For three years, I’ve told executives in this space that they weren’t behind if they hadn’t figured out exactly where AI belonged in their organizations. The organizations I work with need time to weigh new investments against tight budgets, limited staff capacity and responsibilities to their communities. I meant it every time I said it, and for three years it was true.
I can’t say it anymore.
AI has changed substantially since 2022, and leaders are being asked to make decisions about tools they may not understand. What used to be a nice-to-have conversation for next year’s strategic plan has become something your organization needs now for your staff, the people you serve and the trust your community has placed in you.
Your Team Matters
Your staff shows up every day and gives more than the job description asks for. They cover for each other, they field the same parent question for the 47th time without losing patience and they carry the emotional weight of a job that’s never really nine to five.
We owe them more than a shiny new tool dropped into their lap with no explanation. We owe them a policy that protects them, training that respects their time and honesty about why this matters now instead of later. But we owe them something bigger too. The world they’re walking into — whether they stay in this field for the next thirty years or eventually move on — is going to run on these tools, and if we don’t prepare them now, we’re not just skipping a training session. We’re sending them into that future under-equipped.
You Promised Impact
Your organization exists to serve your community, and that promise doesn’t pause because AI feels complicated or moves fast. Think about the last board meeting where someone asked why a program still hasn’t launched, or the grant report that got filed late because your development director was buried under three other deadlines that week. Those aren’t staffing failures. They’re capacity problems, and AI can help with some of that workload.
If a tool can help your team summarize hundreds of survey responses in an afternoon, draft a grant application with less strain, or free up time that goes back to the pool deck or the gym floor, your community deserves that benefit. Waiting isn’t caution. It’s a missed opportunity.
Transparency and Trust are Key
You don’t have to introduce AI for it to enter your organization. Staff may already be experimenting with it to get through their workloads, without clear guidance about which tools or information they can use. Shadow AI isn’t a future risk — it’s a present reality happening in inboxes and browser tabs across your organization, usually with good intentions and zero guardrails. The only real choice you have is whether that use happens in the open, guided by a policy your team helped shape, or in the shadows, guided by nothing at all.
Tell your community how you’re using these tools. Tell your staff what’s expected and what’s off limits. Trust isn’t built by staying quiet until you have it all figured out. It’s built by being honest about where you are, even when where you are is still in progress.
You don’t need a comprehensive AI strategy to take the next step. This month, ask your staff where they’re already using AI and where they need help. Set clear expectations about protecting member and participant information. Choose one manageable task to test, with time for training and someone responsible for checking the results. Your team deserves guidance, and your community deserves care in how these decisions are made. You can start providing both now.
