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 Better Deal for Data Pledge with Jim Fruchterman

    2d ago

    Nonprofit Better Deal for Data Pledge with Jim Fruchterman

    Carolyn Woodard explores responsible data governance and AI realism with Jim Fruchterman, MacArthur Fellow and founder of Tech Matters, a tech-for-good nonprofit building open source software for the social sector. Jim's work sits at the intersection of two urgent questions every nonprofit is wrestling with right now: what do you owe the people whose data you collect, and how do you make smart decisions about AI without getting swept up in the hype? Jim introduces the Better Deal for Data, a new data governance movement built around seven plain-language commitments nonprofits can make to the communities they serve. The core idea: you don't own the data of the people you serve, tech vendors may be extracting it right now without your knowledge, and a basic data safeguarding policy should be as standard as a child safeguarding policy. He also explains why you can't build a responsible AI governance policy without first getting clear on your data governance. Then the conversation shifts to AI strategy, where Jim draws on decades of experience as an early AI entrepreneur to offer a genuinely grounded take. Gen AI fails in nonprofit program delivery about 80% of the time, and that's still a much better track record than blockchain or the metaverse.  Jim and Carolyn discuss: The seven Better Deal for Data commitments and why the average nonprofit can likely adopt them in two hoursHow tech vendors quietly extract and monetize constituent data through survey tools, donor management platforms, and moreWhy data governance and AI governance are inseparable, and why feeding confidential client data into a free AI tool violates bothThe case for nonprofits pooling anonymized data to build better AI models for social impact, with real-world examples from MomConnect and Community SolutionsWhy Jim recommends most nonprofits wait for proven AI products rather than build, and what RAG-based tools are actually delivering results right nowWhy being two or three years behind the for-profit AI curve might actually put nonprofits five to ten years ahead of where they were last yearResources Mentioned: Better Deal for Data – Tech Matters – https://bd4d.orgNonprofit AI Treasure Map – Tech Matters – https://techmatters.org/should-i-be-using-ai-for-this/Technology for Good – Jim Fruchterman – https://fruchterman.org/book/ or at your library or local bookstore! (Free ebook version coming September 2026)Tech Matters Podcast – Jim Fruchterman – https://open.spotify.com/show/17Gptwy6BnxhpBJiPuSNGeMomConnect – South African National Department of Health – https://www.health.gov.za/momconnect/Community Solutions / Built for Zero – https://community.solutionsTech Matters – https://techmatters.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.

