Friend
Hoa
$1 – $99
Every gift matters. Hoa stand in friendship with our mission and keep our day-to-day work moving.
- Acknowledgment in our annual report
Donors & Volunteers
Walking this path together.
Our work depends on a circle of donors and volunteers who give what they can — funds, hours, ʻike, and aloha. We recognize that circle here, organized into traditional Hawaiian ranks of relationship.
Giving Tiers
Six tiers, traditional names.
Rather than generic “levels,” we name our giving tiers using traditional Hawaiian designators for relationship — from Hoa (friend) up to Mōʻī (sovereign). Each tier carries its own kuleana and our gratitude.
Names reflect levels of giving and stewardship in our community — not a hierarchy of worth. Every gift, regardless of size, is received with the same aloha.
Supporter
Kākoʻo
$100 – $499
Kākoʻo provide steady support that funds materials, transportation, and the meals shared at our gatherings.
- Annual report acknowledgment
- Listed on this Donors page
Parent · Steward
Mākua
$500 – $999
Mākua step into a stewarding role — sustaining our practitioners and the kūpuna who teach them.
- All Kākoʻo benefits
- Invitations to public ʻOhana Mālama Loʻī Days
Guardian
Kahu
$1,000 – $4,999
Kahu guard the long-term health of our programs and help us extend the hale to new haumāna.
- All Mākua benefits
- Personal kūpuna-led briefing on the year’s work
Royal Patron
Aliʻi
$5,000 – $9,999
Aliʻi underwrite major projects — a full pahu drum cohort, an island hub build-out, a season of programming.
- All Kahu benefits
- Recognition at our annual Lot Kapuāiwa awards
- Direct line to our CEO
Sovereign
Mōʻī
$10,000+
Mōʻī are visionary partners. Their gifts shape what Hale Mua becomes in this generation and the next.
- All Aliʻi benefits
- Named program or project naming consideration
- Quarterly leadership updates from Hale Mua
Mahalo Nui Loa
Donor honor roll.
With permission, we publicly recognize current-year donors at the Kākoʻo tier and above. Donors who prefer to give privately are held in the same aloha.
- Names appear here with donor permission.
- Add your name through Zeffy →
Donors at the Mākua tier and above are recognized in our annual report. Aliʻi and Mōʻī receive recognition at the annual Lot Kapuāiwa awards at Huliheʻe Palace.
Volunteer · Hoʻolauna
Give your time and ʻike.
We need hands, hearts, and minds as much as we need funds. Below are the most common ways volunteers can plug in.
Mahi ʻai workdays
Help in the loʻi kalo and loko iʻa during our regular workdays.
Event support
Set up, registration, and breakdown for gatherings and the annual Lot Kapuāiwa awards.
Craft mentorship
Practitioners willing to teach within one of our eleven ongoing projects.
Administrative kōkua
Bookkeeping, grant writing, document preparation, and translation.
Media & storytelling
Photographers, videographers, and writers to help tell our story.
Youth mentorship
Adults willing to support our OC3 paddling course or kāhili-bearer protocol training.