Yes, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change everything your Nonprofit team does, from how you make decisions to how your case managers interact with their clients. Some planning, like your response to COVID-19, will increase your team's engagement and productivity.
Here are four ways you can prepare your team for the coming wave of AI:
Change Management Strategies: Start by implementing a communication plan to inform everyone that AI will be part of your organization's future. Focus on great storytelling and showing how AI will change their jobs for the better and how their client's lives will be improved.
Fostering a Culture of Innovation: Encourage a culture that embraces innovation and is open to experimenting with AI. It doesn't have to look like Google's famed 10% time, but encourage your team to use tools like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot. Have them document how they use it and share it with others.
Training and Upskilling Initiatives: Design training programs to upskill existing staff and ensure they have the knowledge and skills to work effectively with AI. These would include the ethics of using AI, data literacy, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Note that some of your team will need basic digital literacy skills to catch up.
Hiring AI-Enabled Staff: Sadly, not everyone can or wants to acquire these critical skills. You must develop a hiring strategy to recruit individuals with the skills and behaviors you need for the future.
By creating plans to address these four areas, you will prepare your team to use AI to achieve the best possible outcome for your clients.