From Curiosity to Clarity: Generative AI for Small Nonprofits

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Virtual only via Zoom
Facilitators: Lindsey Mott & Timothy Hafner, United Way of Broome County
Audience: Operations staff, Program managers, and Executive leadership

Registration:
Pre-registration required due to space limitations.
United Way Learning Circle Workshop Registration  

Description

In this 90‑minute interactive webinar, we cut through the hype to explore how small nonprofits should be thinking about Generative AI today. Designed for nonprofit professionals who are curious about AI—as well as organizations that have started experimenting but aren’t sure how it fits into their broader work—this session offers a clear, accessible foundation. Participants will learn the basics of Generative AI and prompting best practices, see realistic, hands‑on examples tailored to small teams, and explore how these tools can support everyday operations. We’ll also touch on key considerations for supporting staff use and mitigating risk, helping attendees understand what to think about next. Participants will leave with practical insights and ideas they can begin applying right away.

Participants Will:

• Understand the fundamentals of Generative AI and prompting best practices
• Explore how these tools can be applied to the daily operations of small to midsize nonprofit organizations
• Begin to develop strategies for implementing, supporting, and scaling staff’s use of these tools to mitigate risk and achieve organization-wide impact

About Facilitators:

Lindsey Mott serves as the Senior Director of Operations and Staff Development at United Way of Broome County, where she oversees organizational operations and leads staff development initiatives. Prior to her current role, she served as Director of Community Initiatives, supporting and advancing United Way of Broome County’s community impact efforts. Lindsey joined the organization in 2019 after earning a Master of Public Administration from Binghamton University, along with a graduate certificate in nonprofit management. She is a recent graduate of Cohort 3 of United Way’s Next-Gen Leaders Initiative, during which she developed an AI Accelerator Course in response to the needs of small and midsize nonprofit organizations.

Timothy Hafner, Director of Community Initiatives and Planning at the United Way of Broome County (UWBC), oversees the Community Initiatives Department, which includes Community Impact Grants, heath and socialization work at the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition (HLC), hygiene access through the Community Hygiene Hub, and veteran outreach efforts through Mission United. He holds a Master of Public Administration and has been with United Way for four years. Timothy started as the Community Initiatives and Fund Development Associate, managing the grant review and monitoring process while writing grants to support local community programs while acting as the organization’s lead grant writer, helping to strengthen collaborative relationships between UWBC and its community partners.