Q. You mentioned that your goals since joining Child and Family Service last year include filling positions, diversifying revenue sources and developing a strategic plan. How is that going?

A. We're moving along nicely. I started last April and we are pleased to have filled a number of key positions. I recently hired our director of development and communications, who will be starting Feb. 5. So we're really beginning to have the people on board that we need. But like all organizations in Hawai'i — be it government, be it nonprofit, be it business — the challenge is to recruit people and keep them. There is the issue about how companies are going to raise compensation so that they don't lose ground in terms of being competitive. And nonprofits are facing a lot of the same pressures. ... Those of us like Child and Family Service who are very government funded don't have a lot of wiggle room, if you will, around how we manage our resources. And yet we want to do everything we can to recruit the best people so we can carry out our mission of strengthening families and fostering the healthy development of children.

Q. What can Child and Family Service offer job prospects beyond just salary?

A. There are other things that people are looking for in a workplace. The large percentage of people that are coming to an organization like ours are coming because of a need to give back and to feel like they are making a difference in lives of other people, helping people change their lives and improve their lives. So beyond compensation, and our limitations there, we are focusing a lot on how do we create a workplace that people want to come to and want to stay at. A lot of the things we know people find important to them in a workplace are things like good relationships with others, a collegial friendliness ... a sense of respect, good communication, good teamwork. There is also an opportunity to grow, to develop, to improve one's skills and to enhance one's career.

Q. In what fields is the competition for employees the stiffest?

A. Specifically more so in the administrative areas where our competition (for employees) isn't necessarily other nonprofits only, but a lot of businesses. People in areas like finance or HR have typically been harder to recruit because it's hard to match the compensation that is being offered. You almost have to find that person who really wants the culture that a nonprofit organization offers. Maybe they've done enough of the corporate HR stuff, or finance stuff, and they're really interested in being part of an organization that has a social purpose.

Q. How heavily do you rely on volunteers?

A. We have over 150 volunteers, many of whom are in the two key areas of domestic violence and gerontology. We also have volunteers in our adoption services. They are a great resource. I'm really intrigued by some of the latest thinking from an organization called Pacific Ventures out of San Francisco that's really beginning to focus on the baby boomer generation and pointing out how many retirees in that generation aren't necessarily ready to just play golf all day. We think that is a helpful sign that there are people that will help with future recruitment of volunteers. Many of them want to work in an organization that has a social purpose.

Q. How does Child and Family Service fit into the state's human services system?

A. We continue to have to help people understand that we are a private, nonprofit organization. We are not a state agency, and people do confuse us at times thinking we are. It's something we constantly have to explain. We are the oldest human services nonprofit organization in Hawai'i. We were founded in 1899, and so we are over 100 years old. We've said we are the largest human service nonprofit, and I believe that's still the case. We have service on all the Islands.

Q. What kinds of services does your organization provide?

A. We primarily do services in three areas: prevention, early intervention and treatment services. We have prevention programs like Head Start — we're the Head Start provider on Kaua'i. On several islands we do Healthy Start, which is a child abuse prevention program. An example of early intervention would be our alternative high school Hale O Ulu. Those kids are having a little bit of trouble, not serious trouble. We're trying to make sure we can intervene early enough to help turn them around so they go on the right path. We also have treatment programs. Probably the most intense treatment program we have is a community-based residential program for girls who have more serious behavioral, psychiatric programs. We also do group homes for both boys and girls.

Q. What is your annual budget, and what are your funding sources?

A. We started the year with an annual budget of somewhere in the $32 million range. We've been around 92 percent government funded, and that's a variety of federal, state and city funding. We're fairly diverse when it comes to different funding sources within the government. But the 92 percent is quite high. We're trying to increase our revenue from private sources. That will be done through a combination of fundraising and generating more fees and earned income from services we provide to private industry. We have over 40 contracts with different companies to provide counseling services to their employees. We also go in and do training in the workplace on things like violence prevention, substance abuse prevention and stress management. That's an area we'd like to grow.

Q. You came to Hawai'i after spending most of your career on the East Coast. How has the adjustment been?

A. It's been fascinating. I was at a stage of my life where I wanted to make a move but also wanted something different, too. This was a great fit. It's been interesting to see how there are some things that kind of repeat themselves, that I've seen elsewhere. And there are some things that are quite different and seem unique to Hawai'i. What I have been increasingly struck by is the difference in the overall culture. You could feel it when I was at the opening of the Legislature. There was this sense of warmth and celebration, and food was a major part of that. You'd never see that at the opening of the Legislature in Connecticut. There was a much more open quality to that that was really refreshing.

Reach Alan Yonan Jr. at ayonan@honoluluadvertiser.com.