Fundraising.AI
Episode 44
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OVERVIEW
Meet Jean Westrick, an Executive Director at the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG). She has 20+ years in philanthropy, specializing in technology strategy, program execution, and foundation operations. Before being the next Executive Director of the Technology Association of Grantmakers, Jean was the Director of IT Strategy and Communications at The Chicago Community Trust, where she led change management efforts for the foundation’s digital transformation initiative. Also, while at the Trust, Jean directed On the Table, an award-winning engagement model designed to inspire resident action, replicated in 30 cities nationwide.
During today’s conversation, Jean shares her journey through philanthropy and technology while shedding light on the evolving intersection of these fields. Starting with her reflections on the collaborative spirit at Impact House in Chicago—a dynamic space for change-makers—Jean explores the importance of fostering community and partnerships in advancing social missions.
As the discussion transitions to her role at TAG, Jean recounts her career path, from civic engagement projects at the Joyce Foundation and Chicago Community Trust to her unexpected but transformative shift into technology roles within philanthropy. She highlights the critical role technology plays in amplifying impact and discusses the need for the philanthropic sector to embrace tools like AI responsibly.
Jean introduces TAG’s Responsible AI Adoption Framework, delves into key findings from the State of Philanthropy Tech Survey, and emphasizes the importance of data governance, privacy, and inclusive access to AI tools. Throughout the conversation, she and Nathan explore the philosophical and practical implications of AI in the nonprofit world, the democratization of technology, and the sector’s responsibility to maintain trust and resilience in communities.
The dialogue concludes with Jean sharing her favorite AI tools, practical advice for navigating the tech landscape, and a call for collaboration to ensure technology aligns with and enhances philanthropy’s core mission.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- [01:16] Impact House: A Hub for Collaboration and Change-Makers in Chicago
- [03:10] Jean's Career Journey and Transition to TAG
- [08:52] Jean's Accidental Tech Journey
- [14:39] Responsible AI Adoption Framework
- [18:06] Learnings from State of Philanthropy Tech Survey
- [23:09] Philanthropy's Role in AI Adoption
- [27:33] Trust and Resilience in Philanthropy
- [30:20] Jean's Go-To AI Tool
TIPS AND TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT TODAY
- Create environments to encourage innovation and community-building.
- Leverage tools to streamline operations and enhance impact.
- Adopt frameworks to ensure AI aligns with your mission and maintains trust.
- Invest in policies to ensure privacy, security, and quality data for AI adoption.
- Involve all levels of your team in adopting and governing new technologies.
- Encourage asking questions and exploring tools like ChatGPT or Claude to understand their potential.
- Ensure grant makers and recipients are on the same page regarding tech and AI use.
- Incorporate diverse perspectives to address complex challenges in tech adoption.
- Use technology to address the root causes of societal issues and adapt to rapid change.
- Experiment with AI tools integrated into daily workflows, tailoring choices to fit organizational needs.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Allie K MIller's Linkedin Learning AI Course
- ChatGPT4 accurately predicts human behavior in social experiments at 85%, across genders, races, and political affiliations.
- AI Adoption Is Driving Real Top - And Bottom-Line Impact For Enterprises (Gartner)
- Gen AI is hitting a trough of disillusionment (Gartner Hype Cycle)
- A new AI Pendant created to combat loneliness
- AI-first organizations
- More departures at OpenAI
- OpenAI's GPT-5 is coming out soon. Here's what to expect.
FAVORITE QUOTES
- "I think that we need to understand what our mission is and that there's no way that we should ever outsource what is core to our mission to any tool whatsoever because AI is just a tool." - Jean Westrick
- "In our sector, the currency that we trade in is trust. We are a relationship-based sector, and trust is, is core to the relationships that we make." - Jean Westrick
- "We now need to focus on building resiliency for our communities; however, that is defined." - Jean Westrick
- "As we peel back the pragmatic, practical stuff that organizations need to do today, organizations certainly need to get their governance house in order and start having these conversations as a community, and thinking about what the responsible use of AI is and how will they use it within their organization?" - Jean Westrick
- "AI requires good data, and we have under-invested in our data frameworks. So, this is the time to get your data house in order." - Jean Westrick
- "If we do want accessible AI, we need to make sure that we're being inclusive to everyone, and everyone has a seat at the table." - Jean Westrick
- "We also know from the State of Philanthropy Tech Survey that far too few foundations have a data governance policy. So get a data governance policy and address that, and that'll help unpack some of these barriers to adoption." - Jean Westrick
- "In the State of Philanthropy Tech Survey, when we asked, 'What are the main barriers to adopting AI at your organization?' data privacy and security was the number one, lack of AI skills or knowledge about how to leverage AI was the number two, and the third one was concerns around bias and fairness." - Jean Westrick
- "We're not just collecting data for the sake of data. We're collecting data to learn from that data so that we can make better decisions. We can double down on our priorities in the things that make sense and work." - Jean Westrick
- "If you wrestle with the questions around data, the kinds of questions that you want to answer, the kinds of things you want to do with AI, you're going to address the skills and knowledge gap. You're going to address the gap around data quality and data governance." - Jean Westrick
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MEET YOUR HOSTS
Nathan Chappell
As a thought leader, public speaker, author and inventor, Nathan is one of the world’s foremost experts on the intersection between Artificial Intelligence and philanthropy. Nathan serves as Senior Vice President of DonorSearch AI, where he leads AI deployments for some of the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations. Nathan’s subject matter expertise has been featured in several publications, including Fast Company, University of Notre Dame and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy. In 2021, Nathan founded Fundraising.Ai as a member-centric collaboration of nonprofit professionals with a focus on data ethics, data equality, privacy and security, sustainability. Nathan presented the first TEDx on the topic of artificial intelligence and the future of generosity in 2018. Nathan is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and holds a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from University of Notre Dame, an MBA from University of Redlands, a certificate in International Economics from University of Cambridge and a certificate in Artificial Intelligence from MIT.
Scott Rosenkrans
Scott Rosenkrans is the Assistant Vice President of DonorSearch Ai and has been with the organization for three years. He began his journey in the nonprofit sector twelve years ago as a prospect researcher. He quickly became fascinated with data as he noticed the organization that he previously worked for was amassing a wealth of information but was unsure how to efficiently use the data and resources to its full potential. This led him to become interested in predictive modeling and data analytics. During this time, he began to create an immense commitment to delivering tailor-made machine learning models to nonprofits.
The thing that Scott loves most about working for DonorSearch is the ability to prioritize what is best for the client and nonprofit sector above all else. He believes that growth is our most important core value because the DSAi team continuously evolves and brings a unique perspective that provides value to our clients. He stays ahead of industry trends because of his insatiable drive to constantly try out new things.
Favorite nonprofit: Shriner’s Children Hospital because of their extreme commitment to providing exceptional medical care, while also alleviating the financial burdens on families.
