The Hawaii Tourism Authority, in partnership with Kanu Hawaii, is offering visitors an easy way to search volunteer opportunities through a newly launched webpage.

What You Need To Know

  • Tourists can search for volunteer opportunities through the Malama Hawaii Volunteer Dashboard

  • On the dashboard, visitors can find opportunities to restore Hawaiian fishponds, sort food donations at food banks, and help at community events or help Maui with the wildfire recovery 

  • After a visitor uses the dashboard to find a volunteer opportunity they are interested in, they can RSVP, which generates an email to the partner who will respond with more information

  • HTA will track the number of volunteers who sign up and the number of service hours provided in order to create quantifiable information about whether campaigns to promote responsible and regenerative tourism are working 

Tourists can search for volunteer opportunities through the Malama Hawaii Volunteer Dashboard on the state’s official website for visitors, according to a news release.  

“Travelers are seeking a deeper, meaningful experience, and what makes the Hawaiian Islands unlike anywhere else in the world is our people, multi-cultural heritage, and reciprocal connection with the land and ocean,” Mufi Hannemann, HTA board chair, said in a news release. “The Malama Hawaii dashboard allows visitors to easily connect with nonprofits seeking volunteers to support our community in ways such as restoring Hawaiian fishponds, sorting food donations at food banks, and helping at community events.”

On the dashboard, visitors can also find opportunities to help Maui with the wildfire recovery. 

After a visitor uses the dashboard to find a volunteer opportunity they are interested in, they can RSVP, which generates an email to the partner who will respond with more information. Visitors also have the option to provide monetary donations directly to the nonprofits if they chose to. 

“HTA’s partnership with Kanu Hawaii in developing the Malama Hawaii dashboard is an example of regenerative tourism development benefiting our community,” said Daniel Nāho‘opi‘i, HTA’s interim president and CEO. “By integrating Kanu Hawaii’s system and their network of nonprofit organizations throughout the state, we are seamlessly connecting visitors with even more opportunities to improve our home for future generations.”

HTA will track the number of volunteers who sign up, and the number of service hours provided. 

“We need to invest more in quantifiable actions that will inform whether we are making a difference when it comes to responsible and regenerative tourism,” said Keone Kealoha, executive director of Kanu Hawaii. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.