Artificial intelligence is reshaping how nonprofits work, and the early results are strong. The hard part is not getting started but paying to keep going.
Fast Forward’s 2026 AI for Humanity Report found that AI is improving nonprofit effectiveness across the board. Among the organizations surveyed, 92 percent reported improved service efficiency, 60 percent reached previously underserved populations, and 55 percent improved their ability to personalize services. Nearly all of them, 90 percent, plan to expand their AI work.
Then comes the catch. Only 24 percent have the resources to do it.
The Tools Are Working
The case for AI in nonprofit work is no longer theoretical. Organizations are using it to answer client questions faster, translate materials, draft communications, clean data, and reach people they could not serve before. The efficiency gains free up staff time for the work that only humans can do.
For mission-driven teams that are chronically stretched, that is a meaningful return.
The Cost is the Catch
Most nonprofits adopted AI the way they adopt everything: on a shoestring. Free tools, a pilot budget, one staff member experimenting after hours. That works for a first step. It does not hold up when you try to make AI a dependable part of how you operate.
Expanding means paying for licenses, integration, and the staff time to run it well. The three-quarters of organizations without those resources are stuck watching a useful tool stall.
AI is More Than Software
The report is clear that technology alone is not enough. Sustainable AI adoption requires investment in staffing, training, data systems, evaluation, and responsible-use practices. It also depends on strong leadership, organizational flexibility, and community involvement in how the tools get used.
In other words, funding the subscription is the smallest part. Funding the capacity to use it well is the real work.
Make the Case to Funders
This is where fundraising comes in. Frame AI not as a gadget but as capacity building, the same way you would make the case for a new database or a staff position. Lead with outcomes: the hours saved, the people reached, the services improved. Then ask for what sustains it, including training, evaluation, and unrestricted support.
Funders who say they value efficiency and reach should understand that those gains have costs behind them.
Start Small, Prove It, Then Scale
You do not need a large budget to begin. Pick one use that matters, measure what changes, and document the result. A clear before-and-after is the strongest argument you can bring to a funder, and it turns a hopeful request into an evidence-backed one.
AI can help your organization do more with the capacity you have. Funding it responsibly is how you keep that advantage. If you want to talk through how to position an AI or capacity request to funders, reach out anytime. We are happy to help.
