How To Start a Nonprofit in Hawaii in Nine Steps

You should first know the purpose of your charity and have a mission statement in mind. When choosing a name for your organization, you want it to be distinctive yet reflect your charity's mission. You can conduct a business entity name search in Hawaii with the Business Registration Division, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to see if another business has registered the name.

Then you will want to search for the name on the Internet by entering it in a search engine or by using the ICANN Domain Names Registration Lookup tool to make sure no one else has registered your name as a domain name. If the name is available, you may want to register it yourself so you can use it for your website.

You will need a board of directors to help you govern your organization. In the state of Hawaii, you must have at least three board members in your nonprofit. The board members provide leadership and review corporate activities, financial statements, and policies. They had a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the organization and avoid conflicts of interest.

Invite board members who share your vision and can contribute their expertise and connections through networking and fundraising. You may want a CPA, accountant, or someone who is good with numbers to review finances or someone with a professional background who can give sound advice.

To operate your nonprofit in Hawaii, you must first file articles of incorporation with the Business Registration Division, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA).

To file by mail, complete Form DNP-1, Articles of Incorporation. You will need to include the name of the nonprofit corporation, the mailing address of the principal office, the name of the registered agent and address for registered agent service, the name and address of the incorporator(s), and if the corporation has members. You can mail the form with a $25 fee to P.O. Box 40, Honolulu, Hawaii 96810. Make checks payable to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

To file online, you must create an account with eHawaii.gov. From there, you can file the articles of incorporation and pay the filing fee online. The filing fee for a Hawaii nonprofit is $25.

Or you can let our trusted partner LegalZoom handle your nonprofit creation starting at $99 plus filing fees.

Nonprofit organizations must have corporate bylaws and conflict-of-interest policies. Your bylaws outline the rules and procedures for your organization. For example, it can define your corporate structure, your officer’s roles and responsibilities, and detail meeting times and voting procedures. Your board members and officers should sign a conflict-of-interest policy stating that they will avoid self-dealing.

At the first board of directors meeting, your board will elect officers to your organization, adopt the bylaws, and set forth your organization’s mission and goals. You should have meetings frequently, at the very least once a year, and keep minutes of all board meetings as part of your corporate records.