From curiosity to confidence: how nonprofits are using AI today

For many nonprofit teams, artificial intelligence doesn’t begin as a formal strategy or a planned initiative, but rather as a question that surfaces in the middle of already demanding work, where leaders are trying to balance growing expectations with limited time, resources, and capacity. 

They’re being asked to move faster, engage donors more personally, and operate with greater clarity, all while protecting trust and maintaining the integrity of their mission. This makes the idea of introducing new technology feel both promising and uncertain at the same time. 

At Bonterra’s recent virtual AI summit, nonprofit leaders shared what happened when they moved beyond that uncertainty and began using Que, Bonterra’s ethical, purpose-built AI, within their day-to-day workflows. 

Their experiences offered a grounded and practical look at what adoption actually looks like when it is done thoughtfully. 

What emerged from those conversations was not a story about replacing people or transforming organizations overnight, but a story about how teams are finding small, meaningful ways to work more efficiently while staying deeply focused on relationships. 

For many nonprofit leaders, artificial intelligence did not arrive as part of a large-scale rollout or a top-down decision, but instead surfaced gradually within tools they were already using, which made it easier to explore without feeling overwhelmed or underprepared. 

 Watch how one nonprofit leader described her early hesitation with AI

“My entry has not been intentional or sought out… technology is not my skill set, it’s communications and relational building.” 

This moment reflects how AI adoption is unfolding across the sector. Nonprofit professionals aren’t actively seeking out complex new systems but are instead encountering AI in ways that feel embedded and accessible within their existing workflows.

Because these tools are integrated into the platforms teams already rely on, they create a natural entry point that allows leaders to experiment, build confidence over time, and begin understanding how AI can support their work without requiring an immediate shift in how they operate. 

From experimentation to everyday use 

As leaders became more comfortable, what began as casual exploration quickly evolved into something more consistent. Bonterra Que became part of how they approached their daily responsibilities.

Watch how experimentation turned into real usage

“I just started playing with it, and what started as curiosity turned into something I was actually using to support my work.” 

That early experimentation created momentum, and over time, that momentum turned into reliance, as teams began to see how Que could support them across multiple aspects of their work. 

See how Que supports daily workflows

“I think the better question is when I don’t use Que. I keep it open all the time. I’ve told everybody that it’s the dashboard I keep open when I open my computer.” 

“Que helps me pull the report right away. It helped me develop our communication plan for the year, for 2026, because it gave me all the information I needed to help keep our donors engaged.” 

Leaders described how Bonterra Que has become a consistent part of their workflow, helping them draft donor communications, build campaign messaging, segment audiences, and organize outreach strategies in ways that feel both faster and more manageable. 

This is where AI moves from being an interesting idea to becoming a practical tool that supports execution. 

Saving time without losing your voice 

One of the most common concerns about AI in nonprofit settings is whether it will make communication feel impersonal or disconnected from the organization’s voice, especially when relationships with donors and communities are so central to the work. 

What nonprofit leaders described, however, was not a loss of voice, but a learning curve. Early hesitation, or even mistakes, were part of understanding how to use AI in a way that felt aligned with their organization.

Watch how one nonprofit leader refined AI to match her brand and voice

“Once I learned what I needed to do to make the AI more experienced with my knowledge, our brand, our tone, voice… then everything just became more natural, and that hesitancy kind of went away.” 

Rather than replacing their voice, tools like Bonterra Que require a level of input and direction that reflects how each organization communicates. This means the output becomes stronger and more aligned over time as teams learn how to guide it.

This is where AI shifts from something that feels uncertain to something that feels supportive. Once teams understand how to shape it around their voice, tone, and mission, it becomes a natural extension of how they already communicate rather than a replacement for it.

“We were very intentional about trust” 

While the benefits of AI are becoming clearer, nonprofit leaders are still approaching adoption with a strong sense of responsibility. This is especially true when it comes to protecting donor data and maintaining transparency with their teams and stakeholders.

Watch how one nonprofit leader thinks about AI, trust, and donor data

“If I’m not using Q, I’m not putting my donor information into any other type of AI… I want to be very careful with any sensitive information that we have.” 

This perspective highlights how trust is not an abstract concern for nonprofit teams, but a daily consideration that shapes how they evaluate and use new tools, particularly when sensitive donor and organizational data is involved. 

Because Bonterra Que is built directly into Bonterra platforms and designed specifically for nonprofit workflows, it allows teams to use AI in a way that aligns with their responsibility to protect data and maintain transparency. It also helps them operate with confidence, without introducing unnecessary risk or uncertainty into their processes.

Creating more space for what matters most 

For many organizations, the most meaningful impact of Bonterra Que is not simply that it helps them complete tasks more quickly, but that it creates additional capacity to focus on the relationships and outcomes that matter most. 

Watch how AI creates more time for donor relationships

“Anything that helps our efficiency gives us more time with our donors, and that’s ultimately what matters most.” 

This shift from task-based work to relationship-based work is where the value of AI becomes most visible. Because Bonterra Que already understands the language and lingo of development, teams do not have to spend time translating their work or retraining another system to understand their organization, which makes it easier to move quickly and stay focused on what matters. 

As a result, nonprofit professionals can spend more time engaging with donors, understanding community needs, and advancing their mission. 

Instead of being consumed by manual processes, teams are able to operate with greater clarity and intention, which strengthens both their effectiveness and their impact. 

From curiosity to confidence 

Across these stories, you can see how nonprofit leaders move from hesitation to actually using AI in their day-to-day work, finding ways to make it useful without compromising the values that guide how they operate. 

Bonterra Que doesn’t ask organizations to change who they are or how they operate. Instead, it provides a way to enhance what they are already doing by reducing friction, increasing efficiency, and supporting better decision-making in a way that feels natural and sustainable. 

As expectations continue to evolve and the need for both speed and accountability grows, the organizations that are best positioned for the future will be those that are able to combine human judgment with tools that are built to support it. 

See it for yourself 

If you are exploring how AI could support your fundraising efforts, hearing directly from nonprofit leaders can provide the clarity and confidence needed to take the next step. 

Watch the full AI Summit to see how organizations are putting human-led AI into practice. Then explore how Bonterra Que can bring those same capabilities into your daily workflows in a way that feels both practical and aligned with your mission. 

Watch the AI Summit