Podcast
Community IT Innovators Nonprofit Technology Topics
Hosted by Community IT Innovators · EN
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
51episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
AI Maturity Model for Nonprofits pt 2
2d ago00:28:49Tap to summarizeIn Part 2 of the AI Maturity Model for Nonprofits webinar, Carolyn Woodard and Mimi Yeh, Engagement Director at PTKO, and George Danilovics, VP of Technology at AHIP, pick up where Part 1 left off, moving from the framework itself to the harder question of what it takes to make AI adoption become quiet, boring, and everywhere.Mimi and George walk through what it looks like when AI stops being an initiative and becomes infrastructure, pointing to the moment when people stop announcing they used it, the way no one says "I used Outlook to send this email." The session closes with a candid Q&A on tool volatility, vendor risk, and how to address genuine ethical concerns about AI when your colleagues or community have serious reservations.Haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Find it in your podcast feed.This episode covers:Why you should map each team separately against the five maturity stages rather than assigning your organization a single score, and how that map becomes a diagnostic you can actually act on.Why AI competency training deserves the same recurring, role-based architecture as security awareness training, not a one-time brown bag.Action items you can start this week and this quarter to move one team forward one stage at a time.How to think about vendor risk and tool volatility when planning for long-term AI integration, and why documenting your strategy matters more than committing to any one tool, and lets you move between vendors more easily down the road.Practical guidance on addressing ethical and social concerns about AI, including when those conversations belong at the board level.Resources Mentioned:AI Maturity Model for Nonprofits Webinar – Community IT Innovators – https://communityit.com/webinar-ai-maturity-model-for-nonprofits/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=friday-tech-topicsAI Journey Guide and Supplemental Resources – PTKO – https://ptko.io/ai-toolkit/Using AI to Build a Data Lake for Nonprofits Webinar (August 19) – Community IT Innovators – https://communityit.com/webinar-ai-in-practice-for-nonprofits/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=friday-tech-topicsNonprofit IT Management Community – Reddit – https://www.reddit.com/r/nonprofitITmanagement _______________________________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.
Transcribe →
Nonprofit AI: Mozilla Report on AI as a Public Resource
5d ago00:22:09Tap to summarizeCarolyn Woodard covers a growing counter-movement to concentrated AI power and what it means for nonprofits thinking about data sovereignty, open-source models, and their own agency in a moment that can feel overwhelming.Mozilla's recent State of Open Source AI Report frames this shift as a "Rebel Alliance" against winner-take-all AI development. Mozilla is deploying $1.4 billion to seed an open, trustworthy AI ecosystem, joined by more than 55 organizations. The report makes the case that open-source models are closing the capability gap with closed commercial systems, and that communities, not just corporations, can own and control their AI.Carolyn also introduces Current AI, a nonprofit backed by the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and the French government, which is building what it calls a worldwide web of AI: free, public, and available to anyone the way the early internet was. One example: an offline device running AI in 22 Indian languages, built so communities own their data entirely. A Current AI grantee in Brazil is doing similar work with indigenous Amazon communities.This episode covers:Why Mozilla's open-source AI report matters for nonprofits skeptical of locking into commercial platforms with opaque pricing and data practices.How indigenous and Global South communities are leading on data sovereignty, and what that model could mean for mission-driven organizations here.The case for staying informed even if you're not ready to act: understanding the landscape is itself a form of agency.One for-profit alternative worth knowing: Change Agent AI, built by, for, and with the social sector, on its own infrastructure without big tech servers, currently $25 per seat.Resources Mentioned:State of Open Source AI Report – Mozilla – https://stateofopensource.aiCurrent AI – https://www.currentai.org/Nonprofit Current AI Is Racing to Build the World Wide Web of AI – TechCrunch – https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/19/nonprofit-current-ai-is-racing-to-build-the-world-wide-web-of-ai-free-for-all/Conference Spotlight: Data Sovereignty and the Ethics of AI – Vimeo – https://vimeo.com/1200022928/dce5a0cd1eNCAI Tribal AI Governance Briefing – National Congress of American Indians – https://hubs.la/Q04pD9650Change Agent AI – https://thechange.aiGenerative AI Is an Engineering Disaster – The Atlantic (paywalled) – https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/07/generative-ai-engineering-disaster/687901/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.