    36 min
  2. Nonprofit AI: RAISE US, Citizen Advocacy Tools You Can Use

    4d ago

    Nonprofit AI: RAISE US, Citizen Advocacy Tools You Can Use

    If last week's episode left you wondering what you can actually do about data center development in your community, this week's episode is the flip side. Carolyn Woodard shares a new national workforce initiative just launched last week, then digs into the tools and resources available for nonprofits and community members who want to shape how AI infrastructure gets built - before it arrives, not after. She also closes with a look at what's happening in Europe and Africa, tying it back to an earlier episode on how where you are in the world determines the environmental footprint of your AI use, and why that makes local action matter globally. This episode covers: RAISE US, a new national nonprofit launched June 25 with bipartisan leadership from former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, has secured more than $500 million toward a $1 billion goal. Anchor partners include Amazon, Anthropic, Microsoft, and the OpenAI Foundation. If you work in workforce development in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, or Utah, pay attention now, pilots are beginning.The Virginia legislature just wrapped its biannual budget, and the data center tax break fight made it in. Legislators kept the existing break but imposed a new tax on large data center companies to offset it with more to come next session. A local example of the policy battle playing out in real time, and ways that citizen involvement makes a difference in statewide policy.The Erin Brockovich Data Center Reporting Project lets citizens report data center problems - energy, noise, water - but also has a "Communities Making a Difference" map that documents real wins. Community organizing is working.41 mayors from six continents — representing more than 90 million people — signed the Global Urban Data Centres Pact at London Climate Action Week on June 23. About half the signatories are U.S. cities including Seattle, Chicago, Miami, Phoenix, and Palo Alto. They're setting common standards on clean energy, water use, and site selection, creating a benchmark for requirements for other cities and communities to use.Sierra Club's 2026 Data Center Policy Guidance and Good Jobs First's moratorium bill tracker (300+ bills across 30+ states) give you concrete tools to find what's happening in your state and how to plug in.Europe's record-breaking heat wave is straining data center cooling systems and sparking a movement toward European-owned AI infrastructure. The African Development Bank and UNDP have launched a $10 billion initiative so Africa becomes a producer of AI, not a consumer of tools built elsewhere. As Carolyn puts it: the Industrial Revolution took 30–40 years for communities to push back. We don't have to wait that long this time.Resources Mentioned: RAISE US – https://www.raiseus.aiErin Brockovich Data Center Reporting Project – https://brockovichdatacenter.comErin Brokovich Data Center Reporting Project - Victory Map https://brockovichdatacenter.com/community-and-legislation.html#mapCommunities Making a Difference – Brockovich Data Center Project – https://brockovichdatacenter.com/community-impact.htmlGlobal Urban Data Centres Pact – C40 Cities – https://www.c40.org/news/mayors-from-around-the-world-unite-in-call-for-sustainable-urban-data-centres/Sierra Club 2026 Data Center Policy Guidance – Sierra Club – https://www.sierraclub.org/issues/climate/data-centersData Center Moratorium Bill Tracker – Good Jobs First – https://goodjobsfirst.org/data-center-moratorium-bills-are-spreading-in-2026/Africa AI 10 Billion Initiative – African Development Bank – https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/african-development-bank-undp-and-partners-launch-ai-10-billion-initiative-during-2026-nairobi-ai-forum-91104Why Community Benefit Agreements Are Necessary for Data Centers – Brookings Institution – https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-community-benefit-agreements-are-necessary-for-data-centers/ _______________________________ 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
  3. Securing Google Workspace for Nonprofits with Steve Longenecker pt 2

    Jun 26

    Securing Google Workspace for Nonprofits with Steve Longenecker pt 2

    In Part 2 of the Securing Google Workspace for Nonprofits webinar podcast, Carolyn Woodard and Steve Longenecker, Director of IT Consulting at Community IT, move from foundational configurations into the question every nonprofit eventually asks: do we need to pay for a higher tier of Google Workspace to get real security? The short answer is: probably not right away. Steve walks through the third-party tools that should come before a tier upgrade for most nonprofits: formal security awareness training, third-party backups, advanced email protection, and cloud monitoring.  He explains when a paid Google Workspace tier does make sense, particularly for organizations handling financial or healthcare data, legal holds, or complex app integrations.  The conversation closes with a lively Q&A session drawn from attendee questions and poll results, covering oversharing in Google Drive, data loss prevention, password strength visibility in the admin console, and how to give staff secure, convenient ways to do their jobs without creating unsecured workarounds. Haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Find it in your podcast feed. This episode covers: Why third-party tools for security awareness training, backups, and advanced email protection are the right next layer for most nonprofits, before considering a paid Google Workspace tier.When upgrading to a paid tier does make sense: handling sensitive financial or healthcare data, e-discovery and legal holds via Google Vault, or managing frequent third-party app integrations.Nonprofits still receive significant discounts on paid Google Workspace tiers -  you just won't get them for free.You can find out which staff members have and haven't set up two-step verification before you enforce it so no one gets locked out unexpectedly.Making security convenient matters as much as making it mandatory: if IT makes it too hard for people to do their jobs, staff will find workarounds.Resources Mentioned: Google for Nonprofits Security Checklist — Google — https://support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/9251886Google Workspace Security Checklist for Small Organizations — Google — https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/security-checklist-for-small-businesses-1-100-usersGoogle Workspace Security Checklists (all sizes) — Google — https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/security-checklistsCybersecurity Readiness for Nonprofits Playbook — Community IT Innovators — https://communityit.com/cybersecurity-readiness-for-nonprofits-playbook/Nonprofit Data Retention with Ian Gottesman — Community IT Innovators Podcast — https://communityit.com/podcast-nonprofit-data-retention-with-ian-gottesman/Cybersecurity Resource Hub — NTEN — https://www.nten.org/learn/resource-hubs/cybersecurityNonprofit IT Management Community — Reddit — https://www.reddit.com/r/nonprofitITmanagementWebinar: AI Maturity Model for Nonprofits - Community IT Innovators - https://communityit.com/webinar-ai-maturity-model-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.

