Nonprofit HR’s Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Monday, September 18 2023

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Atokatha Ashmond Brew 
Abrew@nonprofithr.com 

Nonprofit HR Releases Illuminating Data From Inaugural 2023 Social Sector AI Pulse Survey

Critical Findings Reveal Current Practices, Early Trends in the Social Sector’s AI Journey

Washington, D.C, September 18, 2023 – Nonprofit HR, the country’s leading and oldest consulting firm focused exclusively on social impact organizations, recently released never-before-seen data from its 2023 Social Sector AI Pulse Survey. From across North America, 250 social sector organizations shared their generative AI¹ use in their HR function to drive their missions. The data from this survey are unprecedented for the social sector, and benchmarking generative AI practices is a critical need as social sector adoption increases.

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“Nonprofit HR is delighted to share the insights from our 2023 Social Sector AI Pulse Survey. These findings illuminate the remarkable potential of generative AI within the social sector and its implications for talent management. As organizations increasingly integrate AI into their operations, our data underscores the need for proactive measures, highlighting the importance of adaptability across various functions, the influence on HR headcount and workforce dynamics, evolving skill requirements, and the essential considerations of ethics, technology and strategic planning,” said Lisa Brown Alexander, Founder and CEO, Nonprofit HR.

Generative AI has proven its transformative potential across multiple sectors. The social sector is already benefiting from the technology and the 2023 Social Sector AI Pulse Survey spotlights the anticipated impact on nonprofits.

Below are a few of the eye-opening findings:

The sector already acknowledges AI’s potential impact on HR headcount and workforce dynamics. A staggering 57% of respondents anticipate AI will impact their company’s HR headcount in the next 1-3 years. In addition, 55% expect that AI will lower the number of gig workers.

The changing skill requirements caused by AI emphasize the need for proactive measures to adapt to the evolving work landscape. An overwhelming 82% of respondents expressed that AI will impact the complexity of skills required of HR professionals in the next one to three years.

Shifts in strategic planning is another factor mission-driven leaders must consider. Notably, 82% of respondents anticipate creating a secure environment for experimentation with AI, with 80% planning to develop a strategic plan or framework for using AI. This statistic underscores the recognition among nonprofits that they should embrace AI strategically to utilize its benefits fully.The most common HR uses of generative AI are creating presentations (16%), writing job descriptions (16%) and drafting social media posts (16%). Additionally, 14% of respondents are using it to draft organizational policy. These findings highlight the versatility of generative AI and how it is being leveraged across entire organizations.

“Private sector organizations are already embracing and implementing AI. Nonprofits hold a unique position to observe early successes and lessons learned, enabling them to craft stakeholder-informed strategies and policies that will drive their missions forward. Undoubtedly, the future of the sector will be profoundly shaped by nonprofits’ capacity to strategically embrace and harness the potential of AI. Understanding and leveraging AI is not just a good idea, it’s a business imperative,” said Brown Alexander.

Access the Full Results

¹ As defined by the Federal Trade Commission, “‘Generative AI’ is a category of AI that empowers machines to generate new content rather than simply analyze or manipulate existing data. By using models trained on vast amounts of data, generative AI can generate content—such as text, photos, audio, or video—that is sometimes indistinguishable from content crafted directly by humans. Large language models (LLMs), which power chatbots and other text-based AI tools, represent one common type of generative AI.”

About Nonprofit HR 

Nonprofit HR is the country’s leading and oldest firm focused exclusively on the talent management needs of the social sector, including nonprofits, associations, social enterprises and other mission-driven organizations. We focus our consulting efforts on the following practice areas: Strategy & Advisory, HR Outsourcing, Total Rewards, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Justice and Search. Nonprofit HR also offers customized learning and development in addition to research and events, all with the objective of strengthening the people management capacity of the workforce. Nonprofit HR was listed as one of the nation’s fastest-growing firms by Inc. 5000. Since 2000, our staff of credentialed experts has advanced the impact of some of the world’s most influential brands in the sector. A list of client and mission types may be seen here. Read more news from Nonprofit HR. 

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