Transcribe →
AI Maturity Model for Nonprofits pt 1
1w ago00:30:28Tap to summarizeIn the first part of this two-part conversation, Carolyn Woodard and Mimi Yeh, Engagement Director at PTKO, and George Danilovics, Vice President of Information Technology at AHIP, walk through an AI maturity model designed to help nonprofits move from pilots and experiments to AI that is genuinely embedded in how the organization works: quiet, boring, and everywhere.The conversation opens with a striking data point: 80% of nonprofits are already using AI in some form, yet 90% of nonprofit professionals still feel unprepared to fully leverage it. Mimi and George use a five-stage maturity model that moves from ad hoc, experimental, systematic, strategic, and pioneering - to help organizations find where they are now and what intentional progress looks like. The heart of the discussion is the systematic stage, where AI stops being someone else's project and starts becoming part of the organizational DNA. As George puts it, the destination is a world where AI is as unremarkable as email.This episode covers:The five stages of AI maturity and how to identify where your nonprofit currently stands.Why the experimental stage is necessary but not the destination, and what it takes to move past it.What the systematic stage looks like in practice: defined goals, shared prompt libraries, documented best practices, and governance that evolves alongside your AI use.How strategic AI adoption shifts the question from what tool should we use to how should we organize ourselves to get the most value.Why reaching the pioneering stage is not the goal for most nonprofits, and why that is perfectly fine.Resources MentionedPTKOAHIPMission-Aligned AI Adoption Model – Community IT InnovatorsFull Webinar: AI Maturity Model for Nonprofits – Community IT InnovatorsNonprofit IT Management Community – Reddit _______________________________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.
Transcribe →
Nonprofit AI: Luddites, Environmental Impact Framework
2w ago00:31:21Tap to summarizeCarolyn Woodard covers a cultural moment that's been building quietly, resistance to AI among workers, young people, and nonprofits, and connects it to a research framework for thinking honestly about AI's real environmental costs and benefits. Both threads come back to the same core question: who benefits from AI, and on what terms?This episode also introduces a three-lens approach to help nonprofits think through the environmental impact of their own AI use, and suggests why "I'm just against AI" may be a values signal worth listening to rather than a training problem to fix.This episode covers:The Summer of Ludd, an 8-day festival in New York City, and what the original Luddite movement was actually about: skilled workers organizing against technology being used to enrich owners at workers' expense.Why some nonprofit staff, especially younger workers, are pushing back on AI, and why it's worth asking what's behind that resistance before trying to fix it.Researcher Jennifer Turliuk's net climate impact framework, and her core observation: AI harms are measurable now, but most benefits are still speculative. Including as full a picture of the cons and pros will help organizations make thoughtful AI use decisions.Three lenses for evaluating your own AI use: what you're asking AI to do, where you are, and how you will benefit from using the AI.DC Public Library's free in-person "AI & Us" series focusing on "invisible" communities and AI.Resources Mentioned:Summer of Ludd — Quartz — https://qz.com/anti-tech-movement-ai-offline-rebellionLuddite as political insult — NPR — https://www.npr.org/2026/06/19/nx-s1-5853589/luddite-meaning-history-aiBlood in the Machine — Brian Merchant — https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/ or at your library or local bookstore!Blood in the Machine Substack — Brian Merchant — https://www.bloodinthemachine.comAI & Us series — DC Public Library — https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16823630Responding to the Climate Impact of Generative AI — MIT Sustainability — https://sustainability.mit.edu/article/responding-climate-impact-generative-aiHarnessing the Power of AI to Accelerate Climate Solutions — MIT Sloan — https://mitsloan.mit.edu/centers-initiatives/sustainability-initiative/harnessing-power-ai-to-accelerate-climate-solutionsSustainable AI cohort — Jennifer Turliuk / Maven — 10% off discount with code NONPROFIT. Here is a direct link: https://maven.com/jennifer-turliuk/sustainableai?promoCode=NONPROFITAI Acceptable Use Policy Template — Community IT Innovators — https://communityit.com/template-acceptable-use-of-ai-tools-in-the-nonprofit-workplace/Webinar: AI Maturity Model for Nonprofits — Community IT Innovators — https://communityit.com/webinar-ai-maturity-model-for-nonprofits/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.
