Have you ever wondered how artificial intelligence is transforming the nonprofit sector? AI is not just about sending out emails or streamlining the mechanics of helping others. When it comes to nonprofits and the communities they serve, artificial intelligence is becoming a game-changer.
A recent report by Fast Forward shines a spotlight on the impact that AI could have. How? They conducted a survey of 119 AI-enabled nonprofits from 20 countries, as well as interviewed 20 philanthropic and nonprofit leaders.
The surprising finding in the report?
About 92% of the nonprofits surveyed said that AI had made their service delivery more efficient.
AI Is Changing How Nonprofits Serve Communities
The human use of AI in the nonprofit sector used to be about efficiency. Sure, we all knew that AI could write papers, analyze data, or rescue a few hours’ worth of staff time. But things have changed.
Here’s what’s new: This report explores a new generation of nonprofits where AI is front and center.
These so-called “AI-enabled nonprofits” are breaking new ground—yet not just in efficiency. Almost all respondents (92%) said AI improved the efficiency of their service delivery. Nearly two-thirds (63%) said AI was enabling their delivery teams to work more closely with service users. An astonishing 55% said AI was enabling them to deliver more personalized services on a greater scale.
Think: more tailored support to a wider customer base without necessarily expanding your headcount.
And about two-fifths (41%) said they were able to deliver services in new languages or formats, while similar proportions (40%) reported they were now reaching previously inaccessible audiences. How AI can be helpful Imagine an NGO working with multilingual communities. Now, imagine them using an AI-powered translation tool.
That’s just one way in which AI is empowering nonprofits to help more people while helping them do so more efficiently. AI isn’t a solution to every problem. But it can certainly help to combat issues around staffing levels, time limitations, language barriers, and resource constraints.
Would you like to find out how?
The Real Challenge Starts After the Pilot
Launching an AI initiative is one thing; funding and expanding it is a whole new ballgame. The report reveals a key piece of information you might not have expected. If you’re in a nonprofit piloting or scaling up an AI initiative, you’re not alone; a whopping 90% say they have a plan to scale up.
But… only 24% have the means to do so.
Pithy. Even NGOs that have launched their AI pilots face the challenge of acquiring resources to implement their planned scale-up initiatives. This fact underscores the need for sufficient resources for long-term implementation. While an AI pilot can be impressive in a demo, that success will be incomplete without adequate funding for technology and infrastructure, people and space, monitoring and evaluation, security and data protection, and updates to the technology as AI develops.
Funding Could Determine Whether AI Projects Survive
Are you concerned about rising costs of AI tools and infrastructure? Well, you aren’t alone. According to the survey, 45% of respondents identify rising costs of AI tools and infrastructure as the biggest external risk to their organization. The reality is that a majority of respondents (77%) believe that multi-year, unrestricted funding would make the greatest contribution to supporting AI projects, since project funding in the short-term often doesn’t align with the realities of tech organizations.
Let’s face it. An organization is given funding to deploy an AI-powered service, and then…what?
- Who keeps it running?
- Who pays for the software?
- Who trains the staff?
- Who maintains the system?
- Who updates the software?
How does the organization make sure the technology is working correctly?
These are all key questions that need to be addressed before scaling an AI program.
The Best Place to Start? A Real Problem.
Feeling inspired to embrace the power of AI? Not so fast! Begin with a problem. Don’t begin with an AI.
It’s tempting to get caught up in the promise of the newest AI tools and ask, “How do we use this at our organization?” Instead, ask yourself the more powerful question, “What takes up too much time, costs too much, or keeps us from serving people better?” Once you’ve identified that problem, the technology will follow.
It could be that for some NGOs, it’s the time it takes to write grant proposals. It could be the management of huge data sets, a lack of ability to communicate across language barriers, or being able to offer much more personalized services. At NGOs.ai, our approach is the one that keeps the focus on the real challenges facing your NGO. We’re not going to give you another AI tool to learn.
Think about this: no organization should have to reinvent the wheel each time they go to fundraise. An AI proposal tool can generate a solid first draft based on your project data, ready for you to customize and modify based on each funding organization’s specific criteria. The AI assists, and your organization persists and evolves your application content.
This problem-first approach is supported by the Fast Forward report, which cited that 39% of organizations that participated in its survey said a strong understanding of the problem they were solving was a critical factor in their AI success.
But it’s not all about technology. The workforce, as a key factor in the AI equation, needs to be aware and engaged in the process. An internal advocate to achieve the AI vision is needed, according to 64% of companies, and 42% want curious employees.
And great AI adoption isn’t just about the high-tech data skills. It’s about having a team that understands its purpose and how it can really make a difference. How do you imagine AI has a role in advancing your mission?
Responsible AI Matters Just as Much as Efficiency
Let’s talk about a topic that nonprofits absolutely can’t ignore: trust. Of course AI can make your services faster, more accessible, and more efficient. But when we’re talking about education, health, and social services, we’re talking about lives, and errors can be costly.
88% of nonprofits report that they are worried about AI providing inaccurate information. 84% are concerned about private information being compromised or misused. 66% are worried about AI diminishing trust with the community they serve.
That’s understandable, isn’t it? You want to know how your information is being used, and you want the community to be transparent with the services it’s receiving. And your organization wants to be sure that critical decisions are being made by the human experts, not the technology alone.
The bottom line: 76% of nonprofits share ongoing feedback with the community, and 85% are very or extremely transparent about their use of AI. Transparency and feedback will be even more critical as AI becomes more widely used in the nonprofit space.
AI Should Support People, Not Replace Their Judgment
Worried responsible AI means that NGOs need to abandon technology? Not quite! It’s about helping us navigate it effectively.
After all, AI can be used to sift through information, synthesize data, write material, translate languages, or automate mundane and repetitive work.
However, AI is not able to understand a local community’s history or language or really appreciate the collaborations a non-profit has established.
And that is when human intelligence must be applied. Your team should be and should remain responsible for reviewing AI-generated data, editing for mistakes, and making the decisions that require the human touch.
AI will complement nonprofit teamwork, not replace it.
So, What Comes Next?
Here we go again. Is this the beginning of the end? Can nonprofit organizations even utilize AI? Have you been excited by what nonprofits are doing with AI? Then you’ll be excited… They’re jumping in!
You’ll see them finding practical value for the services they provide, expanding their reach to more people, personalizing support, and improving operational efficiency.
Excited…? But they need to get to what comes next.
The real challenge will be whether nonprofits can access the funds, gain the skills, and put in place the infrastructure and responsible governance to sustain AI solutions for the long term. So, if you’re an NGO interested in AI, the end goal shouldn’t be to AI everything—come up with a real problem, explore the possible, measure success, and listen to the people impacted, then consider whether to scale up. Why?
Because it’s not about showcasing the most advanced AI.
It’s about doing the right things with the right tools to deliver long-term value for the community. Are you up for the challenge?
