AI for Nonprofits

Chapter 6.1Guidelines for AI Vendor Selection

Based on insights from an interview with Alfredo Ramirez.

As a nonprofit leader, the pressure to stay ahead in technology while managing limited resources can be overwhelming. Consequently, it's quite common to look to third parties to help you adopt AI technology. Third-party support usually entails sifting through dozens of vendors and solutions to find the right one. Adopting a clear framework for evaluating vendors enables you to make informed decisions that align with your goals, ensure compatibility with current operations, and ultimately drive your mission forward.

A Framework for Mastering Vendor Selection

Clarify Needs

Before diving into the sea of AI solutions, it's essential to have a crystal-clear understanding of your nonprofit's specific needs. Start by identifying the core challenge you aim to address, then break the problem into its parts, and finally map each component to measurable metrics or targets. These metrics may be internal or dictated by funders. Are your goals programmatic, related to fundraising, content management, or operational efficiency? Reflecting on this and writing the results down in a document—to which others contribute ideas and feedback—will quickly establish a solid basis for your request for proposal (RFP) and ensure you avoid the common pitfall of chasing technology trends without clearly understanding their relevance to your work.

Assess Current Capabilities

A thorough assessment ...