Transcribe →
Nonprofit AI Voice Intake Technology with Chip Kennedy
2w ago00:36:22Tap to summarizeCarolyn Woodard explores voice AI in the social services sector with Chip Kennedy, founder and CEO of CivicReach, a technology company building AI-powered communication tools for nonprofits and government agencies delivering human services. Chip brings a rare dual perspective: years as a technologist and startup founder alongside his role and experience running a nonprofit serving families experiencing homelessness.When people we serve need information, how can we get it to them? When our nonprofits free up employee time by using technology - in this case Voice AI to answer simple questions in incoming calls - what else can those staff members do with that time? Can emerging technology help staff up government agencies and nonprofits who are chronically understaffed and under resourced, without losing the trust of the communities they care about? The conversation digs into how voice AI is helping under-resourced social services organizations close the gap between people asking for help and the staff trying to reach them. Chip is candid that voice AI is not the right fit for every organization, and he shares how to evaluate whether it is right for yours. He also makes a compelling case that AI-driven phone intake is not a job displacement risk in human services – a sector so chronically understaffed that organizations are more likely to redeploy freed-up staff capacity than lose positions.Carolyn and Chip discuss:Why human services is one sector where job displacement fears around AI largely don't apply – and what freed-up staff capacity actually looks like in practice.How to evaluate whether voice AI is a good fit for your organization before committing to a vendor. What are the questions to ask about their business model, their data policy, and their understanding of your nonprofit mission.The value of running a structured technology pilot, why more nonprofits should be asking vendors for one, and how to ask.How to build internal champions and skeptics into your pilot team so you get honest feedback at the end.Three questions every nonprofit should ask any AI vendor: where does your data go, how will our organization have to change, and how do you plan to stay sustainable?Resources Mentioned:CivicReach – https://civicreach.ai _______________________________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.
Transcribe →
Nonprofit AI: UN AI Report, Data Sovereignty, UBI and UBC
3w ago00:27:26Tap to summarizeCarolyn Woodard covers the UN's first-ever independent scientific assessment of AI — and what its findings mean for nonprofits navigating questions of data rights, economic disruption, and who actually benefits from AI's rapid rise. This episode connects the global governance conversation to practical tools and timely opportunities your organization can act on right now.From the Indigenous Data Sovereignty movement to a free geospatial tool built by a nonprofit, to two fellowship programs with deadlines this week, there's a lot here for organizations at every stage of AI engagement.This episode covers:Released July 1, the UN's Preliminary Report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI — co-chaired by AI scientist Yoshua Bengio and Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa — warns that AI is advancing faster than governments can keep up, and that the window for effective global governance is open but closing. The US controls 75% of the world's top AI computing power; China holds another 15%.The Indigenous Data Sovereignty movement holds that data about a community belongs to that community, not to whoever collected it. This principle, developed largely by Indigenous communities, is one of the most fully realized frameworks for data rights globally and directly informs broader movements like the Better Deal for Data (discussed with Jim Fruchterman last Friday). The Indigenous Data Alliance has an open application for its year-long paid Indigenous Data Champions Fellowship, open to Indigenous individuals working with Tribal Nations, Alaska Native communities, Native Hawaiians, or Indigenous Island Territories. Deadline: August 1.Beacon, from nonprofit DataKind, is a free geospatial platform that you can use to overlay public data on health, housing, food access, demographics - with your own program data, to generate maps and insights. DataKind does not sell your data, doesn't share it without consent, and