Responsive Lab Podcast EP 51: The New Nonprofit Tech Toolkit: Preparing Your Organization for the Next 5 Years
Sep 5, 2025
Join Jason Van Lue, VP of Product at Virtuous, and Erin McHugh, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft Tech for Social Impact, as they explore the future of nonprofit technology. They discuss the vital need for strong data foundations before adopting AI and clarify the difference between automating tasks and truly transforming systems. Real-world examples illustrate innovative approaches in nonprofits, all while emphasizing the balance between ethics and human connection. Discover what it means to become a 'frontier nonprofit' in this tech-driven landscape.
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AI As A Commodity
- AI will become a commodity like cloud computing, making "intelligence on tap" widely available.
- Organizations that don't prepare for ubiquitous AI risk losing differentiation.
Start With Data Foundations
- Prioritize clean data and data management before adopting AI features or agents.
- Treat data foundations as a prerequisite to get reliable AI results and analytics.
Build Small Agents Fast
- Experiment with building simple agents to automate manual tasks and accelerate workflows.
- Keep security, UX, and software-design principles in mind even for quick prototypes.