground and who knows Hawaiʻi’s business and nonprofit environments,” he said.
“Hawaiʻi is so different than the rest of the country – not only do you have to learn the business and culture here, you have to understand the different ethnicities. If you’re trying to raise money and you can’t say people’s name right or the street that they live on right, it’s a little tougher for someone to come from the outside, but not impossible.”
See the full job description, here.
Nishioka leads a team of about 23 full- and part-time staff, he said, overseeing RMHC's annual budget of more than $2.5 million – most of which comes from donations. The organization's mission is to “to provide a home-away-from-home for seriously ill children and their families, and to develop other programs and partnerships aimed at improving the lives of children in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.”
The local chapter operates two residential facilities to accommodate families that must travel to Oʻahu for their child’s medical treatments. According to Nishioka, “We’re the only RMHC in America where families have to fly to stay with us.”
He added, 85% percent of families come in from the Neighbor Islands, with the remaining from Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, and Mainland families vacationing in Hawaiʻi.
Nishioka’s main goal in 2025 is to expand services for families – both within the homes and in the community at hospitals, events and other spaces suitable for keiki and their families. He noted that although the length of stays varies, the nonprofit aims to double the number of families hosted in the next five years.
“We are at 100% occupancy right now, and we do have overflow partnerships with hotels in Waikīkī, Nishioka said. “We’re working on a lot of things related to the family experience, creating more meal programs, activities and therapy support. … We’re trying to be more than a place to stay.”
On the funding side, support from the community has been ongoing, he said. “McDonald’s is a strong supporter; they don’t back us completely. We also have no federal grants.”
Nishioka said fundraising events have been doing well. Leadership is reworking its endowment accounts for future sustainability, too.
“What a joy it is to work for an organization with a mission like ours: We aim to create normalcy where normalcy doesn’t exist,” he said. “Our model where families can live together allows them to make good friends during a hard time, and they stay in contact with each other well after they leave."
For more information about Ronald McDonal House Charities of Hawai’i, go to: ronaldhousehawaii.org. Follow on Instagram @ronaldhousehi
