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NonprofitNext Blog

Practical AI tips, real nonprofit stories, and actionable strategies, written by people who’ve done the work.

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Navy card reading: before you sign up for an AI tool, consider: Data, Cost, Friction, Exit.
Category: Introduction to AI

How to Choose AI Tools for Nonprofits Without Wasting Money

10 min read

Here is how to choose AI tools for nonprofits without wasting money: name the task you need done, ask four questions about data, cost, friction, and exit, and run a two-week pilot before you spend…

Larry Wanger, founder of NonprofitNext, beside a quote reading: No technology has brought greater access and opportunity for me than AI has.
Category: Mission

AI Accessibility for Nonprofits: What Disability Taught Me

7 min read

While I have worked with nonprofits for 25 years, I have had a disability for my entire life. No technology has opened as many doors for me as AI has. That is the part of…

Infographic on a white background reading 92 percent of nonprofit staff now use AI and 47 percent have no AI policy at all, with two horizontal bars comparing the figures. Source: 2026 Nonprofit AI Adoption Report. NonprofitNext, People-First AI.
Category: Strategy

Nonprofit AI Policy: A Practical Guide for Getting Started

15 min read

Your staff are already using AI. The 2026 Nonprofit AI Adoption Report, a survey of 346 nonprofits from Virtuous and Fundraising.AI, found that 92 percent of nonprofits now use AI in some form. The same…

Square graphic with a navy blue background and a four-level pyramid in orange. From top to bottom, the levels are labeled Mission, Staff, People Served, AI Tool. The orange NonprofitNext logo is in the lower right corner.
Category: Mission

People-First AI: Why the Tool Comes Last

6 min read

People-First AI is an order of operations. Work through mission, staff, and the people you serve first, and the right tool becomes obvious. Here is the order and why most AI advice runs backwards.

A white graphic with 3 circular icons. Text at top reads donor communications; 3 tasks AI can help with. You still approve every word. Under that text are 3 icons with labels. Left icon: an envelope with an orange heart in the center with text below, "Thank You." Middle icon; two overlaping documents with text below, "reworded appeal." Right icon; a document outline with three orange bars in a chart. Text below reads, "Impact summary." The logo for NonprofitNext is at the bottom of the image.
Category: Introduction to AI

Donor Communications: Where Most Nonprofits Should Start With AI

8 min read

Donor communication is the safest, highest-value place for a nonprofit to start with AI. Here are three tasks it handles well, the work it should never touch, and the one privacy caution to get right…

An image featuring dozens of resumes flowing toward and over a trash can in an office setting. The top of a desk appears in the lower right corner with a coffee cup showing the NonprofitNext logo in navy blue, orange, and gold.
Category: Mission

AI in Nonprofit Hiring: Why Keep It Out of the Decision

5 min read

One of the things I have come to appreciate about working in the nonprofit sector is that we get to make choices that other industries often don’t. Where and how we choose to use AI…

A woman is in the hallway of an office suite holding papers in her hands that she is reading. White text in large font on the left side of the photo says, "Asking the Right Questions."
Category: Policy

What Should Your Nonprofit AI Use Policy Actually Cover?

6 min read

There is no universal AI policy template that fits every nonprofit. The right policy for a large urban hospital system looks very different from the right policy for a small community organization.