writes its privacy policy to GDPR standard. As with any platform, consult your privacy officer before uploading sensitive constituent data.GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is the EU's gold standard for data privacy, and it applies to your organization if anyone in the EU interacts with you, regardless of where you're based. Core principles: collect only what you need, be transparent, get consent, tell everyone in your database if you have a breach, and honor deletion requests. Note: California's CCPA/CPRA is modeled on similar principles, though most nonprofits are exempt from that law. Even if neither applies to you, these are excellent data hygiene standards for any organization that wants to maintain community trust.UBI (Universal Basic Income) gives individuals direct cash payments with no strings attached. UBC (Universal Basic Capital) gives people an ownership stake in AI companies, so they share in the wealth AI generates. Senator Bernie Sanders recently introduced the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would give the public a 50% ownership stake in major AI firms. Anthropic's June 2026 Economic Policy Framework also proposed sovereign wealth funds and equity-sharing as potential redistribution mechanisms — acknowledging that the companies building these tools see real policy problems ahead.Two fellowship deadlines this week: the OpenAI People-First AI Fund offers grants to US community nonprofits in legal aid, community arts, and local journalism — no AI experience or OpenAI tools required, deadline July 15. Claude Corps from Anthropic places early-career fellows at nonprofits for one year at $85K; both fellow and host org applications for the October 2026 cohort close July 17. Note: host orgs must currently be Claude for Nonprofits customers to apply.Resources Mentioned:Executive Summary – Independent International Scientific Panel on AI – United Nations – https://www.un.org/independent-international-scientific-panel-ai/en/preliminary-reportIndigenous Data Champions Fellowship – Indigenous Data Alliance – https://indigenousdata.org/indigenous-data-championsBeacon – DataKind – https://explorebeacon.orgGDPR for Nonprofits – Whole Whale – https://wholewhale.com/tips/gdpr-for-nonprofits/GDPR Compliance Checklist for Charities – Usercentrics – https://usercentrics.com/knowledge-hub/gdpr-for-charities/California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) – California Attorney General – https://www.oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpaBernie Sanders on the AI Sovereign Wealth Fund – WIRED – https://youtu.be/qJo12OP0xlU?si=QrXlo4bP5MiCdbrtAmerican AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act – Senator Bernie Sanders – https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-introduces-legislation-to-create-7-trillion-ai-sovereign-wealth-fund/Economic Policy Framework – Anthropic – https://www.anthropic.com/policy-on-the-ai-exponential/epfThe Atlantic: Universal Basic Capital revival – https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/2026/07/universal-basic-capital-ai/687759/ (paywalled; free account access available)Forbes: Could Americans Build Wealth Through AI? https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/06/06/could-americans-build-wealth-through-ai-why-trump-may-be-considering-equity-sharing-scheme/People-First AI Fund – OpenAI Foundation – https://openaifoundation.org/news/2026-people-first-ai-fundClaude Corps – Anthropic – https://www.anthropic.com/claude-corpsBetter Deal for Data – Tech Matters – https://bd4d.orgAI Acceptable Use Policy Template – Community IT Innovators – https://communityit.com/template-acceptable-use-of-ai-tools-in-the-nonprofit-workplace/ _______________________________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.
Transcribe →
Nonprofit Better Deal for Data Pledge with Jim Fruchterman
3w ago00:36:18Tap to summarizeCarolyn 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.
Transcribe →
Nonprofit AI: RAISE US, Citizen Advocacy Tools You Can Use
4w ago00:26:15Tap to summarizeIf 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.
Transcribe →
Securing Google Workspace for Nonprofits with Steve Longenecker pt 2
Jun 2600:25:22Tap to summarizeIn 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.
Transcribe →
Nonprofit AI: Public AI Fund Idea, Data Center Nonprofit Bribes
Jun 2300:30:06Tap to summarizeCarolyn 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.
Transcribe →