"WHAT AI POLICY DO WE NEED before staff start using AI?" asked you.
I kicked off a series this month called "Colorado EDs' Most Asked AI Questions," where I answer the top ones each week. Last week was "Can AI help me find and write grants?" Please check that out if you missed it. (I gave you two super powerful prompts to help you with grant prospecting and grant writing).
This week:
What do you need in your AI policy?
I've run quite a few workshops helping nonprofit leaders build their AI Guidelines/Policy, so I know a thing or two about this topic.
I get it. Before you touch AI, you need rules....Your board is asking about your AI Do's and Don'ts. And your team is out there using it like the Wild West.
You know how important it is, but you still have board meetings to run, grants to edit, and Game Of Thrones Dragon fires to put out every single day. Who has time to write policies?
I got you.
One quick side thought: start with guidelines, not a policy. Here's why it matters. AI changes by the minute, and guidelines are easy to edit and update. A policy is stricter and usually needs board approval to change.
I know a lady who wrote a policy late last year allowing the team to only use ChatGPT and Gemini. When Claude blew up, she needed full board approval just to let her team just try Claude. And tomorrow there will be another tool worth checking out. Guidelines keep you flexible.
My rule of thumb: if your Guidelines haven't changed in a year, then you turn them into a policy.
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Actionable Task:
Steal my pre-built Guidelines.
Listen, you're way too busy to build this from scratch, but the risk of skipping it is way too high. Right now it's a lawless town between AI and your team. So I wrote it all for you.
I know, I know. (Cheers of "Regis! Regis! Regis!") Stop, please, stop it. 😌
Click below for your complete and pre-built Colorado nonprofit AI Guidelines:
Note: I addressed almost every concern I could think of, but some things should be specific to your organization. Make an editable copy of the doc so you can adjust it and make it yours. I also added verbiage on the Colorado AI Act (SB 24-205/SB26-189). It's not a major concern for you right now, but it's worth knowing.*
Tell the board you spent all weekend on it, when you really spent that time with your family. 🙏🏾
Also peeps, don't keep this post to yourself, share it with your other ED friends also trying to find time to create their Policy/Guidelines that was due 8 months ago.
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Remember:
Your team isn't afraid of AI. They're afraid of getting it wrong with no one telling them what right looks like. Fill the silence with guidelines, and fear becomes momentum.
*This is a starting template, not legal advice, run it by your own counsel before adopting.
#ExistToServe
P.S. Drowning in tasks AI could handle? Don't know where to start? Need to save time and money? Sincerely, let's talk.
Let's hop on a 30-minute call. I'll show you how you can clock out on time, get home to your family, and still serve more community members:
Regis Arzu (he/him/his)
[email protected]
ETS AI Consulting | CEO
347.748.5078
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Mondays are rough. It's scary times for Nonprofits. Your time is scarce. That’s why I created the Monday Motivational Minute. Each week, I’ll send you one high-impact, actionable idea to help you leverage AI and save time. It will always be a 1-minute read or less. If it adds value, great. If not, unsubscribe, but I’m betting you’ll want to stay. (Challenge Accepted ☺️)
