Q: You first joined HCF’s Board of Governors in 2006, so you’ve been working with the foundation for quite some time now. What do you see as the role and importance of a community foundation in serving Hawaiʻi’s communities?
Peter Ho: The needs of our community here in Hawaiʻi are immense, diverse, and broad. The scale is awe-inspiring. To me, that requires an awful lot of generosity, but there is also a real requirement for centers of excellence to be able to effectively leverage opportunities wherever possible. That could mean identifying needs that might otherwise not be so obvious to the community. That could mean helping to prioritize how to distribute resources in a strategic way. That could mean tracking the emerging trends in our community so we’re able to be responsive. I think the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation is one of those leveraging centers of excellence that helps us get the most out of people’s generosity and creates more capacity for change.
Q: Over the years, you’ve been a regular donor to HCF’s Catalyst Fund, which powers many of the foundation’s programs, including day-to-day operating support, early seed funding for innovative projects, and research and development. What motivates you to give to this fund, specifically?
Peter Ho: In general, I think that giving to the general operating funds of a nonprofit organization is wise. You’re talking about extraordinary organizations doing fantastic work, often with less-than-fulsome budgets and resources. And it does take resources to get that work done.
I’m completely sympathetic to the reality that people work hard for their fortune, they work hard for their philanthropy, and they want to support the causes they’re passionate about. But it’s important to remember the people and organizations that are helping to make that happen, and we need to be making sure that we’re taking care of those organizations themselves.
You know, part of the identity of our community in Hawaiʻi is we tend not to seek credit, to be humble, and that’s a beautiful element of our local culture. But it can cut both ways, and I can attest that HCF is always the first one on the scene to offer support and the last one to ask for support in return.
Q: In addition to your support of HCF, you also donate to a broad range of other nonprofits and causes in Hawaiʻi. What is your overall approach and philosophy when it comes to charitable giving?
Peter Ho: I am really drawn to the concept of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. My wife, Michelle [Kondo Ho], and I gravitate toward using our Peter and Michelle Ho Family Foundation Fund to support basic needs and health and human services, where the need is greatest and most fundamental. There’s a huge demand there, and it’s not been met. In addition to supporting the most obvious needs in the community, we’re also interested in learning about needs and causes that maybe we weren’t aware of, and innovative solutions that are being created to meet those needs. I think the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation is an excellent resource in that regard, helping to guide potential donors toward Hawaiʻi’s current, top priorities and needs.
I’m fortunate in my position to get a pretty broad, up-to-date view of what’s happening in the community. But organizations like HCF—and Aloha United Way is another one—these organizations specialize in serving the not-for-profit segment of our community, and they really are the experts, and it’s important that we support the operations of organizations like them to help leverage and maximize opportunity in the community.
Q: As we look forward to 2025, what are your hopes and dreams for HCF as an organization?
Peter Ho: The past few years have had more than their fair share of disaster, and so I would love to see a break in the storms, so HCF has some breathing room to really lean in on core strategy and programmatic priorities. At the same time, I’m hugely relieved to know that, if something came up again tomorrow, HCF will be ready. In a crisis, it can be a challenge to get the private, nonprofit, and governmental sectors to be rowing together in a particular direction, and I think HCF is helpful in that environment to steward meaningful coordination and cooperation. That’s an incredible gift to my community. I think people in the community should take pause to recognize the quality and commitment of the team at HCF. Every member of the organization is just incredible and has helped to build something that’s awe-inspiring to me, and something that is so special and precious to our community.