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The Engagement 4Cast
If you’re feeling a mix of excitement and existential dread about AI, you’re not alone. We recently hosted a webinar with some brilliant minds in the nonprofit space—Bryan Casler of 4Site Studios, Thelma Andree of Fresh Eyes Digital, and Katelyn Baughan of KB Digital—to unpack this very topic. The conversation was a refreshing dose of reality, separating the hype from the practical, everyday considerations. For those who missed it, here are three key takeaways to help you make peace with our new robot colleagues.
The single best piece of advice? Just try it. Start with the tasks that make you sigh heavily at your desk. As our panelists pointed out, many of us are already using AI without even thinking about it—from the spam filter in your email to the autocorrect that saves you from embarrassing typos.
The next step is to be more intentional. Use it to brainstorm a new theme for your Giving Tuesday campaign when you’re feeling stuck, or to draft a timeline for your year-end appeal. As Katelyn mentioned, she uses AI for everything from optimizing email subject lines to planning meals for her picky kids.
The biggest elephant in the room is the fear of being replaced. But as Thelma put it, nonprofit work is fundamentally human. It’s built on trust, empathy, lived experiences, and long-term relationships—things you simply can’t automate. AI can’t understand the dignity and respect required to share a client’s story. It can’t build the genuine, personal connection that inspires a major donor.
What it can do is free you up from the administrative quicksand so you have more time for that uniquely human work. Think of AI not as a substitute, but as a surprisingly capable intern. It can handle the first draft, summarize your meeting notes, and even write those Excel formulas you can never remember. But we, the humans, are still the strategists, the editors, and the hearts of the mission.
We’re all just figuring this out. As Katelyn urged, the best approach is to create a culture of open conversation and learning. Instead of banning AI out of fear, organizations should involve their staff in creating thoughtful guidelines. Bryan shared how 4Site developed its own AI usage policy not to restrict creativity, but to empower the team by providing clarity and encouraging experimentation.
The biggest risk isn’t using AI; it’s either rushing in without a plan or burying your head in the sand while the rest of the world moves forward. So, go ahead and dip your toe in. Ask an AI tool for a new crockpot recipe. Use it to write a silly poem. The more you play with it, the less intimidating it becomes, and the more clearly you’ll see its potential to make your job—and maybe even your life—a little bit easier.
We hope our conversation left you curious for more. You can watch the complete webinar recording to dive deeper into the insights we explored. We also encourage you to continue the conversation directly with our panelists: Thelma Andree, Katelyn Baughan, and Bryan Casler, who are passionate about this topic and welcome your questions. And when you’re ready to move from brainstorming to building and need a strategic partner to help implement AI at your organization, the team at 4Site Studios is here to help.
4Site Interactive Studios is a talented troupe of web professionals who are passionate about creating tools to support digital marketers. We love to hear from our community! Reach out to us with your thoughts and questions. And don’t forget to subscribe below to get notified when we post new blogs – no spam, just content👍🏼