First Hawaiian Bank Says ‘Yes’ to Community
Giving back to the communities it serves is a core part of the bank’s culture.
Last month, Hawaiʻi Business Magazine recognized First Hawaiian Bank as one of the top corporate donors in Hawaiʻi, with $7,353,657 in cash and in-kind donations. When it came to employee volunteerism, FHB ranked highest of all corporations in the state. Between the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, employee giving campaign Kōkua Mai, group and individual volunteer efforts, and responses to unique community needs, the commitment to community is clear at all levels of the organization.
Every year First Hawaiian Bank’s charitable giving arm, the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, donates millions of dollars to more than four hundred nonprofit organizations through grant making. It focuses on supporting programs that meet human services needs, providing educational opportunities, serving children and youth, improving access to healthcare, and enriching lives through culture and the arts. Nonprofits are located throughout Hawaiʻi and in Guam and the Commonwealth of The Northern Mariana Islands.
“As a corporation, we have a responsibility to deeply understand what is affecting our communities,” says Cameron Nekota, president of the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation. “The Foundation strategically supports programs that will strengthen and enhance our communities, whether that’s through essentials like access to housing or through cultural enrichment.”
Credit: First Hawaiian Bank
First Hawaiian also encourages staff to participate on nonprofit boards during work hours and organizes group outings for employees to volunteer together. Employees showed up en masse to help restore the coastal dune ecosystem of Kahuku Point with North Shore Community Foundation, improve the Ala Wai Canal with the Genki Ala Wai Project, and march in the Honolulu Pride Parade. In total, team members volunteered 13,207 hours during work time or corporate sponsored events last year.
In 2023, one of the biggest community needs was the Lahaina wildfire. In response, FHB led a partnership with the Hawaii Bankers Association to benefit the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund via the Aloha for Maui campaign. Between an initial $250,000 donation and donations at branches and online through the end of the year, First Hawaiian raised nearly $850,000. The campaign would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support of employees.
Credit: First Hawaiian Bank | (L to R): Shyla Cockett Fukushima, Elijah-Anakin Takumi Shintaku, Kayla Smith, Jerric Hays, and Norton Blake Ching.
Bank employees and retirees also show their dedication to their communities through the employee-led Kōkua Mai giving campaign. Since it began in 2007, they have given more than $12 million. Employees completely run the program, with the bank covering all program costs, so that 100 percent of every employee contribution goes to their local charity of choice. From October 1 through October 31, 98% of employees made financial donations totaling $873,275 to nonprofits in Hawaiʻi, Guam, and Saipan.
Community stewardship is a core part of everything the bank does, according to Bob Harrison, Chairman, President, and CEO of FHB. “When our community thrives, so do we,” he says. “The relationship with the communities we serve is critical to everything First Hawaiian Bank does, and it is a core part of our culture.”
Yes Effect: First Hawaiian Bank & Aloha Harvest
Credit: First Hawaiian Bank
Aloha Harvest is Hawai‘i’s largest food rescue and redistribution organization, whose mission is to collect and redistribute quality food to nourish and strengthen our communities. Aloha Harvest has rescued 37.6 million pounds of food and counting since operations began in 1999. For more information on ways you can get involved, visit alohaharvest.org.
Yes Effect: First Hawaiian Bank & Aloha United Way
Credit: First Hawaiian Bank
Aloha United Way has been serving Hawai’i communities for more than 100 years to initiate and sustain positive change. First Hawaiian Bank is proud to support their mission to ensure our resources go directly to causes that matter to our community such as food insecurity, educating, and helping local families in need. Learn more about ways you can give back at auw.org.
Yes Effect: First Hawaiian Bank & Hawaiian Humane Society
Credit: First Hawaiian Bank
The Hawaiian Humane Society is dedicated to promoting the human-animal bond and humane treatment of all animals and offer many resources beyond being a safe haven for Hawai‘i’s animals. You can make a difference for animals in need by donating through HawaiianHumane.org or calling (808) 356-2200.
Yes Effect: First Hawaiian Bank & Hawaii Foodbank
Credit: First Hawaiian Bank
Whether it’s campaigning for the annual Food Drive Day or packing and delivering food to families is need, the Hawaiʻi Foodbank continues to help provide equal access to safe and healthy food for our communities. Did you know that one in six Hawaiʻi residents, including one in four children, grapple with food insecurity? This statistic ranks Hawaiʻi second in the nation for child food insecurity. Donations play a vital role in hunger relief, enabling the Foodbank to provide more than two meals for every dollar contributed. To donate, visit HawaiiFoodbank.org.
