Community IT Innovators Nonprofit Technology Topics

Community IT Innovators

Community IT offers free webinars monthly to promote learning within our nonprofit technology community. Our podcast is appropriate for a varied level of technology expertise. Community IT is vendor-agnostic and our webinars cover a range of topics and discussions. Something on your mind you don’t see covered here? Contact us to suggest a topic! http://www.communityit.com

  1. Nonprofit AI: State and National Regulations

    1d ago

    Nonprofit AI: State and National Regulations

    The rules for how nonprofits can use AI are being written right now, and there's a real issue over who gets to write them. In this midweek check-in, Carolyn Woodard walks through the federal-versus-state fight over AI regulation, why none of this requires you to be a lawyer to follow along, and how to stay informed about state AI rules-making where nonprofits should be at the table. She also notes new environmental research showing the water use per prompt really depends on where the data center is sited and the state of the grid in that location - another reason that local advocacy is a real way to have agency in this moment. She closes by advocating for a values-grounded AI policy that is still your best foundation no matter which way the rules shift. This episode covers: In December 2025 an executive order "Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence" set out to replace a 50-state "patchwork" with one federal approach. The nuance that matters for your compliance: an executive order doesn't automatically erase existing state laws, and the March 2026 framework urging Congress to act is non-binding — so the rules already on the books in your state still apply for now.How Colorado and California are splitting: Colorado scaled back its comprehensive AI law (hiring, housing, lending, healthcare) and pushed the effective date to January 1, 2027, while California's frontier-safety law applies only to large developers — and Governor Newsom vetoed the worker-focused "No Robo Bosses Act" after industry pushback.New UC Riverside research (Prof. Shaolei Ren) showing the water cost of an identical AI query depends enormously on where the data center sits — a more than 20x swing — reframing the "is my individual prompt harmful?" question toward the bigger siting-and-grid picture as Fortune 500 companies integrate AI into everything they do.Who actually shaped these laws: well-resourced industry groups on one side and consumer-advocacy and civil-rights nonprofits on the other. There is a clear role for nonprofit leadership in the AI regulation debate.Resources Mentioned: Artificial Intelligence Legislation Database — National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)U.S. State AI Governance Legislation Tracker — IAPP (nonprofit)Find & Contact Elected Officials — USA.govEnsuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence (Executive Order, Dec. 11, 2025) — The White HouseColorado Governor Signs SB 189, Significantly Amending the State's AI Law — Holland & KnightCalifornia's SB 53: The First Frontier AI Law, Explained — Future of Privacy ForumAI Programs Consume Large Volumes of Scarce Water — UC Riverside News (Prof. Shaolei Ren)Making AI Less "Thirsty" (peer-reviewed) — Communications of the ACMAI's Energy Footprint Investigation — MIT Technology ReviewTemplate: Acceptable Use of AI Tools in the Nonprofit Workplace — Community IT InnovatorsNot mentioned in the podcast but apropos. The Fight Over AI is Really a Fight Over Who Governs - op ed from McGovern Foundation in Time  _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    23 min
  2. Nonprofit AI Governance Tips with Nura Aboki pt 2

    5d ago

    Nonprofit AI Governance Tips with Nura Aboki pt 2

    In Part 2 of the Nonprofit AI Governance Tips webinar, Carolyn Woodard and Nuradeen Aboki, Senior Consultant who has been helping nonprofits explore and adopt AI tools, cover the practical steps your organization can take to move from AI experimentation to intentional governance. The conversation picks up with a closer look at what belongs in a nonprofit AI policy, who needs to be at the decision-making table, and how to make governance stick in day-to-day operations rather than just on paper. Nura shares a case study of a content-heavy nonprofit that built AI guardrails around their editorial process and came out ahead, and the two close with a question-and-answer session covering metrics, ethics, and the environmental impact of AI. Haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Find it in your podcast feed. This episode covers: A good AI policy addresses acceptable use, data handling, compliance requirements, vendor vetting, human review, and staff training expectations — and it needs to evolve as the tools and your organization do.Cross-functional governance works best when leadership, board oversight, IT, legal, HR, and end users all have a seat at the table. Research drawing on a national survey of 180 nonprofits found that organizations where staff and board co-developed AI principles launched 12 times more pilots and scaled AI more effectively.One nonprofit built AI governance around their editorial workflow: updated style guides, required human review of every AI-assisted draft, and targeted prompting training. The result was faster writing without sacrificing voice or accuracy.When things go wrong, the first step is a calm assessment: figure out who is using what, what went wrong, and whether the root cause was a training gap, policy vacuum, or misconfigured setting.Making governance real means publishing your policy internally, raising AI use in staff meetings regularly, and creating spaces where people at every comfort level can ask questions and share concerns without judgment.Resources Mentioned: AI Acceptable Use Policy Template — Community IT Innovators — https://communityit.com/template-acceptable-use-of-ai-tools-in-the-nonprofit-workplace/Dell Insights Report on Nonprofit AI Adoption — board.dev — https://board.dev/dell-insights-report-2/Community IT AI Resource Library — communityit.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/Community IT Governance Resource Library — communityit.com/governance/TAG AI Framework — Tech and Service Organizations — https://tagtech.org/page/AIAI Literacy and the Future of Work — U.S. Department of Labor — https://dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/ten-07-25No AI Use Policy? What to Do — Candid — https://candid.org/blogs/no-ai-use-policy-what-to-do/We Did the Math on AI's Energy Footprint — MIT Technology Review — https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116327/ai-energy-usage-climate-footprint-big-tech/Securing Google Workspace for Nonprofits Webinar — Community IT Innovators — https://communityit.com/webinar-securing-google-workspace-for-nonprofits/ _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    27 min
  3. Nonprofit AI: Papal Encyclical and Longview Philanthropy RFP

