South Pacific Islander Organization
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Pacific Islanders remain underrepresented in higher education, professional fields, and in the media today. Often limited in opportunities in their home communities, Pacific Islanders need resources and support to pursue higher education, secure professional positions, and access economic opportunities. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate effect on Pacific Islanders and other communities of color, these resources are more essential than ever to foster a thriving, inclusive Pacific Islander community rooted in cultural heritage.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
SPIO Mentorship Program
The SPIO Mentorship Program offers free virtual one-on-one college application mentorship for Pacific Islander scholars applying to college.
Scholarship Program
South Pacific Islander Organization from time to time holds and administers certain funds that provide scholarships to Pacific Islander scholars who plan on attending institutions of higher education. The purpose of our scholarship is to encourage Pacific Islander students to pursue higher education and decrease their financial burden. Our goal is to see more Pacific Islanders attending institutions of higher education.
SPIO Higher Education Network
The SPIO Higher Education Network is a free, safe, inclusive, global, and digital space for scholars and professionals of Pacific descent to make meaningful connections, share educational and career resources, and build a unified global community. This network serves as a tool to democratize global Pacific community-building and access to educational and career resources beyond country lines.
We bring together Pacific Islander scholars and professionals to navigate higher education successfully so that we can (1) Build Pacific Islander presence in higher education, (2) Build Pacific Islander presence across professional fields (3) and increase Pacific Islander economic freedom.
Spotlight Program
Our Spotlight Article Program highlights inspiring Pacific Islanders across academic and professional fields. Our goal is to increase authentic and non-stereotypical representation of Pacific Islanders in the media.
Virtual Pacific Islander Summit and Career Fair
SPIO's Virtual Pacific Islander Summit and Career Fair is designed to democratize Pacific Islander access to educational and professional resources. It is a free 2-day virtual event for global Pacific Islander scholars to connect with Pacific Islander professionals, learn about career fields, and find internship/job opportunities.
Directory of Educational Resources
The SPIO Directory of Educational Resources is a free directory of educational resources available to Pacific scholars around the world. It is an open-source research project started in March 2020 by a team of international volunteers who believe in providing our global Pacific scholars easy access to the resources they need to navigate higher education successfully.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians
Related Program
SPIO Higher Education Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
SPIO is currently 100% volunteer-run with the current Board Members acting in staff capacity.
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Young adults, Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians
Related Program
Spotlight Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
SPIO was officially incorporated on December 28, 2018. As of October 31, 2019, SPIO has received over 30,000 unique website visitors.
Number of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, Students
Related Program
Scholarship Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total number of organization members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, Students
Related Program
SPIO Higher Education Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our network (launched in 2020) is a safe, collaborative, and inclusive environment for global Pacific Islander scholars to share resources and build community.
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, Students
Related Program
Directory of Educational Resources
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our Directory of Educational Resources (launched in 2020) is an open-source research project created by a team of international volunteers.
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, Students, At-risk youth, Unemployed people
Related Program
Scholarship Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
South Pacific Islander Organization's vision is a thriving, inclusive Pacific Islander community rooted in cultural heritage. Our mission is to innovatively support and promote Pacific Islander voices, cultures, and communities through leadership development, storytelling, and community-building programs. SPIO aims to become a thought leader in global Pacific community-building by leveraging social media, engaging in global community-building programs, and providing economic growth opportunities for our greater Pacific community.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
SPIO's programs fall into three pillars: (1) leadership development, (2) storytelling, and (3) community partnerships.
Goal #1: To support and promote Pacific leadership development through the following programs/strategies:
- Mentorship Program to increase Pacific Islander access to higher education and college graduation rates.
- Scholarship Program to increase Pacific Islander access to higher education and college graduation rates.
- Workforce Diversity Programs to increase Pacific Islander representation and support across professional industries.
Goal #2: To support and promote Pacific Islander storytelling through the following programs/strategies:
- Storytelling Programs to increase authentic representation of Pacific Islander voices, cultures, and communities in the media.
- Cultural Centers to increase authentic representation of Pacific Islander voices, cultures and communities.
- Cultural Grants to support and promote traditional arts, culture and heritage.
Goal #3: Strengthen Pacific Islander community outreach and partnerships.
- Community Partnerships program to increase internationally available programs for our greater Pacific community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
South Pacific Islander Organization (SPIO) is a 100% grassroots nonprofit founded in December 2018 by four Indigenous and Pacific Islander Stanford alumni who believe in democratizing Pacific Islander access to higher education and economic opportunities, globally. They came together in response to the lack of cohesive Pacific representation in higher education, professional fields, and in the media.
SPIO's current international Advisory Council and Board of Directors leverage a diversity of expertise across government, corporate, higher education, and nonprofit fields which fuel their inclusive, cross-collaborative, and metrics-driven strategic plan.
SPIO's strength lies in its inclusive vision, international network, community-building capacity, digital reach, and online following. Some of their highlights to date include establishing a 501(c)3 within 6 months of incorporation, reaching over 50,000+ organic international website views in 2 years, and launching 6 digital pilot programs to increase Pacific Islander presence in higher education and professional fields.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Here are some highlights:
- Established a 501(c)3 within 6 months of incorporation, reaching over 50,000+ organic international website views in 2 years.
- Launched a digital platform connecting the dispersed global Pacific Islander scholar community.
- Created a free directory of educational resources for Pacific Islanders reached by 1,000+ viewers.
- Authored over 30 articles and reached more than 40,000 international viewers highlighting the accomplishments of Pacific Islanders across all professional fields.
- Created a Virtual Summit (highlighting global Pacific Islander scholars and professionals) which reached over 12,000 global views.
- Created a virtual mentorship program to prepare students for their college applications.
- Offered over $50,000 in scholarships to Pacific Islanders around the world.
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
South Pacific Islander Organization
Board of directorsas of 02/14/2023
MichaeLynn Kanichy
Eldred D Lesansee
Christine Schilling
Roy Tongilava
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/28/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.