AI for Nonprofits and Advocacy Cohort
Build confidence in using AI for good.
This 3-month, hands-on cohort is designed for nonprofit and advocacy professionals who want to responsibly adopt AI, create strategic frameworks, and apply real-world tools across their teams.
Whether you’re just getting started or already experimenting, this program gives you clarity, support, and a peer community to help you integrate AI in alignment with your mission.
You’ll be joining a community that can support your AI Journey.
Plus you’ll get free access to ethical AI tools specifically designed for nonprofits and advocacy.
Why AI Strategy Matters
AI is already transforming how we communicate, organize, and analyze data. But without a thoughtful approach, it can create confusion, inefficiency, and risk.
This cohort helps you:
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Align AI use with your mission and values
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Avoid hype and build lasting capacity
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Develop org-wide policies and smart workflows
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Learn directly from peers and digital strategy experts
12 Weeks
You’ll join a cohort of nonprofit and advocacy professionals building the skills, strategy, and confidence to use AI with purpose.
Strategic Learning
The cohort blends core learning sessions, tactical implementation, community learning, and office hours—so you can absorb new concepts and immediately start applying them in your work.
Live Sessions
Core sessions provide a solid foundation in AI strategy. Tactical sessions for practical skills, and office hours to learn and share with your peers.
Capstone Project
You’ll identify and build a real-world AI use case for your organization—then share it with the cohort in Weeks 11–12
What to Expect in the AI for Nonprofits and Advocacy Cohort
Essential Cohort Elements
Tactical Sessions
From the basics of incorporating AI into your email creation process to more complex chat agents and AI tools.
Core Sessions
Learn foundational concepts around AI adoption, prompting, data, and organizational alignment
Capstone Project
Develop and present a real AI use case for your organization during the final two weeks
Office Hours
Bring your projects, ideas, or questions for real-time feedback from facilitators and peers. Office hours are a chance to build on your strategy and build community with others.
Capstone Project
Develop and present a real AI use case for your organization during the final two weeks
Core Sessions
Learn foundational concepts around AI adoption, prompting, data, and organizational alignment
Office Hours
Bring your projects, ideas, or questions for real-time feedback from facilitators and peers. Office hours are a chance to build on your strategy and build community with others.
Tactical Sessions
From the basics of incorporating AI into your email creation process to more complex chat agents and AI tools.
Essential Cohort Elements
Live Sessions
90 Minute Sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays
Begining at 1 ET / 10am PT
Welcome and Foundations
Getting to know Cohort Members and getting started! Then we'll start to build a foundation for your AI Strategy.
Sessions
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Kick Off & Welcome
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Demystifying AI: Practical First Steps for Your Nonprofit
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Essentials of Generative AI and Prompting
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
Weeks 1 & 2
Building on AI Strategy
We'll continue to dig in and offer a week to catch up, exploring various AI focuses with expanded readings, cohort member-driven office hours with advisors.
Sessions
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Fundamentals of AI for Organizations
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Office Hours
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AI Across Your Organization
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
Weeks 3 & 4
Culture, Policy, & Frameworks,
Dig deeper on organizational level AI with building a culture to thrive, adoption policies, and various frameworks.
Sessions
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Building Adaptive Capacity: Cultivating an AI-Ready Culture
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
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AI Adoption Policies & Organizational Practices
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AI Strategic Framework, Evaluating Ethics and Practices in Workflows and Tools
Weeks 5 & 6
Creative and Data
We'll set the stage for various creative mediums and expand in office hours. Then explore data privacy and using AI to analyze data.
Sessions
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Creative with AI Graphics, Audio, and Video
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
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Understanding AI and Data
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
Weeks 7 & 8
Capstone Project
Set the foundation for your own AI project with clear delievrables.
Sessions
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Capstone Project Introduction
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
Weeks 9 & 10
Bringing it All Together
We'll continue to explore tactical strategies and process. All while supporting the cohort members in developing their capstone projects.
Sessions
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
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Tactical Session + Office Hours
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Office Hours
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Capstone Project Sharing + AI Summit
Weeks 11 & 12 + AI Summit
Who This AI Cohort is For
This program is ideal for:
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Nonprofit and advocacy team leaders and staffers in digital, communications, fundraising, organizing, or programs.
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Organizational leaders, including Executive Directors, CTOs, CEOs, and anyone ready to lead on AI
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Foundation Staff, Program Officers, and Grantees
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Teams exploring or scaling AI adoption
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Organizations focused on equity, ethics, and strategic innovation
No tech expertise required—just curiosity and commitment.
Access to a Supportive Peer Community
You won’t be navigating AI adoption alone. As part of the cohort, you’ll gain access to a community of nonprofit and advocacy professionals working through similar challenges.
