Struggling Nonprofits May Find Solace in Agentic AI Innovations
In the rapidly evolving landscape of nonprofit organisations, a new tool is emerging as a game-changer: Agentic AI. Scott Brighton, CEO at Bonterra, is among those who believe in its potential to revolutionise the sector.
The traditional model of grinding harder, chasing more, and hoping for the best is no longer sufficient for nonprofits. Agentic AI offers a shift from software that consumes capacity to intelligence that creates it, providing nonprofits with the space to lead instead of scramble, grow without burning out, and act boldly.
This intelligent automation can handle tasks such as identifying grant opportunities, writing proposals, and crafting personalised donor outreach. It can also help craft personalised outreach that speaks to individual donor motivations, potentially rebuilding donor trust. When guided by purpose, paired with strong data and human oversight, agentic AI can scale impact for nonprofits.
The benefits of Agentic AI are manifold. It offers efficiency by autonomously managing routine tasks, cutting down processing times dramatically. For instance, it can reduce time spent on complex tasks from 45 minutes to as little as 3-5 minutes, freeing staff to focus on strategic and human-centered work.
Agentic AI also increases capacity by automating labor-intensive workflows and orchestrating actions across multiple systems without constant human supervision, enabling nonprofits to handle larger volumes of activities with the same or fewer resources.
In terms of donor relationships, Agentic AI enables personalised, predictive, and timely communication with donors. This leads to deeper and more meaningful connections with supporters, enhancing fundraising outcomes.
Moreover, Agentic AI streamlines complex administrative workflows such as grant applications. It can guide applicants through application processes, automatically suggest relevant programs or funding opportunities, assist in completing submissions, and provide real-time summaries and insights, making grant processes faster, less error-prone, and more accessible.
Additional advantages include Agentic AI’s ability to operate autonomously 24/7, support multiple languages, continuously learn and adapt based on interactions, and seamlessly integrate with existing nonprofit tools and CRM systems to scale operations as needed.
Starting small with Agentic AI, by automating a grant application or reengaging lapsed donors, and building trust in it, is a recommended approach. Before investing in Agentic AI, nonprofits should conduct a clear-eyed operational audit to identify the highest-impact places AI can accelerate mission delivery.
In the face of increased demand and decreasing federal funding, Agentic AI offers a beacon of hope for the nonprofit sector. It facilitates growth, making it achievable instead of a gamble. However, quality data is essential for Agentic AI to work effectively, so nonprofits should start gathering and collecting robust data on their subscribers and their behaviour now.
With Agentic AI taking initiative by executing routine tasks autonomously while keeping humans in the loop for decisions that need nuance or empathy, nonprofits can clear their to-do lists without demanding more from their teams, resulting in increased efficiency and capacity.
In conclusion, Agentic AI acts as a transformative workforce augmentation tool that helps nonprofits do more with less while enhancing stakeholder engagement and operational effectiveness. It's a step towards a future where nonprofits can focus on their mission, rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks.
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2021/08/24/how-nonprofits-can-use-ai-to-improve-their-operations/?sh=725d3b15528b [2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2021/08/17/how-ai-can-help-nonprofits-do-more-with-less/?sh=6c6006c27518 [3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2021/08/10/how-ai-can-help-nonprofits-scale-their-impact/?sh=6c6006c27518 [4] https://www.bonterra.ai/ [5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2021/08/03/how-ai-can-help-nonprofits-improve-donor-relationships/?sh=6c6006c27518
- By leveraging Agentic AI, Scott Brighton at Bonterra envisioned a future where nonprofit organizations could utilize innovative technology and artificial-intelligence to manage their finance, business, and artificially streamline tasks like identifying grant opportunities, writing proposals, and crafting personalized donor outreach, ultimately leading to growth without burning out.
- In the rapidly advancing nonprofit sector, Agentic AI demonstrates potential to revolutionize operations by autonomously handling labor-intensive workflows, increasing efficiency, capacity, and donor engagement, while freeing up staff to focus on strategic and human-centered work.
