Developing an AI Policy for Your Nonprofit

90-Minute Board & Executive-Level Training
Length: 90 minutes, Price: $95

To see available dates/times, use the “Choose a Session” drop down box below.

Description:

Artificial Intelligence is already inside your organization.

Staff are using it. Vendors are embedding it. Funders are experimenting with it. Donors are hearing about it. Clients may be affected by it.

The question is no longer whether AI exists — it is whether your board has provided guidance, oversight, and guardrails.

This session is designed specifically for Executive Directors, Board Members, Governance Committees, and senior leadership teams who need a structured, responsible approach to AI — including organizations that are actively considering whether they should use AI at all.

This is not a “how to use ChatGPT” class.
This is governance training.

What This Session Covers

1. The Current Reality

  • Where AI is already entering nonprofits (often informally)

  • How AI is embedded in common software platforms

  • Why inaction is itself a governance decision

  • The risk of unmanaged adoption

2. Legal, Ethical & Fiduciary Responsibilities

Boards have a duty of care, oversight, and risk management. This session addresses:

  • Data privacy risks (client, donor, financial data)

  • Confidentiality and protected information

  • Intellectual property concerns

  • Vendor contracts and AI clauses

  • Documentation and audit trails

  • Reputational risk exposure

  • Regulatory considerations (current and emerging)

3. Ethical Considerations

AI policy is not only technical — it is ethical.

We explore:

  • Bias and equity concerns

  • Algorithmic discrimination

  • Transparency and disclosure

  • Informed consent in client-serving organizations

  • Authenticity in grant writing and fundraising

  • Mission alignment

  • Community trust

We also address the ethical question many boards are wrestling with:

Should we use AI at all?

Some nonprofits may make a conscious, mission-based decision to limit or prohibit AI use. This session includes a framework for organizations choosing minimal or no adoption — ensuring that even abstention is structured, deliberate, and defensible.

4. Strategic Opportunity (Balanced Perspective)

AI is not only risk. It is also leverage.

Used responsibly, AI may support:

  • Grant research and prospecting

  • Board reporting and analysis

  • Budget modeling

  • Policy drafting

  • Marketing and donor segmentation

  • Administrative efficiency

We discuss how organizations can balance innovation with prudence.

5. The AI Policy Framework

Participants will receive a structured model outlining the essential components of an AI policy, including:

  • Purpose and Scope

  • Definitions

  • Acceptable Use

  • Prohibited Use

  • Data Protection Standards

  • Human Oversight Requirements

  • Transparency & Disclosure Guidelines

  • Vendor Review Standards

  • Staff Training Requirements

  • Governance & Review Procedures

  • Framework for Organizations Choosing Limited or No AI Use

This provides a clear starting structure for policy development — not a vague discussion.

What Participants Receive

All registrants receive a comprehensive post-session PDF (20+ pages), including:

  • A detailed AI Policy template

  • Sample policy language

  • Risk assessment checklist

  • Staff usage inventory worksheet

  • Board discussion prompts

  • Ethical review framework

  • Vendor AI disclosure questions

  • A sample “AI Use Disclosure Statement”

  • A sample “AI Abstention or Restriction Policy” for mission-based organizations

  • Annual review checklist

This document is designed to serve as a working governance resource — not merely presentation slides.

Who Should Attend

  • Executive Directors

  • Board Chairs

  • Governance Committees

  • IT Committees

  • Risk Management Committees

  • Development Directors

  • Foundation Staff

  • Association Leaders

Boards are strongly encouraged to attend as a group.

Why This Matters Now

AI adoption is accelerating across every sector.

Silence is a policy.
Informal usage is a policy.
Vendor adoption is a policy.

The responsible approach is not panic, and it is not blind adoption.

It is structured governance.

Private Board Training

Organizations may schedule a private, customized AI Governance Session for their board or leadership team by clicking here or register for a regularly scheduled class at the bottom of this page.

Private sessions include:

  • Customized risk analysis discussion

  • Sector-specific considerations

  • Guided policy drafting conversation

  • Real-time Q&A with board members

  • Strategic planning integration discussion

Private Session Fee: $750–$1,250 (based on size and customization)

Community Foundations and associations may also schedule cohort-based sessions for member organizations.

We have morning, afternoon and evening classes available.  See the drop-down menu in the section below to find available classes.

 

Register

Classes are listed using Eastern Time:

     

    If you do not receive a confirmation email after registering, please contact us at info@grant-foundation.org.