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Nonprofits are at a crossroads: embrace AI or risk falling behind. But for many organizations, adopting AI feels like assembling IKEA furniture — you know it's a great solution, but where are the dang instructions?
Here's the good news: you don't need to be a tech wizard to harness the power of AI. Existing AI tools can help every nonprofit do more with less, freeing up time for what really matters — your mission. At Fast Forward, we are continually testing a wide array of tools to find what works for us. (Want to try a fun one? Turn your existing content into a podcast, like we did to this newsletter with the help of Google’s NotebookLM. Be surprised here.)
We've compiled some useful resources to help you get started. Consider it the missing manual for your nonprofit AI adoption journey.
Survey Says: Assessing Readiness
Before diving into the AI deep end, it's helpful to know where you stand. Enter GivingTuesday's new AI Readiness and Adoption in the Nonprofit Sector survey. The report maps out the current landscape, showing how organizations like yours are navigating the AI waters and where nonprofits fall on the adoption spectrum. Filled with actionable insights and resources, this survey is your first step in charting an AI course that's right for your mission.
+ TLDR: Don’t underestimate nonprofits when it comes to tech adoption. Twilio.org’s 2024 State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report found that 58% of nonprofits use AI in their digital communications, surpassing the 47% of B2C businesses.
“We should be thinking about back office efficiency. I think it’s super un-sexy to say that, but if we can unlock time, we can effectively unlock capital in a lot of ways … If we can make our organizations a single percentage point more efficient using these generative tools, I think that could be really beneficial.”
- Raffi Krikorian, CTO of Emerson Collective, at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s GenAI for Economic Opportunity
Covering Your Ethical Bases
Learning new tools is one thing, but implementing AI ethically? That's a whole other ball game. We partnered with Jared Chung, founder of CareerVillage, for our blog post on responsible AI implementation. We asked him heavy hitters, like “Who is responsible when an AI system makes a mistake?” and “How can you ensure that AI doesn’t reinforce existing biases?” We also shared our favorite ways to use AI to boost our work. Balancing powerful tools with thoughtful implementation is how you'll truly knock it out of the park.
+ Remember those AI questions for grantmakers? Plot twist: nonprofits, they're for you too. Ask yourselves these questions to ensure thoughtful implementation and challenge your own AI plans.
“AI presents a lot of opportunities to automate repetitive or time-consuming tasks and free up time for you to focus on more creative or high-value work. The important thing is that we take the energy we’ve put into developing that groundbreaking technology and match it with efforts to ensure those breakthroughs are being used for good and benefiting communities in need.”
- Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink, Director of Product Impact at Google.org, in Authority Magazine
The Hidden Gem(ini) of Time-Saving Tools
AI-powered nonprofits aren’t building a time machine (yet), but Google.org's Get Time Back campaign might be the next best thing. Unveiled at Google.org’s first-ever Impact Summit earlier this month, the resource hub instructs nonprofits on how to use their free AI tools. My favorite part? The Gemini prompt library tailored specifically to nonprofit needs. It's packed with ready-to-use prompts for tasks like grant writing, content creation, and volunteer management. I recommend you prompt-ly check it out.
+ Looking for additional resources? Check out our AI for Humanity Resource Hub for recommended reads, listens, and watches to get up to speed on all things AI. NTEN’s Artificial Intelligence Framework includes helpful guidelines for ethical implementation. TechSoup’s AI Learning Center has an array of webinars, videos, and guides.
Quick Bytes
Other Sector Stories
Next month, I’m trading pixels for projectors and bringing the stories of AI for Humanity to TED AI! I’m moderating the "AI and Social Impact" panel with leaders from Ersilia, Digital Green, and Rocket Learning. Together, we’ll discuss how these AI-powered nonprofits are tackling hyperlocal challenges to make a global difference.
The nonprofit coalition Earth Fire Alliance is launching FireSat, an initiative using AI-equipped satellites to spot small wildfires globally. Their AI analyzes satellite imagery every 20 minutes to detect fires as small as a classroom, aiming to prevent large-scale infernos.
Upsolve, the nation's most visited nonprofit financial education site (and Fast Forward alum!), received $4.2M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build Upsolve Assist. This AI-powered financial counselor will deliver tailored financial guidance to low-income Americans completely free of charge.
APN Funding News
Kyndryl Foundation invites proposals from organizations dedicated to cybersecurity and AI skills development, with a focus on job placement for underrepresented learners and job seekers. Apply by October 11.
The Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI is back for round two. Submit the interest form to stay up-to-date on program details and application timing.
The Climate Change AI Innovation Grants program is currently accepting applications for projects using AI and machine learning to tackle climate change challenges.
Let’s Talk
I am living and breathing AI for humanity these days. If you are too, let’s talk!