Nonprofits navigate AI: a framework for strategic choices
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Leaders from the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) in the United States traveled to Silicon Valley in 2024 to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could impact their work, recognizing both its potential risks and opportunities.
They discovered AI could worsen existing inequalities but also envisioned ways to use it to empower workers and communities. The NDWA and other organizations are now grappling with how to integrate AI into their operations, advance their missions, and shape the future of AI development.
Many nonprofits have historically lacked funding for technology, creating challenges for AI adoption. However, AI can potentially reduce administrative burdens, expand service access, and improve program quality, even with limited resources. A recent survey revealed that 70 percent of nonprofit leaders globally feel they aren’t fully leveraging AI’s potential, and only 8 percent have a formal AI plan.
The Bridgespan Group proposes a framework for nonprofits to consider AI across three dimensions: augmenting internal capacity, advancing mission impact, and advocating for responsible AI development. Funders can support these efforts by providing funding for data infrastructure, staff training, and flexible resources, recognizing that AI adoption requires a tailored approach based on an organization’s specific needs and context. Organizations in India, for example, are focusing on cross-sector collaboration to integrate AI into public systems like education and healthcare.
