HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0204.005 2004-2006 Barry K. Taniguchi
S0 E. Puainako Street, Hilo Hawaii 96720
K TA Phone (808) 959-4575 ext 317, Fax (808) 959-8050
E-mail: barry_taniguchi(aktasuperstores.com
SUPER STORES
MEMORANDUM
DATE: April 19, 2005
TO: Members of the County of Hawaii Council
Attention of Virginia Isbell, Chair
Finance Committee
FROM: Barry K. Taniguchi 1~'%/}~j~,~
President
RE: Communication 204 (Resolution 76-OS)
Philanthropic Community Assessment Study
Dear Members of the Hawaii County Council,
I apologize for not being present at your Finance Committee meeting today; however, I
wish to support the action being considered regarding the preparation of a professional
philanthropic market assessment for the purchase of County Parks and Preservation
Lands.
I understand discussions are currently under way with fundraising and public relations
ccnsuhu;;t S. Sanae T okur-.ura of Solid Concepts, inc. to conduct this market assess.,,ert.
I have been personally interviewed by Ms. Tokumura on numerous occasions during
other philanthropic market assessments conducted for various Hawaii Island non profit
organizations. Being involved with many non profits throughout Hawaii, I am a bit
familiar with fundraising methods. I appreciate and am most impressed by how this type
of assessment can result in the success of major campaigns, or on the other hand, how it
can stop a project that has little chance of receiving community support.
The assessment allows private opinions of very important community representatives to
he shared with an organization's decision makers. Decisions can be made with as much
objective information as possible while all interviewee's identities are kept separated from
their statements. This allows a person like me to tell you what I think without fear of
reprisal or other complications. Comm. Pfe
1.-0~
Ref. To: F{.
°f' • APR ~ 9 2005
Members of the Hawaii County Council
April 19, ?005
Page 2
I speak freely with Sanae because she has never betrayed my confidence. I understand
that Sanae, who is Hawaii-born and raised, is a leader in her profession both statewide
and nationally. She can make both local, everyday people feel comfortable and also is
comfortable chatting with mainland business leaders. With her many years of experience,
I believe she is ideally suited to conduct an assessment such as the one being proposed.
Sanae has always made sure that I receive ar. executive summary of the assessment which
keeps me posted on the organization's activities. This furthers my interest in the mission
of the organization. I feel more involved and tend to support them in the future, whether
or not I agree with their planning for the moment. I feel this process builds relationships
between organizations and community leaders.
I believe that it is in the best interest of the County of Hawaii to investigate the
probability of creating a foundation especially for the preservation of county public lands
and park space. Participation by many individuals in a philanthropic approach for
preserving Hawaii's incomparable open spaces will encourage individual responsibility
and commitment to the public welfare.
Hawaii Island's infrastructure needs are so great that I believe an indiscriminate removal
of valuable dollars from our County budget for public land acquisition is not in the best
interest of our community. Priority for those dollars should be for the health, welfare and
safety of our community. It is therefore very worth our while to explore the possibility of
creating a wholly separate non profit organization or collaboration that would actively
seek community support for specific open space or park projects that would excite the
emotions of our families and visitors.
[f there are any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me through any of the
addresses listed above.
Thank you for this opportunity to present my view.