    25 min
  4. Nonprofit AI: Public AI Fund Idea, Data Center Nonprofit Bribes

    Jun 23

    Nonprofit AI: Public AI Fund Idea, Data Center Nonprofit Bribes

    Carolyn Woodard covers two developing stories this week that together raise a bigger question for nonprofits: as AI infrastructure money floods into communities and philanthropic channels, is your organization ready to navigate it? First, Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would require large AI companies to transfer half their stock to a federally managed public fund, with annual payments going directly to every American. The idea draws on a broader argument gaining traction across the political spectrum: that AI was built on humanity's collective output, and the public deserves a share of what it produces. The second story hits closer to home — literally. What would you do with a one time gift that was more than your annual operating budget? Would you worry about the strings attached? In Fauquier County, Virginia, a data center developer called Gigaland has announced $10 million in grants for 10 local nonprofits, contingent on receiving a building permit. Some nonprofits have said yes, some have said no, and most are waiting to see what happens. This tactic may be coming to a community near you soon. What can citizen groups do locally when up against data center money?  This episode also zooms out to look at how Meta, Google, and Amazon run ongoing community grant programs in their data center host communities, and how citizen coalitions in places like Lancaster, Pennsylvania have negotiated binding community benefit agreements instead of accepting gift-bribes. This episode covers: The Sanders bill and the question of who benefits from AI-built-on-public-data.How data center developers are using advance grant offers to nonprofits as a goodwill strategy before permits are approved.The difference between voluntary corporate giving and binding community benefit agreements, and what nonprofits and citizen coalitions can do to push for the latter.Four questions every nonprofit board should think through before a windfall lands: donor displacement, reputational risk, sustainability, and your ability to advocate freely.Why having clear organizational values and a gift acceptance policy in place before the money arrives is the most important preparation you can make.Resources Mentioned: American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act – Senator Bernie Sanders – https://www.sanders.senate.gov/op-eds/the-public-should-own-half-of-the-big-a-i-companies/Exclusive: Gigaland Data Center Developers Offering Millions to Fauquier Nonprofits – FauquierNow – https://www.fauquiernow.com/news/business/exclusive-gigaland-data-center-developers-offering-millions-of-dollars-to-fauquier-nonprofits/article_193216f9-e23a-4aca-ae8f-679846bd2ef1.htmlThe Third Wave of American Philanthropy – Nan Ransohoff – https://nanransohoff.substack.com/p/the-third-wave-of-american-philanthropyFair AI-Fueled Data Center Development for Communities – Federation of American Scientists / Day One Project – https://fas.org/publication/community-benefit-agreements-data-center-development/Why Community Benefit Agreements Are Necessary for Data Centers – Brookings Institution – https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-community-benefit-agreements-are-necessary-for-data-centers/Lancaster Data Center Agreement's Benefit to Community Questioned – Lancaster Online – https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-data-center-agreement-s-benefit-to-community-questioned/article_b2654db6-c6e3-4719-8a0e-1f839c1e325e.htmlIs Your Nonprofit Ready for a Windfall? – Successful Nonprofits – https://successfulnonprofits.com/nonprofit_windfall/Nonprofit Windfalls: Managing Transformative Gifts – PNC Insights – https://www.pnc.com/insights/corporate-institutional/manage-nonprofit-enterprises/you-received-a-windfall-now-what.htmlHave a Plan Ready for When Big Gifts Surprise You – Chronicle of Philanthropy (paywall) – https://www.philanthropy.com/solutions/have-a-plan-ready-for-when-big-gifts-surprise-you/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.

