What is AI’s role in the third sector?
What is AI’s role in the third sector?
By Abbey Lew, Community Development Project Manager, Evolve Project
AI is everywhere. It is in our work lives and personal lives, and it’s radically changing the way that we work, interact, and share information with each other.* The business sector has been quick to use these platforms to increase their efficiencies and outputs, but the third sector has been more cautious in quickly embracing these tools. While there are concerns around AI’s inherent biases and its social and environmental impacts, there are also many opportunities to benefit the voluntary and community sector.
To support broader awareness of AI across communities in East London, ELBA’s Evolve project piloted a new AI workshop in collaboration with Hackney CVS that launched in June 2024. This workshop was designed to bring the knowledge and expertise of our business volunteers to support community leaders on learning how to safely and ethically utilise AI in their organisations. There was high demand for the pilot workshop, with nearly 40 community organisations that registered for the session.
The workshop was a success and demonstrated how community organisations can use AI to support generating reports, funding applications, content development, marketing and communications, community engagement, and much more. Through live examples and 1-to-1 support with volunteers, the workshop was aimed at demystifying AI and empowering community leaders to use it more effectively to support the needs of their organisations.
Given the success of the first session, the workshop was delivered again in early October with over 20 registered community organisations. One community partner wrote, “This workshop gave me confidence to explore other platforms and it will improve the efficiency of lots of my work processes!” As AI continues to transform our lives, ELBA will continue exploring different data innovation tools and delivering these workshops in 2025.
With the ongoing pressures from the cost-of-living crisis, many organisations need innovative work approaches and powerful digital tools to support the challenges and demands on their organisations. One of the key points from the workshop is that “AI is a tool, and not a replacement for your work, creative ideas and humanness.” For the past 35 years, ELBA has developed innovative ways to support communities with their changing needs, and the Evolve project is committed to continuing this into the future.
In a world that needs humanity and connections more than ever, AI can play an important role. By using AI to increase organisational capacity, the community sector can focus on doing what they do best: connecting and empowering people. While there is much that is unknown about AI, if used safely and effectively, it is a powerful tool that has the potential to radically transform the third sector and its overall impacts on communities.
* This article was not written or supported by AI.
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