In October 2024, HPPA began accepting park donations at the registers in our nine national park visitor center stores. By inviting visitors to round up their purchase totals or contribute any amount they wished—and emphasizing that these donations stayed in the parks where they were made—we were grateful and amazed to see national park supporters show their love through their generosity. In just four months, counter donations totaled over $124,000.
Kai, who works the frontline at our Haleakalā National Park Summit District stores, shared some of her thoughts about this new avenue of fundraising for our partners.
How do park visitors respond when asked to donate at the checkout counter?
The majority of visitors simply make their choices on the payment screen and then carry on with the purchase, but I also often meet the devoted national park lovers who will always donate something with a joyful spirit, and often donate a bit extra because they understand that the parks need support. They are so blown away by the beauty and worry about, for example, potential park closures. When these larger donation amounts come through, I make a point to thank them sincerely and explain that 100% of their donation money stays here in this park and funds programs. This usually makes them very happy that they donated.
Are there any trends you've noticed?
When the visitor sunrise experience at the summit of Haleakalā Volcano is clear and gorgeous, they usually love to buy all the things that remind them of what they just saw, and they will usually add a donation to somewhat larger purchases. I have noticed that one person's large donation sometimes encourages others nearby to do the same.
I have had a number of Hawaiʻi locals and other visitors mention how beautiful and different our park store is compared to other parks across the U.S. They love how inviting it is and how we have such unique items that can't be found anywhere else.
What do you think motivates visitors to donate when they shop at park stores?
I truly believe our Haleakalā National Park store Maui team and the beautiful products we offer have something to do with it. We, unlike our colleagues at the busier Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park store on Hawaiʻi Island, have more time to create relationships with our visitors. We ask them about where they're visiting from; we send them off with blessings for a beautiful day, we joke with them and they absolutely love it.
I think our kindness, enthusiasm, and humor really draws people in and makes them feel comfortable. We have had so many people come in saying, "We could hear you guys laughing all the way from the parking lot," and that this made them excited to come in and experience the store. They usually walk out laughing with us at the end of the day, as well! It's so beautiful and fun!
What message would you like to share with those who donate about the impact of their generosity?
The national parks were created to preserve amazing history and beautiful wilderness for all to enjoy, and it takes a lot of funding to keep our parks open. Without the help of our visitor donations, so many programs could suffer. That support helps to educate the general public, and foster a new generation of stewards for our beloved public lands through public education programs, preservation of native plants and animals from extinction, and support for our NPS family members.
Every little bit counts and not only are the parks blessed by it, so will you be.
(Mahalo to these enthusiastic donators at our Haleakalā Headquarters Visitor Center park store!)
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You can donate here: https://hawaiipacificparks.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/hawaiipacificparks/donation.jsp
You can donate by shopping Haleakalā National Park's Summit District here: https://shop.hawaiipacificparks.org/collections/haleakala-national-park
You can read up on Haleakalā National Park here: https://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm
You can read up on our history of park support here: https://www.hawaiipacificparks.org/connect/our-history
