7more is a Texas-based nonprofit with two current team members who relocated from Texas to Hawaii and now conduct program and fundraising activities there under the 7more name. This arrangement developed as our first attempt at expanding into another state, but it has created financial, administrative, employment, and compliance questions that must be resolved.
Our immediate need is to determine the appropriate and sustainable structure for the Hawaii work. Options under consideration include continuing to employ the team members through our Texas organization, transitioning them to independent contractors if the duties and working relationship legally support that classification, or helping transition the Hawaii operation into a separate nonprofit or affiliated organization with its own governance, finances, payroll, insurance, and compliance responsibilities.
The current arrangement combines staff compensation, independent day-to-day work, fundraising, program operations, organizational oversight, and use of the 7more name. We do not have the internal expertise to determine the responsibilities and risks associated with each possible structure or what Texas and Hawaii requirements may apply.
We have discussed several possible arrangements, but we need an experienced HR professional to organize the relevant information, evaluate the options from an HR and compliance perspective, and identify the matters that require specialized legal, accounting, payroll, insurance, or state-agency guidance.
The volunteer will produce a written Hawaii Workforce Structure Assessment that:
- Documents the current working arrangement, including responsibilities, supervision, scheduling, compensation, fundraising, organizational control, financial support, program operations, and use of the 7more name.
- Identifies employee-classification, multistate employment, payroll, registration, insurance, tax, leave, documentation, and policy questions created by the current arrangement.
- Compares the practical responsibilities, risks, advantages, and disadvantages of three primary options: continued employment through 7more, an independent-contractor arrangement if legally supportable, or transition to a separate Hawaii nonprofit or affiliated organization.
- Explains which responsibilities would remain with 7more and which would belong to the team members or Hawaii organization under each option.
- Identifies the Texas and Hawaii agencies, registrations, accounts, policies, insurance coverage, agreements, and professional guidance that may be required for each structure.
- Clearly flags matters requiring advice from a licensed attorney, accountant, payroll provider, insurance professional, or state agency.
- Provides a decision matrix and prioritized action roadmap showing what must be decided, which questions must be answered, who should answer them, and the next steps required after 7more selects a structure.
Success would be a clear, decision-ready assessment that enables 7more’s leadership and board to choose a sustainable structure and approach the appropriate professionals with specific, organized questions. The project does not require the volunteer to provide legal opinions or implement every resulting change.