    Jun 2

    Nonprofit AI: Papal Encyclical and Longview Philanthropy RFP

    Carolyn Woodard covers a landmark moment in the global conversation about AI governance: the release of Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, and what it means for nonprofits and philanthropy navigating an AI landscape increasingly shaped by concentrated power. The encyclical, released May 25, 2026 and addressed to people of every faith and none, draws a deliberate parallel to the 1891 Rerum Novarum, which addressed the rights of workers during the Industrial Revolution. It argues that technology built and governed by a small elite cannot serve the common good, and calls for AI to be "disarmed" from the logic of competition and monopoly. Nonprofit tech thought leaders responded quickly, with voices like Cassie Gruenstein of AI x Impact, TechSoup CEO Marnie Webb, and former TAG Executive Director Chantal Forster each bringing distinct lenses: worker dignity and organizational culture, the economics of AI pricing and shared sector solutions, and the case for philanthropy to invest not just in AI adoption but in the civic institutions that shape it. This episode also covers a cross-faith coalition context and closes with an action item: Longview Philanthropy has an open RFP funding work on AI power concentration, with a July 2 deadline. Why the encyclical's arguments on power concentration, worker dignity, and environmental impact speak directly to nonprofit values, regardless of religious affiliation.What three nonprofit tech thought leaders are drawing from the document for their own practice and recommendations.The cross-faith convergence building around shared demands for accountability, transparency, and human dignity in AI development.A concrete funding opportunity for organizations working on AI governance and power concentration.Resources Mentioned: Magnifica Humanitas, full text – The VaticanPope Calls for Robust Regulation of AI – PBS NewsHourCassie Gruenstein on Magnifica Humanitas – LinkedInMarnie Webb on Magnifica Humanitas – LinkedInChantal Forster: 10 Favorite Passages – LinkedInHow Magnifica Humanitas Offers a Template for the AI Moment – MIT Technology ReviewAI Must Remain Under Human Control – Christian Daily InternationalFaith-AI Covenant – Interfaith Alliance for Safer CommunitiesAI Power Concentration RFP – Longview PhilanthropyNew every Tuesday. _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    25 min
  4. Nonprofit AI Governance Tips with Nura Aboki pt 1

    May 29

    Nonprofit AI Governance Tips with Nura Aboki pt 1

    In the first part of this two-part conversation, Carolyn Woodard and Nura Aboki, Senior Consultant at Community IT Innovators, dig into what it actually looks like to implement AI at a nonprofit - not in theory, but on the ground. With 80% of nonprofits using AI without any governance policies in place, unmanaged adoption is already happening. This episode helps nonprofit leaders understand where to start. Nura draws on real client experiences to walk through two case studies: a nonprofit that had to pause its AI rollout to answer a fundamental "why are we doing this?" and an environmental organization that wrestled with whether using AI conflicted with its mission. Both examples illustrate why values alignment and change management have to come before any tool selection. Carolyn and Nura cover: Why starting with a clear "why" before selecting any tool is the single most important step in AI adoption.What AI literacy means for nonprofit staff and where to find free and low-cost training options.A step-by-step framework for intentional AI implementation: communication, piloting, due diligence, and layered training.The risks nonprofits need to plan for, including shadow AI, vendor churn, data privacy, and the legal reality that humans are accountable for AI errors.Why appointing an internal AI champion matters even at - especially at - small organizations.Resources Mentioned AI Acceptable Use Policy Template — Community IT InnovatorsAI Literacy and the Workforce — U.S. Department of LaborDigital Skills Center — TechSoupAI for Nonprofits Certificate — NTENThe Human StackAI Program Area — NetHopeMission-Aligned AI Adoption Model — Community IT InnovatorsNo AI Use Policy? What to Do — Candid _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    33 min
  5. Nonprofit AI: Environmental Costs, New Philanthropy Dollars

