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Earlier this month, LA2050, an initiative of the Goldhirsh Foundation, hosted 

, an interactive seminar that aimed to equip nonprofit leaders and staff with practical artificial intelligence skills to enhance their work.

AI, especially as related to ethics and community impact, is a topic the Goldhirsh Foundation has been tracking since 2019. 

The recent gathering, held March 12 at LA Más Headquarters, was led by 

, AI executive in residence at the Goldhirsh Foundation. 48 nonprofit leaders and staff members from past and current winners of the 

With a focus on real-world applications, 

 guided participants through the use of AI tools for research, impact measurement, data analysis, donor engagement, and more. Attendees engaged in hands-on exercises, including learning how to train a marketing-focus GPT using their own data. The training concluded with a breakout discussion exploring innovative AI applications in the nonprofit sector, along with a demo of the newest tools for research and agentic task completion.

Here are five key takeaways from the training that all nonprofit professionals should know, as shared by García:

Keep responsible AI top of mind, especially sustainability.

 Having access to AI tools has the potential to supercharge nonprofits, but conscious energy use should drive all queries.

Ethical AI use includes considering critical thinking implications and staff development.

 In order to retain critical thinking skills and support the development of your junior staff’s skills, carefully decide when to leverage AI tools and when to forgo them.

AI tools with voice mode can help you ideate program development and more.

 With an AI tool’s voice mode, discuss an idea that you’d like feedback on before presenting it to your staff or Board. Prompt the AI tool to ask you clarifying questions one-by-one to refine your idea, and then to analyze the pros and cons critically.

 Also known as “human in the loop,” a thorough review of each AI tools’ output is needed to not only ensure accuracy, but also your intention and voice.

Workflows often include layering several AI tools.

 No perfect, go-to tool exists, so get creative with your workflows and use the best tool for each task. This is also known as your “tech stack” of AI tools.

 (standing) works with participants. Bottom: Three participants converse during the event.

5 Key Takeaways: AI Tools Training for Nonprofits

We are excited to announce that 330 young Angelenos, ages 14 to 24, have joined the fourth cohort of the LA2050 Youth Ambassador program!

This year, we’re introducing a two-tiered model to the program – continuing with our General Cohort and adding a new Leadership Council for deeper engagement.

Our 300 General Cohort Youth Ambassadors are tasked with helping spread the word about voting in the 2025 LA2050 Grants Challenge to friends, family, and neighbors. In return, they learn about philanthropy, gain valuable insight into our local impact sector, and receive hands-on training in outreach. Participants will also earn certificates and have the chance to win prizes up to $500.

Additionally, we have selected 28 outstanding participants to serve as Youth Ambassador Leaders. Leaders participate in all of the General Cohort activities outlined above and also take on extra responsibilities, including mentoring peers, evaluating grant applications, and completing a group project. Each receives a $500 volunteer gift, reflecting their increased commitment

Together, our Youth Ambassadors represent more than 145 communities across the Los Angeles region, from Altadena to Agoura Hills, Bellflower to Santa Clarita, Echo Park to Sun Valley. These middle and high school students, college students, and young professionals share a passion for community service and a drive to learn how to make an impact.

We look forward to seeing what this year’s LA2050 Youth Ambassador cohort accomplishes through the 

 and beyond! We’ll be posting more with and about them in the months ahead.

Meet the 330 Awesome Angelenos Serving as LA2050 Youth Ambassadors!

We’re spotlighting all of our work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a part of this Resource Library. From dinners with community leaders to an AI workshop series by the Goldhirsh Foundation AI-In-Resident, Jen García, to assist our grantees in expanding their AI knowledge, and beyond.

Empowering Nonprofits with AI: Insights and Advice from Our Workshops and Consultations

In this blog, you'll discover actionable advice and key insights from our AI workshops and consultations. Learn how nonprofits can harness AI tools to save time, tailor solutions to their mission, adopt ethical practices, and confidently navigate this transformative technology to amplify their impact.

Where Can AI Create the Most Value and Impact Today

This blog discusses the dinner discussion hosted by the Goldhirsh Foundation where elected officials, journalists, tech leaders, culture practitioners, and investors convened. Speakers included Jim Gao and Katie Hoffman. Jim and Katie are co-founders of Phaidra. Formerly, Jim worked at DeepMind, generally recognized as one of the leading AI organizations, alongside OpenAI.

LA2050 Blog

AI Insights