AI Sprint
Exponential AI
“Exponential AI” represents big “change everything” projects like self-driving cars, cancer drug discovery, or standalone software bots that would mentor youth or run hotlines. Right now, exponential impact requires working with dedicated technologists to find the right use cases, identify and clean large data sets, and build new tools.
Incremental AI
“Incremental AI” has more modest goals, less risk, and is capable of being immediately useful to everyday staff. Its goal is to use low-cost, existing off-the-shelf products such as ChatGPT just as we use Gmail or Excel, to help our colleagues eliminate the least favorite, most repetitive elements of their jobs and get more done in service of clients and mission.
A Sprint To Incremental AI Literacy
On our five-point measurement scale of AI Literacy a “1” is someone who only uses AI when it’s invisible (eg. Netflix recommendations) and a “5” is a sophisticated AI team leader who is bringing Exponential projects to their organization. Most individual nonprofit staff will see significant benefit at “3” – regular use of generative AI in their daily workflows to drive 10%+ increases in efficiency, improve equity, and fight burnout.
At the organizational level, the tipping point is to have 50% of staff – at all levels and departments – reach an incremental AI Literacy level of 3.
The goals of the AI for Nonprofits Sprint are clear and measurable. Using pre- and post-engagement data, we will bring 5,000 nonprofit staff from 100 nonprofits to baseline AI literacy in 2025.
At each Member nonprofit we:
1
Administer our baseline AI Use Survey to understand where each Member is starting
2
If needed, provide templates to support the establishment of Placeholder Staff AI Use Guidelines.
3
Provide a one-time, 90 minute, kickoff training to all staff at all levels.
4
Support a 4-6 month facilitated peer-learning program, including:
- Launching an AI Learning Team with 5 – 25 staff.
- Team must have access to a paid “frontier” level model of AI. The AI Sprint can distribute 5-10 free licenses, depending on Member size.
- Team members pledge to try AI for real work 1-2 hours / week
- AI Sprint staff host facilitated peer-learning Zoom calls monthly, by staff functional area (fundraisers talk to fundraisers, child care staff to child care staff, etc)
- Online video library of proven use cases, by AI Learning Team members
Funders and Field Partners
Funders and Field Partners support the Sprint with resources and expertise:
- Arbor Rising
- Civic Hall – Andrew Rasiej (Co-Founder)
- Decoded Futures – Jake Porway
- EGF Accelerator – AiLun Ku
- Fast Forward – Kevin Barenblat (Co-Founder and President)
- Fordham University – Lauri Goldkind (Professor) (individual)
- Fund for the City of New York – Lisette Nieves (President)
- Just-Tech – John Greiner (President and Founder)
- OpenAI / ChatGPT (in-kind donor of free AI licenses)
- Robert Sterling Clark Foundation – Lisa Pilar Cowan (individual)
- RoundTable Technology – Joshua Peskay (3CPO)
- The Tow Foundation – Meghan Lowney
AI Sprint Members
AI Sprint Members participate in our programming and represent 15,000+ nonprofit staff:
- America On Tech – Jessica Santana (CEO)
- Center for Employment Opportunities – Chris Watler (Executive VP)
- Center for Justice Innovation – Courtney Bryan
- Colin Powell School at the City College of New York – Andrew Rich (Dean)
- Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies – Kathleen Brady-Stepien (President/CEO)
- Good Shepherd Services – Michelle Yanche (CEO)
- Human Services Council of New York – Michelle Jackson (Executive Director)
- JCCA – Ron Richter (CEO and ED)
- New York Law School – Anthony Crowell (Dean)
- New York Legal Assistance Group – Lisa Rivera (President and CEO)
- Nonprofit New York NYC
- Employment and Training Coalition – Gregory Morris (CEO)
- SCO Family of Services Selfhelp Community Services, Inc
- The Urban Assembly – David Adams (CEO)
- United Neighborhood Houses – Susan Stamler (Executive Director)
- United Way of New York City – Grace Bonilla (President and CEO)
Our Leadership
The Fund for the City of New York (FCNY) is a core infrastructure nonprofit serving the New York community since its establishment by the Ford Foundation in 1968.
FCNY’s Cash Flow Loan Program has made 17,000 bridge loans totaling $1.45 billion. Its fiscal sponsorship work supports more than 80 quasi-independent Partner Projects. And the organization’s initiatives extend beyond New York, aiding communities globally by adapting its innovative solutions to local contexts. FCNY also places graduate students in community planning roles and celebrates civic excellence through its prestigious Sloan Awards.
Rich Leimsider is the Entrepreneur-In-Residence at FCNY and the Director of the Nonprofits for AI Sprint. After introducing the concept of Incremental AI for nonprofits, he has developed and hosted in-person and online nonprofit AI events engaging 1500+ staff from 400+ NYC nonprofit organizations. He is certified in prompt engineering from Vanderbilt University and AI Essentials from Google.
Previously, Rich founded the PSLF.nyc Campaign – helping 70,000 New Yorkers access $4.6 billion in student loan relief. Earlier he served for five years as Executive Director of Safe Passage Project, a nonprofit organization that provides free lawyers to child refugees. He created and led programs at nonprofits including the Aspen Institute and Echoing Green. Rich is a graduate of Williams College, Harvard Business School, and NYC public schools and has most of an MSW from the University of Texas. He serves on the board of Nonprofit New York and lives in Brooklyn with his family.