About this episode

Nathan Chappell discusses how nonprofits can effectively use AI and shares a six-step framework for success.

Most nonprofits are using AI — but only 7% are seeing real strategic benefit from it. Nathan Chappell , Chief AI Officer at Virtuous and founder of Fundraising AI , has spent years studying what separates the organizations that thrive with AI from those that stall. In this episode, he shares the six-step framework drawn from the 2026 Nonprofit AI Adoption Report — and it's more practical than you might expect. Key Takeaways The 7% aren't spending more — they're doing things differently. Out of 346 nonprofits surveyed in Virtuous's 2026 Nonprofit AI Adoption Report, 92% are using AI, but only 7% are seeing major strategic benefit. The difference comes down to six specific, disciplined steps — none of which require a large budget. AI governance isn't a legal document — it's a values document. Nathan makes the case that a lightweight, one-page governance policy is the foundation on which everything else is built. It doesn't constrain your team — it actually frees them to experiment with confidence, knowing where the guardrails are. The human-first framework isn't optional for ministries. Nathan draws a sharp distinction between the "AI first" posture of the private sector (like…

Topics covered

• AI in nonprofits
• strategic benefit
• governance policy
• human-first framework
• mission-driven organizations

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