Building an AI Policy

The conversation around Artificial Intelligence spans hopeful to devastating, leaving many in the middle, curious about its potential while wary about risks. What’s this I hear about water usage?  Am I losing out on an opportunity?  Is this aligned with our ethics? Can this help us solve our pain points?

There are positive use cases for nonprofit organizations as small teams work to make a big impact on a thin budget. However, this potential needs to be tempered by the human-centeredness of non-profit work; not to mention security of sensitive information.  

That is why building an AI policy should be on your to-do list this quarter.

Answer the Questions

The use of Artificial Intelligence is becoming commonplace in work and personal environments with nearly 2/3 of non-profits and foundations utilizing AI in some Fashion. This is only increased by the reality that search engines like Google are moving towards an AI-centric search engine. The fear of inevitability is on some minds, while others are seeking to leverage the tools for productivity and efficiency.

This could mean that your governing boards, donors and other stakeholders are curious if AI is being employed in your operations. They’ve likely heard enough about it from the radio, podcast and their long-lost cousin.  That is one reason having an AI policy, regardless of current usage keeps speculation at bay and supports a transparent environment.

This can seem like a daunting task atop heaps of work. Policy is not necessarily simple to establish. Luckily, this is an evolving field of discussion. This means policy can and should be fairly simple, straightforward and not necessarily “exhaustive”.  Check out what other organizations have put forward already and retool for your purposes. The goal isn’t to portray expertise, but forethought.  Here’s a few questions to explore:

• Who can use it?
• Who approves it?
• What can it be used to do?
• What information is forbidden from input?
• How will we let others know we’re using it?

(Tip: Adopt a “human-in-the-loop” section requiring all AI generated to have human eyes on it before any submission)

Establish future-thinking

Speaking of forethought, having an AI policy in 2026 shows that you are aware of the national conversation and are planning to be around as an organization for enough years that it is beneficial to set a precedent. Planning long-term is not an aspiration of a leader, it is a requirement, particular in Director roles.

For board members and donors, this takes you from “we’re not sure” to “here’s where we stand” It also invites them in and activates them on how these tools could potentially improve processes in a safe, beneficial manner for now and the future.

Finally, and this may be speculative, I believe it shows an awareness for leaders to care about the matter and to establish guardrails for it. Even if not used yourself, this has impact on the folks around you who are necessary to the mission. Let’s get into that.

Empower the team

Let’s say you want to adopt AI into your workspace. An AI policy becomes even more relevant.  Restrictions and policy are not holding anyone back, but giving a greenlight on just how to accurately employ these tools within the mission. For small teams with only 1 or 2 tech savvy players, this could mean a strong force multiplier and strategic advantage in all aspects of operations and fundraising. In effect, empower your folks.

This includes that secondary ring of team members such as short-term volunteers or scholarship applicants to name a few, who may not be aware of if they can or should utilize AI in connection with your non-profit.

Tip: Add a section about being transparent when AI is used and not used. See below for this articles AI exposure.

In conclusion

It's a beneficial effort to acclimate yourself to the field of Artificial Intelligence and build a policy for you non-profit, regardless of current use. The work does not require an expert in the field and there are great examples of existing policies in the nonprofit space for you to take and retool. It’ll set a precedent for the future and allow your folks to know just where you stand as an organization on this growing topic.

AI was not used in the writing or editing of this article.