USA Today documentary spotlights AI's role in nonprofits

A new USA Today documentary episode from Blackbaud examines how responsible AI adoption could help nonprofits and other social impact organizations do more with less. The discussion comes as the sector faces labor shortages, rising expectations and pressure to turn AI use into measurable results.

Why it matters: - Social impact organizations are under pressure to expand services, retain staff and grow revenue while operating with limited resources. - The sector employs nearly 13 million Americans, contributes more than $1 trillion annually to the U.S. economy and received over $600 billion in U.S. charitable giving last year. - AI could help nonprofits and related organizations save time, use data better and strengthen mission delivery if adoption is responsible and transparent.

What happened: - Blackbaud released a new documentary episode hosted on USA Today focused on how AI can strengthen social impact organizations. - The episode brings together nonprofit and industry leaders to discuss the current state of the sector, AI adoption and responsible implementation. - The roundtable features Sara Adams of CECP, Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud, Margaret Fala of Whitehead Institute, Rich Isenberg of McKinsey & Company, Rhea Saxena of the Responsible AI Institute and Priya Shanker of Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society.

The details: - Blackbaud positions itself as a provider of AI-powered solutions for social impact organizations. - The documentary focuses on nonprofits, foundations, educational institutions, healthcare organizations and corporate social impact programs. - The episode says these organizations help communities navigate crises, develop workforces, advance research and promote civic engagement. - Carrie Cobb said AI could help resource-strapped organizations free up time, pull insights from data and take the next best action for their cause. - Cobb also said social impact organizations are built on trust, making responsible and transparent adoption essential. - Blackbaud Institute research shows 85% of social impact professionals use AI in daily work. - The same research shows only about 10% of organizations are seeing significant returns on their AI investment. - Blackbaud says organizations seeing the strongest results are closing gaps in effectiveness, infrastructure, data readiness and transparency. - Cobb said Blackbaud is committed to supporting the health of the social impact sector with tools, awareness, education and peer connection. - Cobb said the documentary explores both the opportunities and challenges of AI for social impact and why getting it right matters for nonprofits and the broader public. - More information is available in Blackbaud's announcement, on Instagram, on Facebook, on YouTube and on X.

Between the lines: - The message is not just that AI is being adopted, but that adoption quality is becoming the dividing line between broad use and real impact. - The research suggests many organizations are experimenting with AI, but fewer have the systems and governance needed to turn that use into measurable gains. - The emphasis on transparency reflects the sector's dependence on donor and community trust.

What's next: - The documentary is positioned as part of a broader effort to help social impact organizations move into a new phase of AI adoption with more confidence. - Blackbaud and its partners are likely to keep pushing education and peer learning as organizations work to close capability gaps. - The sector's next challenge is turning AI from a daily tool into a durable operational advantage.