There are many chat bot authoring platforms that make it easy for anyone to create a bot without requiring the technical expertise in natural language programming.  While easy to set up, designing an effective bot for a nonprofit from scratch can be daunting.  Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization, and its Direct Relief and its bot builder, Mind Heros, have open-sourced their model. It’s available for free to other nonprofits through BotsForCharity.com. Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid … [Read more...]

Salesforce.Org recently published an e-book, AI for Good: Nonprofit Trends & Use Cases. It is a good primer for nonprofits (non-techies) who want to understand what the heck AI is and how it might be useful to their nonprofit. Just a few insights: AI is already part of your life, although it might be invisible to the end user. AI makes your daily experience smarter, by embedding predictive analysis  into everyday apps. For example, Facebook has been using AI with facial recognition to … [Read more...]

Allison Fine, my co-author for the Networked Nonprofit, and I are actively researching the use of AI for Good, in particular to scale giving and to spread generosity.  We are most excited about the human side of AI and how it will augment the work of fundraisers and create a better experience for donors. What about your nonprofit?  Are you trying to get up to speed on AI and other emerging technologies and how they might impact your work?  Want to better understand the use cases for AI and … [Read more...]

SalesForce.Org recently presented a webinar where they shared a research report on marketing and engagement tools, channels, and strategies for nonprofit organizations.    I was curious to see if they were tracking current or future uses of AI.      In the survey, they found most nonprofits plan to focus on social media & advertising, fundraising and email marketing to build out their marketing strategy over the next three to five years. Beyond these more traditional areas of focus, upwards … [Read more...]

Allison Fine, my co-author for the Networked Nonprofit, and I are actively researching the use of AI for Good, in particular to scale giving and to spread generosity.  We are particularly interested in the human side of AI and how it will augment the work of fundraisers and support donors. This week I interviewed long-time blog reader, Alison Lowndes who I first met via my blog as a regular commenter.  We reconnected, of course, through a recent blog comment. Alison founded a nonprofit doing … [Read more...]