Kaua’i is very generous, according to the 2002 Hawai’i Giving Study released Wednesday by the Hawaii Community Foundation. Households on Kaua’i count for five percent of the giving in Hawa’i, and 97 percent of Kauaians in 2001 contributed to some
Kaua’i is very generous, according to the 2002 Hawai’i Giving Study released Wednesday by the Hawaii Community Foundation.
Households on Kaua’i count for five percent of the giving in Hawa’i, and 97 percent of Kauaians in 2001 contributed to some sort of charity, be it a church, youth organization or health service.
The study was commissioned by the Hawai’i Community Foundation to determine giving trends since 1998 and since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
What they found is that giving is “non-seasonal,” meaning that Hawai’i residents contribute all year round; and considering economic uncertainty, people remain committed.
O’ahu, with 71 percent of households statewide, 92 percent of people contributed. Maui has 10 percent of the state’s households and a 90 percent giving rate; and the Big Island has 13 percent of households, and 87 percent giving rate.
Nonprofit organizations related to Sept. 11 and health groups, including the American Red Cross and Aloha United Way, received most of the donations last year, the study says.
“Despite the continuing problems in Hawai’i’s economy, and a drop in the stock market, the people of Hawai’i continue to give generously,” said Kelvin Taketa, president and CEO of the Hawai’i Community Foundation.
Statewide, an average of 90 percent of Hawai’i households made charitable donations in 2001, compared to 88 percent in 1998, the first year the study was undertaken. The average household donation was $1,123, an 11 percent increase from $1,016 in 1998.
The Hawai’i Community Foundation’s said its study is the only one in the state to evaluate giving patterns among Hawai’i residents. The survey was conducted by SMS Research last summer with 800 respondents from Kaua’i, Maui, Hawai’i and O’ahu. Researchers used a combination of telephone interviews and focus groups. The HCF was founded in 1916 and continues to oversee grant moneys for community groups and private organizations.
