Kūkulu FAQs

Creative Ways Nonprofits Use Kūkulu Switchboard for Funding

• Funding to deliver on mission: $2,500 to provide 50 refurbished desktops to underserved ʻohana in Puna and Hilo.
• Funding for specific operations needs: The Koʻolau Foundation needs a new laptop.
• Startup/Operational Funds: Sustʻāinable Molokaʻi – $80,000 for Refrigerated truck to scale local food supply chain.
• Funding for a position to increase capacity: Funding for a Part-Time Coordinator of the Hawai‘i Youth Food Council

Examples of Resources for Nonprofits 

• Resources to Re-Open: How to safely re-open our business to the community?
• Technical Assistance: Free Technical Assistance for Nonprofits applying for SBA Loans
• Funding for Energy Efficiency Projects: Due Sept 30: up to $25K for Small Biz/Nonprofit Energy Project

Grant Opportunities & Tips: “Small” grants of c. $2,500 each for non-profits

Step 1

Go to Kūkulucollaborative.org and have a look around. Only Registered Users can post, comment, heart, and respond to asks and offers. To register, click on “Sign Up” in the top right corner of the page. 

Step 2

Enter your name and email, then choose your Affiliation. This is the first mechanism in place on the Switchboard to organize the universe of users. You’ll hear us say this alot: the Switchboard is not for everyone. Our target users are actively working in or funding social enterprises and non-profits/grassroots initiatives. Add interest areas so you’ll receive relevant posts. 

Step 3

Take a moment to fill out your profile thoughtfully. Remember that this is how funders, partners, and the public can find you. Please also include your organization/group name (if relevant) to help others know who you are representing. 

Step 4

Review the universe of Asks and Offers. Focus on those “example” posts first and then filter to find all the posts aligned to your interests. What Kukulu is not: a craigslist for goods and services or a job board. We work to support mutual aid requests between nonprofits or businesses and Asks for funding for staffing or specific positions. 

Step 5

Take a moment to review our posting “Pro-Tips” at the link and below so that you can maximize your success. 

Step 6

Practice Posting! Remember your  Operator, Chloe, is here to support you and your posts. Feel free to message her with questions or tag her in your posts for follow up.

Step 7

Share! The success of the Kūkulu relies upon our commitment to using it as the preferred venue for fundraising and grant-making. Please join us and follow our social accounts @Kukulucollab on Instagram and Facebook.

Ask:

While every Ask and circumstance is unique, here is a simple menu of content to include:

• Identify the mission and work you are seeking support for. Include a link to your website. Make sure you have your profile completely filled out so others on Kūkulu know who you are and who you represent 
• Identify the Problem/Opportunity you are addressing in your work
• Articulate your Solution in a way that clearly demonstrates that it addresses the Problem/Opportunity
  • Include names of collaborators and other partners
• Make your Ask clear and specific 
  • E.g. If you are asking for funding, state exactly how much and in what form (donation, grant, loan, etc.)
• Identify the Impact that will be created if you receive what you are asking for

Offer:

Offering a Resource? The best offers do a few things:

• Are clear about what you are offering
  • E.g. Specify if the offer is a grant opportunity, donation of professional services, technical support, in kind 
• Explain how you got to be in the position to be offering it
• Make the reader feel welcome (remember, reaching out to someone for help is a vulnerable thing to do!)
• Are marked as Evergreen if they are a standing offer

Are relevant to those actively working in or funding social enterprises and non-profits/grassroots initiatives. We recommend submitting resources for individuals or information for service providers to 211

• Category: Posts are categorized as Financial, Volunteer, Referral, In-Kind, Professional Services, Technical Assistance
• Type: Filter by All Posts, Asks, or Offers
• Sort: Sort by Most Recent, Most Relevant, Latest Activity
• More: Filter by Island and/or Community Affiliation (new feature we are updating)
• Browse Topics: Post are tagged by topic, you can follow topics on your Profile. We are working to make this easier to navigate

Yes! Please encourage them to complete a profile and post. We have a site tour of Kūkulu switchboard here and are happy to help individually as needed.

Absolutely! Success stories show the varied ways in which Kūkulu Switchboard connects communities. They encourage people and organizations who might be hesitant to post their own ASKs or OFFERs and inform the community on which nonprofits and funders are working on or interested in various issues.

Yes. We recommend a separate post if there is a follow up request for additional funds, information, or other resources. This increases the likelihood that everyone will see the new information, as Kūkulu Switchboard sends weekly emails specific to your selected interest areas and your original posts will likely have already been featured.

Please first get in touch with our team via a message on Kūkulu or at kukulu@auw.org so we can work to connect you with organizations that may have just recently joined the site. We can also work with you to add more information to the post to encourage connections. We are working to build this resource to be as effective as possible and we appreciate feedback to help us do so as we learn.

This is up to you. If your nonprofit has multiple staff/team members who will be using Kūkulu Switchboard Switchboard, a profile for each of them might be most useful, especially if they focus on different areas. If you prefer to be represented as one organization, a single profile with a shared login works as well.

Please be as specific as possible. Some examples: How much funding do you need? Do you already have 50% of your request met by other funders, and can you share who is currently supporting your work? What resources or information would allow you to move forward? How many volunteers do you need, and where are your geographic areas of need? What skill set(s) are you interested in?

Please reach out to to our team at kukulu@auw.org and we will work to connect you with organizations that may have just recently joined the site. We can help you finetune and to add more information to your post to encourage responses.

If you have any questions or would like help drafting a post or using the platform, please reach out to our team at kukulu@auw.org