Whether you are an AI novice wondering how to catch up quickly, or an AI early adopter always looking for a new tool you can use at your nonprofit, we hope you will join us every Tuesday for another quick update on what is going on in the world of Nonprofits and AI.

Takeaways and resources from Ep 2:

Microsoft

TechSoup https://www.techsoup.org/: A membership driven nonprofit IT resource, particularly for discounted licenses, with a large knowledgebase on many IT tools nonprofits use. AI resources for Microsoft tools, including training: https://techsoup.course.tc/catalog/exploring-ai-with-microsoft-tools

Google

Generative AI training and help: extensive resources on using Gemini, including nonprofit-specific use cases and examples.

The Human Stack

Built around up-skilling your existing nonprofit staff to better manage IT, offers affordable workshops and classes, including a 60 minute course for getting better at AI. https://thehumanstack.com/

Perplexity and Charity Navigator

Perplexity is an AI tool that announced a partnership with Charity Navigator to use the Charity Navigator database to improve outputs when asking about nonprofits. https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/research-nonprofits-with-charity-navigator-on-perplexity

As with all AI tools, follow your nonprofit's guidelines and policies when logging into non-enterprise accounts - enterprise licenses are more secure and offer more privacy, so use them when you can!

Claude and Candid

Claude is Anthropic's AI tool, and has partnered with Candid to improve outputs when researching nonprofits, grants, foundations, etc. To learn more: https://candid.org/blogs/claude-for-nonprofits-candid-mcp-connector-access-nonprofit-data-ai-assistant/

Q&A

Want to ask a question about nonprofit AI and get an answer on a future episode? Got a use case you want to share? A cautionary AI tale you want to warn other nonprofits about? Let's grow this community! Get in touch with Carolyn here, on our website, or on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/NonprofitITManagement/

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Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at cwoodard@communityit.com
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Learn how to manage valuable data every day at your nonprofit.

Director of Data and Systems at the Greater Washington Community Foundation in Washington DC, Jenn Walen, discusses her role in managing data policies and training and supporting nonprofit staff in keeping data clean and organized.

Jenn stresses that you need a single source of truth, standards for data entry, and policies. Spending the time to decrease the time spent pulling reports and seeing the whole picture is extremely valuable in this moment. Jenn shares advice and experiences in getting your nonprofit’s data where you want it to be.

Everybody wants to look good. Good data helps everyone at your organization look good – to your board, your executives, your donors, your constituents. And good data saves everyone time.

Additionally, nonprofits looking for one thing they can do to protect themselves in this political environment should look to their data governance and standards. This project doesn’t have to involve highly paid consultants or new expensive tools. It just takes prioritization, time, and good change management.

Recommendations:

Be consistent. Create standards and uphold them. No exceptions.

If you need data governance documentation, templates and assistance are available online. You don’t have to start from scratch, ask your colleagues.

Kindness along the way is important. This is not easy. Data clean up is a pain. Everyone lending a hand can help create solidarity and a culture of accuracy. Support your colleagues!

People learn in multiple ways and with multiple styles. Provide training and support to meet them where they are.

Get support from leadership to emphasize data clean up priorities.

It is so satisfying when the data is in good shape. The rewards for doing the hard work are great.

Is there an AI tool that can do this for you?

AI tools are helpful. Start with education and training on the tools you plan to use. The tools you can use will depend on your database. Get the training from your vendor on the AI that is being incorporated into your tool. Work with a data consultant to understand implementing AI to understand the implications, the security, and matching the tool to your needs and use policies.

Every output from AI needs to have a human review. Don’t expect to give AI your data and have it sort and clean it for you with minimum input from humans.

Be careful. Respect confidentiality and follow your organization’s data governance policies. Think about how you would want an organization to handle your own data.

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at cwoodard@communityit.com
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.

Community IT is starting a new series today: Nonprofit AI. Midweek we will share 10-15 minutes of updates about AI and nonprofits - including current news stories, tips, definitions, use cases, frameworks, and resources.

Whether you are an AI novice wondering how to catch up quickly, or an AI early adopter always looking for a new tool you can use at your nonprofit, we hope you will join us every Tuesday for another quick update on what is going on in the world of Nonprofits and AI.

Takeaways and resources from Ep 1:

1. How AI Works: The Fast-Paced Library

Think of a Large Language Model (LLM) like a super-fast librarian who has read almost everything ever written. When you ask a question, the AI doesn't "look up" a file; it predicts the next word in a sequence. It processes your request into small "packets" of data (tokens) that are sent to massive datacenters. There, billions of mathematical calculations happen in milliseconds to return a response that sounds human.

2. Embedded AI vs. Prompting AI

You are already using AI, even if you haven't opened a chatbot.

• Embedded AI: This is "hidden" technology inside tools you use daily, like Google Search algorithms, GPS route optimization, or even your email’s spam filter.
• Prompting AI: This is "Generative AI" like ChatGPT or Gemini, where you actively start a conversation (a "prompt") to create something new, like a draft email or a report summary.

3. Use Enterprise Logins

You should use the Enterprise versions of tools like Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini (logging in with your work account) rather than the free, public versions. This should keep your data "walled off." This ensures your donor information or internal notes aren't used to train the public model or seen by anyone outside your organization.

4. Policies are Your Starting Point

While many nonprofits are still catching up on formal IT governance or employee handbooks, AI represents a unique moment to start documenting your "rules of the road." You don't need a 50-page document, but you do need clear guidelines for your team on what data can be shared with AI, who is responsible for fact-checking AI outputs, and how your organization discloses AI use.

5. It is Okay Not to Know Everything

Your role as a leader is to focus on strategy and ethics, not the underlying code. It is perfectly professional to say, "I'm still evaluating how this tool fits our mission," or "I need more information on the privacy implications before we proceed."

Resources:

What is Generative AI? – IBM

AI for Nonprofits: What You Need to Know – In the Microsoft/TechSoup Digital Skills Center

AI Is Already in Your Nonprofit – Community IT Innovators

AI Suitability Kit for Nonprofits - NetHope

Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Nonprofits – The Nonprofit Alliance

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at cwoodard@communityit.com
• on LinkedIn

Thanks for listening.