When I reflect on the many conversations I’ve had over the years about digital, there is a theme which unites them all. So many of these discussions were ostensibly about digital transformation, but they were really about decision making and accountability, and whether there was a vision for change that others could get behind.
These are all key elements of the discussions I’m having with nonprofits about AI. Leadership is the Ingredient X of digital transformation. The need for strong leadership is even more important in the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence.
The subject of how nonprofit leaders are responding to AI is very much on my mind at the moment, as we are gathering data about this across the UK in the survey to build this year’s Charity Digital Skills Report. We want to hear how charities and their leaders are using AI, what they’ve learned about adopting these tools and what they see as the opportunities and challenges ahead. Yes, you’ve guessed it- so much of this comes down to the leadership that nonprofits are getting, or not getting, about AI.
One of the things we will be looking at in our report is whether there is a correlation between digital skills at board level and AI adoption. In the UK, digital skills around the board table is a significant and systemic issue.
In last year’s Charity Digital Skills Report we heard that:
Why are digital skills on UK charity boards so low? In truth this picture hasn’t really changed since 2017 when we founded the report. In the UK, charity board members are unpaid volunteers. Much has been written about the lack of diversity on UK charity boards, with recent research revealing that charities lag behind FTSE 100 companies in terms of board diversity. This means that there is a lack of diverse perspectives on these boards, without which it is harder to form a clear vision for the future.
Age may also play a role here. According to Getting on Board’s research, the average age of a nonprofit trustee in the UK is 60-62. A mere 0.5% of trustees are 18-24, despite making up 12% of the population. So, there is a lack of digital natives on trustee boards.
What this means, for AI and other areas of digital transformation, is that it is significantly harder for trustees to offer the right strategy, scrutiny and support without the skills and diverse perspectives required to futureproof nonprofits. And this is likely to have an impact on speed, scaling and risk management when adopting AI.
I’d love to hear from those reading this outside the UK how these stats compare to your experience, and what might be influencing the trends you are seeing.
If you’re in a situation where your board, or your wider leadership team, are wondering what to do about AI, or AI is way down on their list of priorities, this may be due to skills. It may also be the result of a lack of headspace and time to think strategically, given the pressure that nonprofits are under at the moment.
The good news is that there are still many ways you can engage nonprofit leaders with AI. Here are three tried and tested ways I have seen work with leaders:
Where can leaders go from here? You can get your leadership team on the same page with AI by helping them create a shared understanding of the potential for AI, review progress to date and develop their confidence to make the right decisions about AI. We have a free checklist to help nonprofit leaders do this. It’s split into topics that gradually become more challenging, so you can take it one topic at a time if that's easier.
AI is a huge opportunity for nonprofits and their leaders. It can help your organization reach more people and scale up its impact if you adopt it in line with your values and get your leaders on board with your approach.
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