Source: Rata Foundation
A grassroots community-led AI education programme specifically designed for not-for-profits is helping organisations save thousands of dollars while building confidence in emerging technology.
The Not-For-Profit AI Capacity Building Programme, developed by Nelson AI Sandbox (NAIS), is a free education initiative aiming to bridge the digital divide by equipping non-profits and community groups with practical AI knowledge, tools, and governance frameworks.
Founder Richard Brudvik-Lindner says: “The Nelson AI Sandbox appears to be the first and only grassroots, community-supported AI capacity-building organisation of its kind anywhere in the world. Our goal is to provide an unintimidating space for people to learn about AI tools and software, with the long-term aim of increasing productivity and opportunity in the region. The workshops are a way for us to do this, while also trying to create intergenerational cohesion and a place for everybody at the digital table.”
Phase one of the programme was delivered between February and March this year to around 120 participants from over 60 organisations in Nelson. Phase two extended the programme to include Marlborough and Motueka, to include around 300 participants from 150 organisations.
The programme includes in-person workshops, online tutorials, a champions network, and a train-the-trainer programme. It also addresses concerns about AI technology through training on safety and ethics, including data bias, privacy, security, data sovereignty and environmental impact. In addition, the second phase will include the creation of online resources.
NAIS is co-located in Nelson’s main public library and the Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology’s Mahitahi Colab and operates with approximately 20 active volunteers who bring diverse expertise from coding to business and marketing backgrounds.
Mr Brudvik-Lindner brings 25 years of experience from Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sega to the community initiative, establishing the Sandbox in 2023 just months after the launch of ChatGPT. “Within a couple of months of ChatGPT’s release, a few of us were talking about this being a total game changer and asking how we could best prepare our community to leverage this tool. If a community wants to become prosperous and have an equitable economy, then everybody’s going to need to know how to use AI.”
Sloane Bayley, who leads the workshop delivery, says the focus is on ensuring the technology is available and accessible to everyone. “We realised there might be businesses and organisations that get training rolled out, but not-for-profits don’t have access to that – it’s either costly or time prohibitive. By providing the training for free, we’re hopefully taking away the main barrier.
“The great thing about AI is you don’t need to be a coder or technical expert. We’re giving them tips on how to prompt and very quickly showing them how to do things like write grant funding proposals and meeting minutes and also coming up with AI policies for the safe use of this technology – the key things we’d heard organisations were struggling with, especially around the board table.”
Funding for the education programme is through Rātā Foundation’s Strengthening the Sector funding, aimed at supporting organisations to build capability and capacity. Head of Community Investment Kate Sclater says high demand for additional sessions and the significant benefits reported by course attendees are clear indicators of the programme’s success.
“To enable long-term sustainability and create conditions for community organisations to thrive, Rātā invests in opportunities to strengthen the community sector. AI has the potential to transform the not-for-profit sector by enhancing data analysis, improving decision-making, and automating routine tasks, yet many organisations don’t know where to even start, with the real risk that they could be left behind with this new technology.
“This programme provides practical tools and skills for organisations to integrate AI into their day-to-day operations, regardless of limited resources or financial constraints, and we are already seeing the tangible benefits for many of the organisations who attended the programme. Increasing AI literacy is a key way we can support and empower organisations to build their capability, enhance their resilience, and innovate in response to the changing environment.”
Mr Brudvik-Lindner says the response to the pilot programme has been “incredibly positive”, with the new round of funding enabling them to build on that success.
“This additional funding lets us build on what we’ve achieved and reach more organisations to make sure not-for-profits can use AI effectively and ethically, while also ensuring they don’t miss out on all the benefits of AI integration. We believe this programme could be a model of AI capacity-building for all of New Zealand, if not the world.”
After completing phase one of the course, attendees reported that the benefits of AI integration included cost and time savings, increased productivity and an increase in staff confidence. Whenua Iti Outdoors Systems Improvement Lead Geraldine Stones estimates AI will help to save the organisation around $20,000 a year, through improved troubleshooting and reduced reliance on external support. “The knowledge I have gained from attending AI Sandbox workshops and subsequently using ChatGPT has been transformational for my role. Tasks that once took hours now take minutes. I’ve saved around $150 an hour on coding and process solutions that I previously would’ve needed to outsource to external contractors.”
Y-Nelson implemented AI tools including ChatGPT and Fireflies.ai after attending the workshops, using them for report compilation, lesson planning, social media communications, and meeting recordings. Executive Director Sean Trengrove says they have seen firsthand the positive impact the training has had on staff and their wider community. “AI isn’t replacing our people – it’s strengthening them. It’s giving our team the confidence and tools to be more creative, efficient, and mission-focused. That’s a win for us and for the community we serve.”
Nelson Environment Centre Funding and Data Coordinator Kelli Campbell says the use of AI has enabled the organisation to reduce time spent on tasks, such as planning events and writing government submissions. “The NAIS workshop helped me start using AI. Before the course, I was cautious and didn’t understand the power of AI. I now use it daily and it helps me to do so many parts of my job. It is a powerful tool that can help not-for-profits to grow. It frees up time for those in the not-for-profit space to actually focus on the important work that they do.”
