Hawaiʻi Appleseed has a new executive director

When asked how he plans to grow the organization over the next 20 years, White said, “I think we have to stay the course because the big transformational changes still need to happen.” 

There were small wins this legislative session, he continued, like free lunches in DOE schools or eviction notice extensions, “so pushing for those changes to provide true economic justice for folks,” is the goal, he said.

Currently, Hawaiʻi Appleseed has 12 staff members, including White, who also oversees the nonprofitʻs annual budget of more than $1.5 million, per Pro Publica. 

“The majority of our funding comes from private foundations, but I would love to make a more concerted effort to engage more individual donors,” he said. “That’s a more grassroots approach: asking people to give what they can and to become an advocate versus just a donor, so we can call on them to send a letter to the finance chair, for example. In theory, they’d probably be more likely to do it after writing a check.”

Community engagement is another pillar of Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s efforts and something White aims to expand. Right now, the nonprofit is hosting listening sessions in specific communities. Another strategy is to identify future leaders to participate in a new training it would offer. 

“My goal is to create a cohort with about five-to-10 community leaders per each issue area,” he said. “I’m excited because this is where change starts, with developing community leaders and providing them with the support they need to thrive."