HDC at HANOCON 2025: Local Data Resilience in a Time of Disruption
Hawaiʻi Data Collaborative’s (HDC) Nick Redding presented at this year’s HANOCON, the Hawaiʻi Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO) annual gathering of nonprofit stakeholders from across the state. In a moment filled with uncertainty around funding, programming, and access to data stemming from shifts at the federal level, the talk focused on what HDC is doing – and what nonprofits across the state can do – to build local data capacities and resilience to ensure Hawaiʻi has the information it needs to adapt, make decisions, and take care of our communities and community members who rely most on government and nonprofit services.
In case you missed it, we’ve included some highlights and a shortened version of the talk below.
Resilience is a Good Investment in Uncertain Times
Hawaiʻi’s nonprofit sector currently depends in large part on federal data to measure what matters locally. So, what happens if access to that data erodes, or disappears? Building local data capacities is a good idea regardless of how the federal landscape shifts, so we may reliably measure what matters most according to our communities and values.
Insight Infrastructure
Hawaiʻi’s nonprofit sector already provides critical program and service infrastructure that addresses needs within our communities. Nonprofit organizations also have the potential to offer insight infrastructure, that can inform how organizations, funding, and services can evolve to be more effective.
Data is an Asset
Data is an operational asset that is worth investing in because it can provide significant returns across all functions of an organization, and the sector as a whole. By investing in people, process, and the right technical solutions that support people and process, we can grow data capacities and value.
Data is Not the Solution
Data is never the solution, but it is foundational to setting priorities, identifying solutions, allocating resources for maximized impact, and advocating for vulnerable communities. And in times of uncertainty, these actions are even more critical to the well-being of organizations and the communities they serve.
*The conference did not produce official recordings, though we captured our own recording, and offer a shortened, edited version of the talk below - apologies for the lower video quality!
