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A Statewide Charitable Legacy

Pacific Business News
Pacific Business News

Jerry Rauckhorst has been a leader in Hawaii’s nonprofit social services world for two decades as head of Catholic Charities Hawaii.  As he plans for his retirement, he’s taking steps to leave the organization in top shape.  Pacific Business News Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier has more.

It was 1995 when Jerry Rauckhorst was recruited to be president and CEO of Catholic Charities in Hawai‘i.  At the time, the Ohio born and raised Rauckhorst had run Catholic Charities Pittsburg for 6 years.

Back then, Rauckhorst took charge of an organization scattered across four locations on O‘ahu with a $49-million budget.  Since then he has consolidated services in the Clarence T.C. Ching campus, which opened in 2010 after Rauckhorst and his team raised $21 of its $28-million construction budget.

The organization now has an annual budget of nearly $28-million, employs more than 300 people and served more than a dozen programs.  These serve everyone from the homeless to neglected children, to adult victims of violence, to senior citizens in search of affordable housing.

One thing hasn’t changed, as Rauckhorst tells us.  One need not be catholic to benefit from these programs, the organization aims to help all in need.  

Rauckhorst has given Catholic Charities about a year’s notice to find his replacement.  In the meantime, he’s focused on developing a new strategic plan, diversifying the sources of funding for organization and enhancing the impact of its programs.  All this to prepare Catholic Charities for its next 15 years.  We suspect he’ll be a tough act to follow. 

A. Kam Napier is the editor-in-chief of Pacific Business News.
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