    May 26

    Nonprofit AI: Environmental Costs, New Philanthropy Dollars

    Carolyn Woodard covers the real-world costs of AI infrastructure, a coming wave of AI-generated philanthropic wealth, and how to think about AI fundraising tools this week. The headlines about AI tend to focus on what it can do. This episode looks at what it costs — in water, electricity, and rate increases that are already hitting low-income households — and at the enormous wealth being created on the other side of that ledger.  Carolyn also responds to a listener question about AI tools in fundraising, drawing a comparison to the early days of social media for nonprofits and why the same change management instincts should apply. This episode covers: Data centers in Georgia and Arizona have drawn water without authorization, and projections suggest Texas data centers alone could draw down Lake Mead by 16 feet annually by 2030. MIT researchers found that AI-specific energy use could equal 22% of all US household electricity consumption by 2028, and that utility deals with major tech companies are already shifting infrastructure costs to ratepayers.Nan Ransohoff's widely discussed Substack piece argues that AI wealth creation could generate $37 to $100 billion annually in new philanthropic capital. Forbes counts 45 new AI billionaires in 2026 with combined wealth of $2.9 trillion. Tech-fluent nonprofits are likely to be better positioned to build relationships with this new wave of funders.AI fundraising tools are at a moment similar to early social media: some organizations will jump in, some will wait, and neither is automatically right. The change management skills your organization has built through past fundraising shifts can apply here. Just because the tools are new, don't think you don't have the leadership to manage the change.Board.dev connects nonprofits with tech-savvy board candidates and offers 28 AI governance questions your board can use right now.Resources Mentioned: Fortune, "America's Data Centers Are Thirsty. Rural Towns Are Paying the Price" — https://fortune.com/2026/05/13/data-center-georgia-arizona-water-wars/MIT Technology Review, "We Did the Math on AI's Energy Footprint" — https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116327/ai-energy-usage-climate-footprint-big-tech/Nan Ransohoff, "The Third Wave of American Philanthropy" — https://nanransohoff.substack.com/p/the-third-wave-of-american-philanthropyForbes, "Meet the 45 AI Newcomers to Forbes 2026 Billionaires List" — https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2026/03/10/meet-the-45-ai-newcomers-to-forbes-2026-billionaires-list/Board.dev — https://board.devNew every Tuesday. _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    27 min
  6. Nonprofit AI Management Advice with Mimi Yeh

    May 22

    Nonprofit AI Management Advice with Mimi Yeh

    Carolyn Woodard explores the gap between AI ambition and organizational readiness with Mimi Yeh, Engagement Director at PTKO, a strategy and change management consulting firm that works exclusively with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. Mimi focuses on the people side of technology adoption — and when it comes to AI, she sees a consistent pattern: leadership is excited, staff are uncertain, and the gap between those two realities is where AI initiatives stall. The conversation reframes AI adoption not as a tools problem but as an alignment and change management challenge. Mimi and Carolyn discuss how nonprofits can build the internal structure — governance, policy, shared understanding — that makes AI adoption sustainable rather than chaotic, and what funders can do to support that work more effectively. Mimi and Carolyn discuss: Why the biggest obstacle to AI adoption in nonprofits is not the technology itself, but the gap between leadership ambition and staff readiness — and how governance can close it.How to use your organization's existing skepticism about AI (around climate impact, job displacement, or data risk) as a productive starting point for building policy rather than a reason to stall.Why acceptable use guidelines for AI should not look very different from governance frameworks nonprofits already use for other tools and technologies.How funders can shift from pressuring nonprofits to adopt AI quickly to supporting the capacity building and literacy that makes adoption meaningful and lasting.What it actually takes to build an AI tool for internal nonprofit use — and why the human input, voice, and values behind that tool matter as much as the data fed into it.Resources Mentioned: PTKO — ptko.io/who-we-are/AI Acceptable Use Policy Template — Community IT Innovators — communityit.com/template-acceptable-use-of-ai-tools-in-the-nonprofit-workplace/AI Resource Library — Community IT Innovators — communityit.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/ _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    26 min
  7. Nonprofit AI: Claude for Small Business, ChatGPT Update

