How Booz Allen Hawaii Gave Back During COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Booz Allen committed $10 million to community assistance, including a pledge of up to $2 million in pro bono projects. These efforts—the firm’s largest ever pro bono initiative—supported more than 20 nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. Seventy percent of the projects were led by women and a quarter involved Booz Allen’s Women in Data Science program.   

Many activities took place at Booz Allen’s location in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the firm has supported a wide range of commercial and defense clients, including the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), for more than two decades. With nearly 50 employees contributing to dedicated pro bono projects over the last year in Honolulu alone, the office was in the top three of all firm locations in terms of leading and staffing impactful pro bono work around the country.

The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum is the largest caretaker of the cultural and natural heritage of Hawaii and the Pacific, with over 25 million collection items and natural science specimens. Bishop Museum’s Digital Futures Initiative aims to modernize the museum’s IT infrastructure and expand its digital operations, with the goal to dramatically increase digital access to its knowledge and collection.  

Booz Allen’s Honolulu office worked closely with the firm’s corporate Community Impact + Philanthropy team to provide consultation services. The comprehensive, cross-disciplined consultation assessed the current state of Bishop Museum’s IT organization, including cybersecurity and change management. Booz Allen then provided a summary of its findings to assist the museum with creating a roadmap to modernization and identified areas of high priority to update first.

“Booz Allen has a long history and presence in Hawaii, and the opportunity to work with the Museum, one with such historical and regional significance, is truly an honor,” said Booz Allen Principal Ed Barnabas.

Since 2018, volunteers in Booz Allen’s Honolulu office have supported non-profit organization Hoʻōla Nā Pua in its mission to shine a light and raise awareness about child sex trafficking in Hawaii. Hoʻōla Nā Pua also offers progressive solutions within its community programming and trauma-informed, comprehensive care at the newly opened Bromley Family Pearl Haven Campus, a residential treatment center offering healing for this vulnerable population.  

As COVID-19 spread, traffickers sought to exploit the growing number of isolated children online. Never before has grooming, recruitment, and exploitation been more accessible for perpetrators, and never before has technology been more needed to protect and advocate for the most vulnerable.

“We need to use technology to our advantage to combat them,” said Booz Allen Lead Associate Ann Nagel.

Booz Allen’s pro bono team partnered with Hoʻōla Nā Pua to develop a data platform that compiles disparate sources of data on commercially sexually exploited children in Hawaii. This platform and analytics strategy helps Hoʻōla Nā Pua and stakeholders across Hawaii visualize the problem and work toward data-driven solutions.

The pandemic also impacted fundraising at the ALS Association, when critical health considerations and social-distancing requirements eliminated traditional in-person activities and donor engagement.  

Booz Allen’s pro bono team helped the ALS Association revamp its fundraising framework during the pandemic. We conducted in-depth, open-source research and applied the results to the group’s communications, digital strategy, and change-management expertise. This work resulted in a stakeholder-informed plan leveraging technology, digital campaigns, community connections, and influencers, that chapters could customize to their needs in a virtual world.

Booz Allen staff across the country then participated in virtual fundraising activities at the local and national level—including a virtual “Dine to Defeat ALS” for the DC/ Maryland/Virginia Chapter with local chefs, and some friendly competition in a “Bucket Your Boss” challenge. Leaders throughout Booz Allen, from DC to Honolulu, filmed the famous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge at home, then shared the videos and raised over $10,000 to support people living with ALS. 

As the largest and oldest women’s membership organization in Hawaii, YWCA Oahu provides valuable programs and services that develop women and girls’ social, economic, leadership, and community-building skills. Yet disconnected data systems were holding the organization back from telling its story.

To help YWCA Oahu capture data about its mission and impact, the Booz Allen project team interviewed key stakeholders, identified key areas of inefficiencies and created a plan for data management.

FIRST Robotics introduces students from ages 6 to 18 to STEM projects and careers, with an aim to keep tech talent in Hawaii, grow the state’s innovation ecosystem, and make STEM more inclusive.

Booz Allen Hawaii has been working with FIRST for over a decade, volunteering for events and helping to plan the annual FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Hawaii Regional. In 2020, the firm strengthened its support with three $2,000 team grants. 

In their grant applications, FIRST teams explained what diversity and inclusion mean to them, how their team promotes these ideals, and what initiatives they would implement if granted an award to advance diversity and inclusion with their team and community.

Here’s how the winners planned to make a difference in their communities: purchasing LEGO parts and robotics kits and covering FIRST registration fees for those in need and conducting outreach events across the islands. Those events will include demonstrating robots, elevating STEM, recruiting new students to FIRST Robotics, and hosting a camp specially geared to inspire girls in technology.

“The FIRST partnership is an example of what we can accomplish when we combine creative, smart kids; strong community partnerships on the island and beyond; and a committed industry partner with a desire to empower people to change the world,” said Booz Allen Principal Michael Collat.

Say aloha to the Booz Allen Hawaii office and learn more about Booz Allen’s work in the Indo-Pacific Region and in providing ongoing community impact and pro bono support.