Microsoft’s Global Nonprofit Leaders’ Summit was another success with a record number of nonprofits attending both in person and online! This year the agenda was packed with customer stories reflecting on the impact that AI has had on their charities over the last 12 months. It’s clear to see that the nonprofit sector is facing more challenges than ever in the current economic climate, so learning more about the fantastic impact that technology is having to enable across nonprofits of all sizes to positively impact their ability to deliver their mission in such a short time was fantastic to witness.
I am lucky to have the opportunity to attend again this year, and it was great to see new and familiar faces in Seattle. Microsoft adapted the structure this year, which was great to see, focusing more on customer impact and reflections. I really enjoyed listening to the real-life use cases, understanding how they were positioning and overcoming board funding challenges, as well as hearing from Microsoft about new technology releases in the tools that we now have a daily reliance upon!
Keynote Day 1 Highlights: Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President at Microsoft
Importance of General Purpose Technologies
What I enjoyed about Brad’s session was how he highlighted the distinction between single-purpose tools and general-purpose technologies (GPTs). What really stood out in his session was how he compared AI to electricity, and how it is a GPT that impacts every aspect of the economy and society.
He reflected on the evolution of industrial revolutions, from the steam engine and electricity to the digital era driven by computer chips and software and how each revolution was marked by the widespread adoption of new technologies.
AI as the Next GPT
Brad discussed how AI is positioned as the next GPT, with the potential to solve global problems and transform economies, and likened AI’s impact to that of electricity, underscoring its pervasive influence.
As we all know, the development of AI involves a comprehensive tech stack, including infrastructure, platforms, and applications. Microsoft’s investment in all three layers to support AI innovation and deployment can be seen through the speed and breadth of the new services that are landing every month. A common theme throughout Brad’s session and across the event was also the need to prioritise security. Due to the vast amounts of sensitive data being handled by these tools, ensuring that data is protected from breaches and unauthorised access is crucial.
Role of Nonprofits
Nonprofits’ ability to leverage AI to speed up the time to deliver impact and achieve their mission has never been greater. The announcement of the Standard Copilot Plan for all Microsoft 365 users, allowing them to access Copilot on the web, means that more users can access the power of AI to enhance productivity without any additional licensing costs. We have already seen the impact that Microsoft 365 Copilot has had at RNIB by removing barriers so that people can focus on what matters, as we look forward to more nonprofits now having access to the free tools.
Check out our upcoming events including webinars exploring Microsoft tech and dedicated events for nonprofits!
Keynote Day 1: Jared Sparato, Corporate Vice President, AI at Work at Microsoft
Capabilities of AI
Jared discussed the scale of improvements that many of you have will have seen over the last 12 months, how AI has advanced to the point where it can now perceive, understand, summarise, identify patterns, reason, plan, solve problems, and make decisions as well or in some cases better than humans. This leap in capability is transforming how nonprofits operate.
AI Agents
The launch of AI agents brings the next wave of transformation, combining perception, cognition, and action to perform complex tasks that previously required human intervention. Jared discussed how he sees these agents becoming integral to nonprofit operations, handling everything from administrative tasks to strategic planning.
Reflecting on the learnings and productivity gains that we have seen through Microsoft 365 Copilot as a personal productivity and AI assistant, it is really exciting to see the next wave of innovation available brought by agents. The spectrum of Agents available ranges from simple to advanced, where that is retrieval and rule-based, task-based or advanced and dynamic, and the ability to vary the agents’ complexity dependent on your need and integration requirements is a game changer!
Nonprofits will be able to leverage pre-built agents such as Employee self-service, Interpreter or SharePoint agents, or develop low-code or pro-code depending on your specific use case. Process transformation through Agents will allow you to orchestrate complex processes and act on behalf of people and teams to streamline HR procedures for onboarding volunteers or take advantage of pre-built agents for Interpretation, I am really looking forward to seeing next year the impact these new tools will have on the sector!
Future Vision
Jared concluded his session, confirming what we all know – that the future of AI in nonprofits is bright. We look forward to seeing more use cases next year where AI has been integrated into nonprofit operations, enhancing delivery, driving impact through helping increase donations and delivering efficiency across business areas. By adopting AI, nonprofits can achieve greater impact and better serve their communities faster
Keynote day 2 Mustafa Suleyman
Rapid Diffusion and Accessibility
Mustafa discussed how AI technology has become more accessible, allowing nonprofits to integrate it into their daily operations quickly. This rapid diffusion means that even those without technical expertise can leverage AI tools effectively.
Enhancing Workflow Efficiency
He discussed how AI can significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks, freeing up more time for frontline service delivery. With the announcement of Copilot chat being generally available as a free service, this shift provides more nonprofit professionals with the ability to incorporate these productivity tools into their daily routine to simplify repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on their core missions and make a greater impact.
Personalised AI Assistants
What I took away from Mustafa’s talk was how he positioned the concept of AI as a personalised assistant in your pocket. He shared how he has seen AI companions help with a breadth of tasks, from managing documents to offering empathetic responses in counselling services. He mentioned that a new feature is coming to general availability – Copilot Vision, which will be available in Microsoft Edge, and how it will deliver a new experience of navigating the web through scanning, analysing and offering insights based on what it sees. Imagine the possibilities of helping to create personalised visual messages for donors, volunteers to improve engagement, or driving accessibility to those with visual impairments.
AI for Impact
If you’re left thinking about the potential for AI in your not-for-profit organisation but you’re not sure where to start – we can help! We recently held an exclusive webinar exploring how AI can make an impact in the industry, check out the recording below:
Imperial War Museum Fireside
Nick Hodder, the Director of Digital Transformation at the Imperial War Museums in the UK, shared a compelling perspective on how the Museum is leveraging AI to preserve history (whilst incorporating some very British humour along the way 😊). He brought his session to life by showing how they are using AI to better understand and document conflict, emphasising the importance of inclusivity in historical narratives.
Nick discussed the challenges museums face in engaging diverse audiences and the positive role of AI in addressing these issues. IThe mperial War Museum hold over 11 million images related to war, and leveraging AI’s ability to analyse and describe these images has evolved significantly, offering detailed insights that were previously unattainable.
The talk highlighted how AI has helped the Museum to reflect on the nuances of war by accessing more images, and the importance of training AI models to understand complex historical contexts. Nick also touched on the collaborative potential of AI, enabling people from all backgrounds to contribute their stories and memories, thus enriching the collective understanding of history.
Nick’s insights provided a thought-provoking look at the future of museums and the role of AI in shaping our understanding of the past.
Takeaways and Reflections
As the event drew to a close, it was great to look back and reflect on the many stories that were shared around how AI is having a positive impact on so many nonprofits across the world. As AI continues to evolve, its role in shaping the future of nonprofits will undoubtedly grow, offering new opportunities for positive change.
Recently, we partnered with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to transform their in-house accessibility with the power of Microsoft Copilot. They were looking for more than just a technology provider. They needed a partner who understood the unique challenges faced by blind and partially sighted employees and who could deploy Microsoft technology to break down barriers in the workplace.
