When we think of Hawaii’s nonprofit organizations, there really are three groups. You have the smaller nonprofits that fundraise with very specific objectives, like Little League teams raising money for trips; bigger nonprofits that serve a quasi-governmental function, providing a multitude of services; and some nonprofits that are so big and operate so much like for profit companies – that you have to ask, “Should they even be a nonprofit?”

Many of Hawaii’s 8,000+ nonprofits (known also as community-based organizations) support our community in so many ways, from housing to child care, food distribution, homelessness, environmental conservation, education, animal welfare, immigrant support, the arts, historic preservation — a list that is so expansive that there are too many to list them all.

They are a vital part of many people’s everyday life but too often, like the air that we breathe, they are taken for granted until they no longer exist.

They are an important part of how the government delivers social services, yet state and county agencies often do not have the level of interaction with them that is necessary for a productive partnership. They are not treated with the level of respect that these partnerships deserve. And yet, without these nonprofits, no government agency can hope to replicate and deliver these services with the same level of efficiency and effectiveness.

Here are some ways that government can better support them:

Make it more streamlined and less complicated.

One of the things that needs to be changed is the process by which nonprofit organizations get public money. This is called the grant in aid process.

If anyone has ever gone through the application process for a grant in aid, they will find that it can be more complicated than navigating through the Amazon forest, blindfolded, without a map. There is no clear road map and oftentimes seems to be more about who you know than the merit of your request.

This is one of the reasons why you see the same organizations applying for and receiving government funding. It is simply not a welcoming process for newcomers.

One of the ways is to revisit how funds are applied for, reviewed, approved and distributed through the grant in aid program, often referred to as “GIA’s.” Let’s start by looking at a standardized software program that could be used by all agencies so that it streamlines the process and brings a more friendly approach to the GIA introduction. A program that is used by all the various government agencies so that there is a standardized system for everyone to understand and follow.

Let the nonprofit organizations do their job.

By design, the GIA’s request goes through a government agency or in some cases, multiple agencies. The problem is that along the way, the agency or agencies oftentimes start dictating to the nonprofit how they should be executing the project, resulting in requirements that are unnecessary and impractical.

Can government agencies please step back and look at what is being dictated to these community-based service organizations in considering their funding requests? If they are too overreaching, it adds to an already cumbersome process and it begs the question that if these agencies think they can do the job, why are they outsourcing it?

Let’s start by looking at a standardized software program that could be used by all agencies so that it streamlines the process and brings a more friendly approach to the GIA introduction.

I am not suggesting that monies be given without accountability and control. What I am saying is that we need to let these organizations use their expertise and experience so they can fulfill the project within the dollars approved.

At the heart of all this is the need for an attitude change within our agencies and Legislature. We need to recognize the vital work that our nonprofits do and that they are an important partner in delivering the valuable services that our community needs. Their survival is of the utmost importance not only for them, but for the people and the animals they serve.

Recently, an error discovered in the release of grants by the Legislature caused funding for numerous nonprofits to be delayed until next year. This money is critical for them and the community they serve and yet, the state could not, would not and did not find a way to get the funding released. House leadership said the nonprofits would have to wait until next year. The fact is that some of these organizations may not be able to wait until next year.

Let’s give our nonprofit organizations the support and respect they deserve in helping them to operate more effectively so that our people – our community — will be served better.