    30 min
  5. Securing Google Workspace for Nonprofits with Steve Longenecker pt 1

    Jun 19

    Securing Google Workspace for Nonprofits with Steve Longenecker pt 1

    In the first part of this two-part conversation taken from a webinar, Carolyn Woodard and Steve Longenecker, Director of IT Consulting at Community IT Innovators, walk through the security settings, risks, and first steps nonprofits need to know to get the most out of Google Workspace's free nonprofit tier. Google provides a genuinely secure platform, but security is a partnership. Steve explains that the risks nonprofits face in Google Workspace rarely come from Google's infrastructure and almost always come from the configuration decisions made on the customer side.  Whether your organization has been on Google for years or just signed up, there are settings in the admin console right now that deserve your attention. Steve and Carolyn cover: Why Google Workspace is a strong platform for nonprofits and what the free nonprofit tier includes, including where it stops and paid tiers or third-party tools pick up.2SV (two-step verification) is Google's term for MFA Multi-Factor-Authentication, and enforcing it for every user account is the single most important step you can take.How phishing, email spoofing, and business email compromise play out specifically in nonprofit environments, and what DNS settings like DMARC and DKIM do to reduce your exposure and protect your organization.Why shared and generic accounts create MFA blind spots, and how Google Groups can be a cleaner alternative for shared inboxes like info@ or donations@.The risks of unmanaged personal Google accounts, inactive user accounts, and overly permissive admin privileges, and how to find and address them in the admin console.Why migrating from My Drive file sharing to Google Shared Drives is a security and governance upgrade, and why it's worth planning carefully before you start.Resources Mentioned Google Admin Console – Google – https://admin.google.comGoogle for Nonprofits Security Checklist: https://support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/9251886Google Workspace Security Checklist for Small Organizations: https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/security-checklist-for-small-businesses-1-100-usersNonprofit IT Management Reddit Community – Reddit – https://www.reddit.com/r/nonprofitITmanagementMigrating Within Google to Use Shared Drives – Community IT Innovators – https://communityit.com/migrating-within-google-to-use-shared-drives/Email Protection and Deliverability (DMARC/DKIM) – Community IT Innovators – https://communityit.com/podcast-email-protection-and-deliverability-with-johan-hammerstrom/Cybersecurity Readiness for Nonprofits Playbook – Community IT Innovators – https://communityit.com/cybersecurity-readiness-for-nonprofits-playbook/ _______________________________ 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.