We’ll create intentional connections between participants in similar roles or organizational contexts, giving you space to:
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Ask questions and workshop ideas
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Share real-world wins and lessons
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Discuss challenges with peers who truly understand your context
Whether you’re in fundraising, programs, digital, or leadership—you’ll find a network of people thinking through the same issues and building solutions together.
Capstone Project
Central to your learning through the Cohort is your Capstone Project — a real-world, hands-on initiative that applies what you’re learning about AI to your organization or professional development. This is your opportunity to test ideas, build internal understanding, and contribute tangible value through a focused effort of your choosing.
Your Capstone should be something you can act on during or shortly after the Cohort. It doesn’t need to be perfect or polished — it should be useful. Think of it as a living prototype or case study you can keep building on.
Possible Project Types:
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Support Senior Leadership in Understanding AI Applications
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Create a briefing, presentation, or resource that helps your leadership team understand key AI concepts, use cases, or implications for your organization.
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Develop Internal AI Guidelines or Policies
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Draft internal guidance on how your organization will or won’t use generative AI — including use cases, boundaries, and considerations for staff.
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Advise External Stakeholders on Your AI Use
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Develop messaging, FAQs, or communication plans that explain your approach to AI tools to partners, funders, or the public.
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Build a Case Study or Tactical Strategy for an AI Test
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Plan and run a small-scale AI experiment — such as testing tools for communications, training, or outreach — and document what you learned.
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Access to AI tools for Nonprofits and Advocacy Organizations
Cohort members receive 3 months of access to leading AI tools for Nonprofits and Advocacy.
Change Agent
Generate Good. Advance your mission with ethical AI designed for causes and campaigns.
The Ethical Alternative to Big AI. Change Agent grew out of a 55-year-old civil rights nonprofit and those values guide our approach. Our goal is to provide values-aligned AI to mission-driven organizations.
Chorus AI
Raise more money — Engage more supporters The digital workspace that saves nonprofits 10+ hours a week
Chorus AI wraps around your entire workflow, making your data accessible and usable to produce compelling writing in seconds
SoSha
Create entire organic sharing campaigns your audiences can engage with in minutes. Then track engagement so you can iterate in real-time.
SoSha combines embeddable social share toolkits, real-time analytics, and AI-powered writing tools to help companies run engaging organic social share campaigns.
AI for Nonprofits and Advocacy Cohort Programmatic Details
🗓 Duration & Format
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12-week cohort (Starting September 2025)
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Live sessions held Tuesdays & Thursdays (mix of core sessions, tactical sessions, and office hours)
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Location: Online via an interactive meeting format
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All sessions are recorded and available on-demand
📚 Integrated Learning Structure
The cohort combines strategy, experimentation, and peer learning in one unified experience:
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Core Sessions: Learn foundational concepts around AI adoption, prompting, data, and organizational alignment
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Tactical Sessions: Apply what you’re learning with hands-on guidance, real examples, and shared workflows
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Office Hours: Weekly space to ask questions, test ideas, and troubleshoot with facilitators and peers
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Reading & Experimenting Weeks: Built-in time to pause, reflect, or go deeper
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Capstone Project: Develop and present a real AI use case for your organization during the final two weeks
🤝 Supportive Peer Community
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Access to a cohort-wide community space for Q&A, idea sharing, and collaboration
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Intentional peer groups formed around similar roles or organizational focus
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Ongoing opportunities to share wins, workshop challenges, and learn in public
📁 Resources You’ll Receive
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Prompt templates for fundraising, grants, advocacy, and internal operations
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Sample AI adoption policies and responsible use frameworks
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Curated AI tools and guides tailored to nonprofit needs
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Recordings and materials from all sessions
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Downloadable decks, example prompts, notes, and links
🎯 Designed For
This cohort is built for:
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Staff in communications, digital, fundraising, organizing, programs, or leadership
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Teams beginning to explore or actively expanding AI use
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Organizations focused on strategic, ethical, and equity-centered adoption
Meet the Advisors & Instructors
Brad Caldana
Founder & President, Center for Digital Strategy
Author, The Digital Plan
Rachel Kimber
Technology Futurist and Nonprofit Executive
Valerie Ehrlich
Founder and Principal Consultant, Mission Bloom
Ryann Miller
Founder @ Spark and Signal
Ben Childers
Co-founder and CEO, Stratovation Partners
Maan Sacdalan
Co-founder, Stratovation Partners
Aram Fischer
CEO & Cofounder @ Change Agent AI
Darian Rodriguez Heyman
Author of AI for Nonprofits CEO & Founder @ Helping People Help
Samuel Landenwitsch
Co-Founder @ Chorus AI
Catharine Montgomery
Founder and CEO @ Better Together Agency
Tareq Alani
Co-Founder @ Chorus AI
Jim Pugh
Partner at AI Impact Lab
Maya Hutchinson
Founder @ BattlegroundAI
George Irish
Founder, AI Strategist, & AI Developer @ Fundraising with AI
Brenda K. Foster
Senior VP and Chief of Innovation @ Vanguard Communications
Anshuk Gandhi
VP Product at Swayable
Taylar Harrington
Senior Client Success Manager @ Swayable
Tovah Paglaro
Co-founder @ Fathom
Alissa Brandon
Founding Head of Customer Success @ Change Agent AI
Maya Kuppermann
CEO & Co-founder @ Temelio
Ruthwick Pathireddy
CTO & Co-founder @ Temelio
Bailey Greenspon
Partnerships @ SoSha
Key Cohort Outcomes for Nonprofit Partners
This cohort equips nonprofit leaders with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to implement AI in a responsible manner that serves their missions. Designed with equity and practical application in mind, the experience builds both individual and organizational capacity.
