Nonprofits Create Community is NIA’s theme for 2026, as we celebrate the ways that nonprofits come through for their communities in spite of all the challenges facing them. In this series, meet some NIA-insured nonprofits who share their stories of creating community in their own words.
Meet Hawai’i Women in Tech of Honolulu, HI
Sandra von Doetinchem, President of Hawai’i Women in Tech, explains:
“The mission of Hawai’i Women in Tech is an aloha-driven community where talent and opportunity converge to educate and accelerate local and global innovation.”
How does your nonprofit and your mission create community for the people and places you serve?
Supporting women in tech at every stage of their careers.
“Hawai‘i Women in Tech started as a grassroots meetup group and became a formal 501(c)(3) in 2025. We connect women in tech, and the tech-curious, across all the islands.
Our all-volunteer board runs free and low-cost events year-round, in person and online. Members meet at pau hana mixers, skill-building workshops, and expert panels, then stay connected through our online community.
We support our members and the community at every career stage: Students eyeing a first tech role, professionals pivoting into the field, and senior leaders shaping Hawai‘i’s innovation economy.
This year’s theme, “Empowering Women with AI,” puts practical tools in members’ hands as the work changes fast.
We’ve quickly grown to 350+ members in our professional network with 1,300+ followers on LinkedIn, powered entirely by volunteers, community grants, and aloha.”
What are your nonprofit’s biggest challenges or obstacles to creating community?
The “brain drain” and the perception that tech careers aren’t viable in Hawai’i.
“We face two distinct structural hurdles, and we are actively building the infrastructure to chip away at both.
Reversing the “Brain Drain”: According to the Hawaiʻi State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), more than half of Hawai‘i-born residents with a bachelor’s degree leave the state, and many never see a tech career as an option here.
We work to change that: Showing women what a tech job actually involves, providing access to a professional network, and connecting people to local opportunities so they can build a career without leaving home.”
A broker’s take on community in action.
Before a nonprofit can help build community, they need insurance — and brokers are their guide to helping them find coverage, maintain it, and, if needed, make a claim on it.
Hawai’i Women in Tech partners with Grant Felipe, a broker with Atlas Insurance Agency, who helps them get the most value from their NIA coverage.
As their broker, Felipe shared his insight into the benefit Hawai’i Women in Tech brings to the community:
“As technology and AI continue to grow and shape our daily lives, it is more important than ever for our communities to grow alongside them.
I fully support Hawaii Women in Tech’s initiative to empower the talented women of all ages from keiki to kupuna in our communities by providing them with valuable lessons, experiences, and opportunities within the technology industry.
By investing in and supporting the next generation, we can help the young women in our communities reach their full potential and equip them with the skills and confidence they need to succeed.
These future leaders will play an important role in shaping Hawaii and our communities as we move toward in an increasingly technology-driven future.”