    May 19

    Nonprofit AI: Claude for Small Business, ChatGPT Update

    Carolyn Woodard covers two recent AI product updates and a thought-provoking question about what it means to use AI tools more personally: a new Claude for Small Business plugin that connects AI to the tools your nonprofit already uses, a ChatGPT model update that changes the default experience for anyone on your staff using the free tier, and an article from nonprofit AI trainer Tim Lockie that may challenge how you think about sharing context with AI. Anthropic launched Claude for Small Business as a plugin inside Claude Cowork, their agentic work environment. The plugin connects Claude directly to tools like QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Canva, DocuSign, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 through pre-built workflows for tasks like payroll, month-end close, and invoicing. Every action requires human approval before it executes. Nonprofits with a paid Claude plan already have access but need to make the connections in Cowork. The Claude for Nonprofits discount brings the Teams plan to $8 per user per month for qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations. A free AI Fluency for Small Business course is also included. OpenAI updated ChatGPT's default model to GPT-5.5 Instant in early May, rolling it out to all users including the free tier. The big change: the model now draws on past conversations, uploaded files, and connected accounts like Gmail to personalize responses. If your staff are using the free version of ChatGPT, their default experience just changed, and that matters for what your organization's data governance policy says about which tools and tiers are appropriate. Carolyn closes with Tim Lockie's recent piece "Humans Are The Loop," about building a private Claude project he uses as a personal thinking partner. He fed it his neuropsych evaluation, DISC profile, and StrengthsFinder results, and uses it to surface the patterns he is most likely to miss under pressure. This approach is in genuine tension with the data caution that guides most of our AI governance guidance, and Carolyn is still sitting with it. Worth a few minutes of your own reflection. Resources Mentioned: Claude for Small Business announcement — Anthropic — https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-for-small-businessClaude for Nonprofits pricing — Anthropic — https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12893767-getting-started-with-claude-for-nonprofitsGPT-5.5 Instant announcement — OpenAI — https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-5-instant/Humans Are The Loop — Tim Lockie / The Human Stack — https://thehumanstack.com/timlockie/humans_are_the_loopAI for Anyone course — The Human Stack — https://thehumanstack.com/academy/aiforanyoneElon Musk Loses Landmark Lawsuit Against Open AI — WIRED https://www.wired.com/story/musk-v-altman-jury-verdict/New every Tuesday. _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    25 min
  8. Technology for Nonprofit Fundraiser Events with Justin Goodhew

    May 15

    Technology for Nonprofit Fundraiser Events with Justin Goodhew

    Carolyn Woodard explores the technology behind nonprofit fundraising events with Justin Goodhew, CEO and co-founder of Trellis. Galas and in-person events have come roaring back since COVID, and they have changed — guests expect and enjoy more experiential, mission-centered evenings.  But the pressure on staff has not let up. As AI begins to reshape data entry and reconciliation, the nonprofits that thrive will be the ones who have already built the right technology foundations under their events. Justin brings years of experience helping nonprofits run galas that integrate cleanly into their existing systems — and he has seen firsthand what separates a smooth, energizing event from one that leaves staff burnt out. The conversation covers how to think about technology adoption the right way, how to make smarter asks on the big night, and how to use post-event data to deepen donor relationships before the window closes. Justin and Carolyn discuss: Why events have become more experiential since COVID, and how nonprofits can use that shift to bring donors closer to their mission.The three Ps of event technology adoption: procedure, people, and product — and why most organizations get the order wrong.How seamless integration between your event platform and your CRM or ERP protects staff from burnout and keeps donor data actionable.How the right data quickly allows you to identify your highest-value attendees and make the right asks at the right moment. And how data helps you plan the right type and right-sized event for your highest value donors. Why moving reconciliation and data planning to the front end of your event planning cycle - the three months in advance of your date - changes everything about the days that immediately follow your gala.Resources Mentioned: Trellis — https://www.trellis.org _______________________________ 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.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening.

    25 min
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Community IT offers free webinars monthly to promote learning within our nonprofit technology community. Our podcast is appropriate for a varied level of technology expertise. Community IT is vendor-agnostic and our webinars cover a range of topics and discussions. Something on your mind you don’t see covered here? Contact us to suggest a topic! http://www.communityit.com

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