From Uncertainty to Informed Leadership
While every industry scrambles to respond to the opportunities and threats fueled by AI, nonprofits, associations and certifying bodies have a unique opportunity to provide leadership in this process. Since there is no playbook for how non-profits and associations should navigate these changes, volunteers must create one by tapping into the vision of members.
Member engagement ranges widely depending on the industry so education and program offerings should reflect where their members are in their AI experience. Your members are already forming opinions and trying tools. By actively engaging them and applying a foresight mindset, your organization can take a leadership position - one grounded in your profession’s realities and organization’s strategic initiatives.
Start with Member Input
Gathering many diverse voices is key and easily achieved by posting open-ended questions in social media, internal communities, committees and SIGs. Seek views on how AI is already impacting your profession, what the best potential impacts are, and what the difficult outcomes might be. Here are 3 open-ended questions you could ask via LinkedIn, email, or surveys:
- How are you currently using AI, if at all?
- What benefits or efficiencies have you seen?
- What concerns or disruptions are emerging?
AI tools can analyze these inputs quickly and highlight patterns, making it easier for volunteer leaders and staff to prioritize. These insights can guide future programming, advocacy, credentialling and leadership positioning: anchoring your AI strategy in what matters most to your field, thus ensuring your organization’s relevance.
Learn How Members Use AI in Daily Work
Discover how members are currently using AI in their personal and professional lives. You might learn that your current communication platforms need to be updated or replaced. Consider a short poll or tech usage audit. Ask:
- Are you using AI for writing, data analysis, or meeting summaries?
- What tools are you trying?
- Where do you need support or training?
These responses may highlight gaps in your current offerings or infrastructure, such as the need for smarter search, real-time assistance, or more personalized digital experiences.
Bring AI Conversations into Your Annual Meeting
Conferences are ideal to explore AI for nonprofits and associations. You can incorporate AI into your annual conferences in a variety of ways. That might mean:
- Hosting a keynote speaker who focuses on AI in mission-driven sectors
- Running a workshop on practical AI use cases in the profession
- Using an AI-powered chatbot to assist with event FAQs or summarize content
- Engaging AI tech companies to exhibit and demo their products
Not only will the meetings be more informative, but they also create a supportive environment that helps members acclimate to the benefits of the new tech. Taking the lead in showcasing how members can embrace AI demonstrates your organization is forward-thinking and responsive to change.
Acknowledge Job Concerns and Focus on Reskilling
There is a pervasive fear that AI could lead to job loss. Not only will this impact members on a personal level, but your organization could also face a decline in membership. Consider how your organization can address that anxiety directly and keep members engaged by providing training that elevates understanding of AI’s benefits and builds confidence in using AI tools. Consider:
- Microlearning series on AI fundamentals
- Partnerships with platforms offering AI certifications
- Webinars on ethical AI and its impact on the work your members do, or communities they serve
This shift also positions your organization as a workforce partner, helping both members and employers adapt to new realities.
Think Bigger: Use Strategic Foresight
What will your field look like in 10 years? Strategic foresight exercises ask this question, not to predict the future, but to better prepare for multiple possibilities. Ask your board or volunteer leaders:
- What might be unthinkable today that could become normal in 2035?
- How could AI change credentialing, advocacy, or member engagement?
- What does success look like if we lean into AI instead of resist it?
- How could AI address the worker shortage our profession is facing?
Thinking about the future requires the courage to challenge current structures and imagine the unthinkable. Voicing these ideas allows you to work backward to identify solutions that ensure the organization’s future relevance.
Let’s Talk About the Future of AI for Nonprofits
Associations and nonprofits that lean into the opportunities AI presents, while staying grounded in mission, will be better positioned to lead, retain members, and grow. Your organization can either react to change or help define it.
Ready to explore how AI can strengthen your nonprofit’s impact?
Contact AH to learn how we can help you build a foresight-informed strategy that puts AI to work, ethically, effectively, and in service of your mission.
Beth Mauro, Chair of the AH Foresight Council, recommends the use of ASAE Foundation ForesightWorks Action Briefs on AI topics to support engagement and conversation.