    36 min
  6. Nonprofit AI: Claude Corps Announcement, Regulations News

    Jun 16

    Nonprofit AI: Claude Corps Announcement, Regulations News

    Carolyn Woodard covers Anthropic's announcement of Claude Corps, a $150 million national fellowship program placing trained AI fellows inside nonprofit organizations, and gives a quick regulatory update on AI liability and state-level regulation. Claude Corps will train 1,000 early-career fellows on Claude and embed them full-time, in-person at host nonprofits for 12 months. Fellows are employed by CodePath, paid $85,000 plus benefits, and supported by Anthropic and Social Finance, which will handle measurement and evaluation. The first cohort of 100 fellows begins in October 2026, with applications closing July 17th.  Host organization applications are also open, and at least 400 nonprofits will participate over the coming years. Carolyn reflects on what this kind of embedded AI capacity could mean for chronically under-resourced nonprofits, while also noting the program's strategic timing ahead of Anthropic's anticipated IPO. On the regulatory front, a German regional court issued a preliminary injunction finding Google liable for false claims in its AI Overview search results, treating AI-generated summaries as the company's own speech rather than protected third-party content. Meanwhile, California's No Robo Bosses Act is advancing through the legislature again after being vetoed earlier, with legislation that would require human oversight when AI is used in workplace discipline and termination decisions. And a federal rule requiring energy and water efficiency assessments for data centers expires in September with no replacement in sight. This episode covers: What Claude Corps is, who can apply as a fellow or host, and what genuine AI capacity-building at a nonprofit could look like in practice.Why Anthropic's investment in the nonprofit sector is both a real opportunity and a strategic brand play, and why that tension doesn't cancel either side out.The German court ruling that could make AI companies liable for hallucinated search results, and what it means for the "just verify everything" standard nonprofits already practice.California's renewed push to regulate AI in the workplace, and the expiring federal rule on data center efficiency.Resources Mentioned: Claude Corps announcement – Anthropic – https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-corpsClaude Corps fellow application – Anthropic – https://www.anthropic.com/claude-corps/fellowClaude Corps host organization application – Anthropic – https://www.anthropic.com/claude-corps/hostGerman court ruling on Google AI Overviews – The Decoder – https://the-decoder.com/landmark-german-ruling-declares-googles-ai-overviews-are-googles-own-words-and-makes-it-liable-for-false-answers/No Robo Bosses Act of 2026 (SB 947) – California State Senate – https://sd05.senate.ca.gov/news/ca-senate-approves-no-robo-bosses-act-2026-ensure-human-oversight-ai-workplaceAI Acceptable Use Policy Template – Community IT Innovators – https://communityit.com/template-acceptable-use-of-ai-tools-in-the-nonprofit-workplace/This resource didn't get in the episode but should have! Will talk about it next week: https://fas.org/publication/community-benefit-agreements-data-center-development/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.

    20 min
  7. Nonprofit Cybersecurity Insurance Updates with Jenna Howard

    Jun 12

    Nonprofit Cybersecurity Insurance Updates with Jenna Howard

    Carolyn Woodard explores how cybersecurity insurance has evolved for nonprofits with Jenna Kirkpatrick Howard, Senior Vice President at Lockton Companies, who advises nonprofit clients on risk, insurance, and mitigation strategies to protect their boards, missions, and people. When Carolyn and Jenna first presented a webinar together on cyber liability insurance, it was a new product that many nonprofits had never considered. Today it is nearly always required, and the risks it covers have transformed. The conversation traces that evolution, from the forgotten laptop and rogue employee scenarios of the early days to the ransomware attacks, sophisticated social engineering fraud, and emerging privacy laws driving claims now.  Jenna also shares what insurers are doing about AI, from underwriter questions about guardrails to new endorsements affirming coverage, and why early AI-related litigation should put every nonprofit on notice about keeping a human in the loop. Jenna and Carolyn discuss: How cyber claims have shifted toward ransomware and social engineering fraud, where attackers monitor an organization's email and intercept major transactions like grants, investments, or building purchases.What affirmative AI coverage means, and why underwriters are starting to ask how your organization uses AI and what policies protect PII and confidential data.Why copyright and media liability claims are rising for nonprofits, including AI-altered images and unlicensed music at events and on podcasts.How dependence on third-party platforms like payroll systems, cloud providers, and learning platforms creates aggregation risk, and why insurers now ask about your major vendors.Why increased partisan attention on nonprofits can turn employee statements, scholarship criteria, or governance issues into insurance claims.Where to start if you are new to an organization or unsure of your coverage: lean on your existing advisors, build a risk tracker, and align your board on top risks.Resources Mentioned: Jenna Kirkpatrick Howard LinkedinLockton CompaniesCyber Risk Discussion Guide - LocktonAI Acceptable Use Policy Template – Community IT InnovatorsCybersecurity Insurance for Nonprofits webinar – Community IT Innovators _______________________________ 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. Nonprofit AI: State and National Regulations

    Jun 9

    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

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

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