Nonprofit Lowdown #365

Episode Title: Stop Drowning in Admin and Let the Robots Robot
Host: Rhea Wong
Date: November 24, 2025

Overview

In this engaging episode, Rhea Wong tackles the pressing issue of administrative overload in the nonprofit sector and advocates for the use of AI tools to reclaim precious time. The main focus is on how nonprofit professionals can leverage artificial intelligence to automate mundane tasks and free themselves to deepen relationships—the true core of fundraising. Rhea delivers a balanced perspective, addressing both the possibilities and ethical pitfalls of AI, and frames the discussion with humor, candor, and actionable advice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Reality of Admin Overload in Nonprofits

• Common Experience: Rhea playfully surveys the audience to highlight that most nonprofit professionals are overworked and understaffed. Few have enough time or resources, making it difficult to focus on relationship-building.
  • “The only relationship I built this week was with my barista.” (04:23, Wong)
• Impact on Wellbeing: The lack of time leads to burnout both professionally and personally.
  • “Time, or should I say lack thereof, is burning you out… Your therapist is sick of it.” (05:06, Wong)
• Mission Drift: Many enter the nonprofit world out of passion for the mission, but end up “drowning in administrative.”

AI as a Time-Saving Tool for Fundraisers

• Personal Story: Rhea shares her journey as a young executive director, describing how she wished for tools like AI when she started fundraising.
  • “Imagine instead of staring at a blank page for days… I could have a draft in minutes.” (07:49)
• Examples of AI Use:
  • Drafting donor communications and campaign materials quickly
  • Generating fundraising scripts and scenarios
  • Practicing donor conversations and receiving feedback
  • Creating dashboards and automating meeting follow-ups
• Vision of AI Assistance:
  • “Let the robots robot so the humans can human.” (09:58)

Ethical and Practical Concerns with AI

• Ethics: Rhea issues a strong call for ethical scrutiny, encouraging leaders not to blindly embrace AI but to consider:
  • Data privacy and ownership
  • Source and destination of datasets
  • Algorithmic bias
  • Environmental impact
  • “Who gets polluted and displaced in those situations? These are real questions that we should be asking ourselves as ethical leaders.” (13:25)
• AI "Slop" & Hallucinations: The risks of incorrect, made-up, or bizarre AI outputs are real and can erode trust.
  • Memorable example: The “record-breaking $47 million gift of 2017, the one delivered by carrier pigeon during a solar eclipse.” (15:38)
  • Emphasis on always having humans review what AI produces.
• Overwhelm & "Shiny Object Syndrome":
  • Many feel lost amid the avalanche of new tools.
  • “I have been diagnosed with SOS… Shiny Object Syndrome.” (17:24)
  • Tempering expectations—AI is not a magic wand, but a tool that requires discernment.

Responsible AI Adoption

• Learning from History: Rhea draws parallels to early social media (Facebook), stressing the importance of critical engagement with new technology.
  • “Many, many, many data breaches later, we can say mom was right.” (20:20)
• Organizational Policies: Strongly recommends developing or updating AI use policies, reflecting:
  • Organizational values
  • Data protection zeal
  • Mandatory human oversight of AI outputs
  • “How many of you have AI use policies in your organizations? … At the end of this session, one of your homework pieces is… Go back to your organization to create an AI use policy.” (22:18)

Mindset: Leadership and Leaning In

• Mission-Driven Tech Engagement: If ethical, mission-driven people don’t participate, “the tech bros win.”
  • “This is a moment for leadership. The tech and the world do not benefit if we lean out.” (23:10)
• Start Small, Real Impacts: Even saving 15 minutes a day with AI can add up to 2.7 days a year reclaimed for real human work or life.
  • “What could you do with an extra 2.7 days in your life? ... As Mary Oliver once said, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? And I’m pretty sure the answer is not more emails.” (25:23)

Hands-On Steps & Audience Engagement

• Analog Audit First: Before unleashing AI, get clear about the problem you need to solve in your fundraising or donor pipeline.
• Inclusive Learning: Rhea encourages both beginners and power users to participate, help each other, and approach AI with curiosity.
  • “This is like a caveman walking out of the cave for the first time and seeing the sun and be like, oh, big fireball in the sky.” (27:12)
• Concrete Next Steps:
  • Do a pipeline leak audit
  • Use ChatGPT or another LLM to address precise pain points identified
  • Update (or create) your organization’s AI use policy

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------------------------------------------|---------| | 04:23 | “The only relationship I built this week was with my barista.” | Wong | | 07:49 | “Imagine instead of staring at a blank page for days… I could have a draft in minutes.” | Wong | | 09:58 | “Let the robots robot so the humans can human.” | Wong | | 13:25 | “Who gets polluted and displaced in those situations? These are real questions that we should be asking ourselves as ethical leaders.” | Wong | | 15:38 | “Your record breaking $47 million gift of 2017, the one delivered by carrier pigeon during a solar eclipse, remains one of the most talked about moments in OneGoal history.” | Wong (AI’s fabricated example) | | 17:24 | “I have been diagnosed with SOS… Shiny Object Syndrome.” | Wong | | 22:18 | “How many of you have AI use policies in your organizations? Raise your hand if you have an AI use policy. Raise it high. I’m curious.” | Wong | | 23:10 | “This is a moment for leadership. The tech and the world do not benefit if we lean out. We need to create a seat at the table or the tech bros win.” | Wong | | 25:23 | “What could you do with an extra 2.7 days in your life?... As Mary Oliver once said, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? And I’m pretty sure the answer is not more emails.” | Wong | | 27:12 | “This is like a caveman walking out of the cave for the first time and seeing the sun and be like, oh, big fireball in the sky.” | Wong |

Important Segments & Timestamps

• 01:40 – 05:10
  Reality-check on nonprofit admin overload; humorous surveying of audience experience.

• 07:40 – 10:15
  Rhea’s personal story and examples of how AI can automate tedious tasks.

• 13:00 – 15:50
  Deep-dive into ethical concerns and anecdotes of AI hallucinations.

• 17:10 – 18:50
  Commentary on the overwhelming pace of new AI technology; “Shiny Object Syndrome.”

• 20:00 – 22:30
  Lessons from early Facebook usage and the critical need for AI use policies.

• 24:15 – 25:50
  Impact of even modest time savings with AI; invoking Mary Oliver for reflection.

• 26:55 – 28:45
  Transition to hands-on workshop: analog pipeline audit, then solving problems with AI tools.

Tone and Takeaways

Rhea maintains an informal, witty, and compassionate tone—equal parts cheerleader, realist, and ethical watchdog. Her message: Use AI as a tool to enhance your humanity, not replace it. Focus on what matters most—relationships and your mission—by offloading the drudgery to machines, but remain vigilant and values-driven in the adoption of these powerful technologies.

Action Items for Listeners:

• Perform an “analog audit” of your donor pipeline before applying AI band-aids.
• Try out a specific AI tool for a small, well-defined task.
• Craft or revisit an organizational AI use policy rooted in ethical best practices.
• Reclaim time for what matters most—real human connections.