“It is literally impossible to run a nonprofit. You do so much good, make such a difference, and yet it never feels like it’s enough.”
AI-generated adaptation of America Ferrara’s “Barbie” speech
.…on the nonprofit dilemma in just two sentences by AI, shared by serial social entrepreneur Suzanne Smith in her LinkedIn article on how nonprofits can leverage artificial intelligence.
Even artificial intelligence gets the nonprofit struggle. This quote comes from a nonprofit leader who asked ChatGPT to rework America Ferrara’s iconic “Barbie” movie speech for the nonprofit sector—and the results were proof that even algorithms understand the unique pain points of charitable work.
Suzanne Smith, founder and CEO of Social Impact Architects [File photo]
Suzanne Smith, founder of Social Impact Architects, shared the example to address what she calls “her favorite question” from “healthy skeptics” wondering if AI can truly produce content. The answer, as the adapted speech demonstrates, is yes.
The AI-generated speech continued, hitting uncomfortably close to home for anyone who’s worked in the sector: “You’re supposed to address huge societal problems, but you can’t spend too much money doing it. You’re supposed to pay your staff fair wages, but not so fair that donors think their money is being ‘wasted.'”
That captures the impossible contradictions nonprofits navigate daily. “Pretty impressive,” according to Smith.
Smith wants readers to stop overthinking and start experimenting with AI. If you’re stuck getting started, she advises, “just think about something you need (e.g., a Powerpoint, a new logo, a training video) and then find an AI tool to help you. You will learn the power of AI by doing!”
She’s been experimenting with AI tools for years, using everything from Alexa to control home lighting to ChatGPT for adding “pizzazz” to speech titles. She breaks down technological change with a relatable analogy: “It reminds me of when I gave up my cherished tape recorder (and cool mix tapes) for a CD player and then gave them both up for an iPod. And now I just use Pandora and my iPhone.”
But Smith also warns about AI’s pitfalls, particularly in high-stakes writing: “I have seen recent grants where AI was obviously used, with tell-tale signs like responses not matching the questions or the tone sounding robotic. And trust me—the review panel noticed and asked, ‘Can we trust this nonprofit?'”
Her article, co-created with Nicola Paugh, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Nonprofit Alliance of Bermuda, lists where AI can make the biggest impact for organizations.
Smith suggests using it to simplify complex program language and logic models, which can make your mission more accessible. For HR departments, AI excels at writing job descriptions and creating interview questions. Fundraising efforts benefit from AI-drafted thank you letters and grant proposals, while communications teams can leverage AI for social media content editing, hashtag suggestions, press release drafts, and policy templates.
Smith also emphasizes the importance of data protection policies and maintaining authenticity in AI-assisted content.
“Change is the only constant,” Smith wrote, encouraging readers to experiment with AI tools. “At a minimum, I promise it will be fun and kickstart your process.”
For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.
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