Participants will leave with:
✅ AI Capacity-Building Certificate
Verifies successful completion of cohort-based training in responsible, mission-aligned AI strategy and implementation.
🧭 Actionable Frameworks
Repeatable, values-driven approaches for evaluating and integrating AI tools across departments, roles, and workflows.
📚 Ethics & Policy Literacy
A grounding in AI ethics, governance, and risk management—tailored to the realities of nonprofit and advocacy work.
🛠️ Practical AI Workflows & Prompts
Ready-to-use prompt templates and AI-assisted workflows to support communications, fundraising, organizing, and internal ops.
🌍 Case-Based Learning
Real examples from peer organizations testing and scaling AI in ethical, resource-conscious, and community-informed ways.
💬 Collaborative Feedback Loops
Instructor and peer feedback throughout the program—including on your Capstone Project—to help you iterate and strengthen your implementation plans.
🎓 Capstone Project Development + Sharing
Participants develop and present a real-world AI use case for their organization, with support and feedback from instructors and the cohort.
🤝 Sustained Peer Learning Network
Intentional connections across roles and organizations form a trusted community for shared learning that continues beyond the 12 weeks.
📂 Continued Access to All Materials
Participants retain access to session recordings, templates, decks, tools, and resources—supporting long-term application and continuous learning amid the evolving AI landscape.
Get Registered for the AI for Nonprofits and Advocacy Cohort
Don’t miss your seat for this cohort.
Individual seats for the cohort are only $999
Maximize your organizational impact and join the cohort together with your team.
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Team-based discounts are applied automatically at registration
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10% for 2 members
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20% for 3 – 4 members
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30% for 5 or more team members.
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Get registered now or use the form below to pre-register to hold your seat.
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Scholarships are available use this form to apply.
Not sure if the cohort is right for you? Schedule a 1:1 call
Schedule a 1:1 call with you or members of your organization to discuss the cohort with a member of our leadership team.
We understand that committing to a cohort like this can be a significant decision for organizations, and we want to help ensure it’s the right fit for you.
Sessions start on Thursday, September 11th, and end the week of December 1st - 5th.
Like a live event, the content and schedules are subject to change because the speakers are human, and technology is always complicated.
The core sessions are set, but the tactical and supplemental sessions will also be informed by what you, as part of the cohort, need and want.
Sessions will stream live via Google Meet, allowing participants to interact with instructors.
Core and Tactical Sessions will be live on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 ET / 10 am PT.
Sessions are 90 minutes
All sessions will be recorded and typically available within 24 hours.
Additional supplemental sessions will be hosted at various times.
Yes, all sessions will be recorded and available immediately after the session.
Attendees will have access to recordings for a minimum of 6 months.
Building community together is a significant goal of the cohort!
We will work to create intentional connections between participants in similar roles or organizational contexts.
You’ll have access to a cohort-based discussion forum.
You can pay with a credit card or bank transfer using the register link.
If you need to pay with an online check or invoice, please email: support@centerfordigitalstrategy.comYes, we offer scholarships for individuals and organizations who need them.
Please use this form: https://forms.gle/LUEPv93JcPuEkBMP9
Yes. Team-based discounts are applied automatically at registration
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10% for 2 members
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20% for 3 – 4 members
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30% for 5 or more team members.
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Attendees will have access to recordings and resources for a minimum of six months after the cohort concludes.
Most recordings and resources for Courses, Cohorts, Summits, and Events remain available for 12 months or more, unless technical issues arise.
Still have questions email?