Unlocking the Power of AI for Nonprofits

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we live and work — and nonprofits are eager to explore how these tools can unlock new potential for their missions, operations, and communities. Through their AI Opportunity Accelerator initiative, Google.org and Project Evident launched a series of training sessions to help nonprofit leaders better understand and apply AI in their work.

To cap off each training day, they envisioned a signature dinner experience designed to spark deeper conversations, foster new connections, and inspire bold thinking about AI’s role in driving equity and opportunity. They partnered with NationSwell to bring this vision to life, leveraging our expertise in curating experiences that convene the right leaders and translate complex ideas into meaningful, actionable dialogue.

NationSwell curated and executed a series of five dinners in key U.S. cities in San Francisco, New York City, Austin, Columbia, SC and Atlanta, working closely with Google.org and Project Evident to shape the guest lists, themes, and settings to maximize impact. Each gathering was intentionally intimate, designed to foster candid conversation among senior leaders from philanthropy, nonprofit, and technology. 

NationSwell partnered with respected local foundations to root the dinners in community context, while ensuring the series connected to a cohesive national dialogue on the future of AI for the nonprofit sector. Every detail, from guest recruitment to facilitation, was guided by NationSwell’s expertise in convening, ensuring that participants not only explored the promise and risk of AI but also built relationships and identified tangible steps they could take within their own organizations and their communities.

The gatherings brought together a wide range of leaders — from those just beginning to explore AI to others further along in their journey. This mix created space for peer-to-peer learning, with nonprofit leaders sharing real-world challenges and sparking ideas about how AI could be applied for good. Foundations and AI experts also heard directly from nonprofit leaders about their needs and potential solutions, helping to inform where greater support is most needed.

Across cities, common themes emerged: the need for equitable design, stronger data infrastructure, and closer partnership with the communities nonprofits serve. The series showed the value of bringing diverse leaders together in trusted settings where learning, connection, and next steps can take root.

To extend the learnings beyond the convenings, NationSwell shared a recap article and social content highlighting key themes and nonprofit needs. This broadened the reach of the discussions, equipping funders, practitioners, and peers with insights to advance equitable and responsible uses of AI.