The latest
endangered species:
environmental groups

Donations are drying up
as Hawaii's economy struggles
to stay afloat

By Peter Wagner
Star-Bulletin

Memberships are down. Donations are off. Volunteers are hard to find.

In a state with the highest number of endangered species, Hawaii is also proving a difficult place for environmental groups to survive.

"It's a hard time to be raising money," said Tamar Chotzen, executive director of the Hawaii Nature Center. "When business is bad it's easy to say, 'We're hurting. Sorry.' "

The Makiki nonprofit has seen its budget shrink from $1.2 million to $850,000 in the past two years. And with a staff reduced by 20 percent, programs are on the back burner.

"We've tried very hard to stay viable despite this economy," Chotzen said. "We've had to cut all but our school programs."

Looking for alternatives, the center recently opened a gift shop at Iao Valley on Maui, an enterprise that brings in about $175,000 a year. And the center has hired itself out as a consultant on government and private projects.

The economic problem is shared by The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, where corporate donations are down 7 percent and individual donations have dropped 27 percent in the past year.

"This is the first time we've seen a decline in this area (of membership donations)," said Martha Hanson, the group's development officer. "I think we're all scrambling for the dollar here."

The Conservancy, an affiliate of an international organization with the largest system of nature preserves in the world, has been able to get by with help from its home office.

"That's what's carrying us," said spokesman Grady Timmons. "The mainland economy is strong and foundations there seem to have more money."

Still, the Conservancy plans to trim $500,000 from its $3.5 million budget and has cut its statewide staff of 50 by five employees.

With shrinking corporate donations -- a key source of funds -- the Conservancy is also looking for new ways to raise money.

"We're looking at starting a cause-related marketing program," said Timmons. "It's a different way for corporations to contribute."

The program could include lending the Conservancy's name to company promotional efforts in return for donations. And products, like computer screen savers and calendars featuring its preserves, could be revenue sources as well, he said.

Hawaii's oldest environmental organization, The Outdoor Circle, is suffering a drop in both membership and volunteers, a double-whammy.

"The trend has been a loss in membership, which has always paid for our operating expenses," said Mary Steiner, chief executive officer.

"Or people have dropped their level of membership -- maintaining it but not giving us as much money."

But a new scarcity of volunteers, which the group relies upon for everything from planting trees to lobbying sign laws, also has hurt.

"It's hard for folks to volunteer when they're working so hard to keep solvent themselves," Steiner said.

Meanwhile, she said, the state's economic woes have put increasing pressure on the group to fight commercial signs -- a key concern of the 86-year-old organization.

"One of the first things that happens in a weak economy is signs come up because people think they help their businesses," Steiner said. "That's when we get calls saying, 'How can we let this happen?' "

She notes a recent relaxation of the city's sign ordinance in Chinatown and a push for more signage in Waikiki.

The hard times for nonprofits in Hawaii aren't limited to environmental groups.

For example, collections have been off for years at the Aloha United Way.

While the AUW, which serves scores of social service agencies, received $13.7 in pledges last year, it couldn't collect nearly $1 million because of lost jobs or failed businesses.