How to Avoid A.I. Ethical and Legal Pitfalls at Nonprofits

Plus, federal food assistance cuts should spur charities to rethink how they feed families (opinion) ADVERTISEMENT [Philanthropy Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now follow The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. TECHNOLOGY [How Nonprofits Can Avoid A.I. Ethical and Legal Pitfalls]( By Rasheeda Childress [STORY IMAGE]( One big risk: feeding private information about donors into A.I. tools. If fundraisers want to write a thank-you note using A.I., experts advise stripping all identifying information from the samples they provide. ADVERTISEMENT OPINION | WHAT WE'VE LEARNED [Federal Food Assistance Cuts Should Spur Charities to Rethink How They Feed Families]( By Dion Dawson [STORY IMAGE]( Last week’s debt deal and the recent end to pandemic-era food programs have left many charities worried about how to feed everyone seeking help. Instead, they should adopt approaches that ensure healthy food is always available to all who need it — regardless of congressional actions. Webinars [Today: Attract Corporate Support for Your Fundraising Event]( [STORY IMAGE]( In-person events are back, bringing lots of joyful reunions, but rising costs for food, entertainment, and more are a challenge. Securing corporate support for your next gathering is a smart way to defray costs and strengthen ties with corporate donors. Join us for a 75-minute webinar today, June 8, at 2 p.m. Eastern to gain insights into the corporate-giving landscape in 2023, which strategies are working now, and why. [Register now]( and join us this afternoon. SPONSOR CONTENT | Amazon Business [The Key to Maximizing Your Nonprofit's Budget]( Virtual Event [Putting A.I. to Work at Nonprofits]( [STORY IMAGE]( Some nonprofits are already harnessing A.I. to streamline operations, make more informed decisions, and lighten workloads by enabling employees to focus more on strategy and less on busy work. Get up to speed on how A.I. can help your nonprofit. Join us on Tuesday, June 13, at 2 p.m. Eastern to better understand how to use the technology with care to increase efficiencies and meet your mission. [Register today.]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to nonprofit news and analysis. Nonprofit News From Elsewhere Online The largest climate-tech incubator in North America has announced a partnership with the largest oil company in world, raising questions and objections. Greentown Labs, a nonprofit in suburban Boston, will receive support from Aramco Americas, the U.S. arm of Saudi Aramco. Though not Greentown’s first partnership with an oil company, it comes amid mounting pressure on institutions to ditch their fossil-fuel investments, and as Aramco Americas “aims to expand its oil production at least through the end of the decade.” An executive at Greentown, which has fostered more than 500 companies fighting climate change since it launched in 2011, said the nonprofit needs the help, but “few to no multinationals have perfect climate strategies right now.” Critics say such deals help perpetuate the energy companies’ political power and allow the companies to look like climate champions without changing their business models. Some defenders argue that solutions to climate change will require the input of everyone, including fossil-fuel producers. ([Boston Globe]( An international children’s charity allowed sexual and physical abuse and widespread corruption over decades, according to a new report. Staff and donors to SOS Children’s Villages in multiple countries allegedly committed the abuse, while whistleblowers lost their livelihoods and homes, and incriminating evidence was destroyed. Some victims were forced to have abortions and publicly recant their accounts of abuse. Outside investigators also found “a significant number of fraud and corruption cases, abuse of power, and irregularities in the awarding of contracts.” The report, commissioned in 2021 after CEO Ingrid Johansen took the helm of the Austria-based charity, blamed “a patriarchal and hierarchical organizational culture, which tolerated disregarding of children’s rights, victim-blaming, bullying, nepotism, cover-ups, and collusion at all levels of the organization.” Johansen apologized for the abuse in 2021 and has worked to rebuild the organization’s culture and reputation. SOS Children’s Villages serves about 2.5 million people, mostly children, in more than 130 countries. ([Agence France-Presse]( More News - Tenants of Skid Row’s Largest Nonprofit Housing Provider Receive Eviction Notices From Bankruptcy Receiver ([Los Angeles Times]( - Saint Dolly Does It Again: Imagination Library Expands Free Book Efforts in Calif. ([Los Angeles Times]( - Why You Might Notice More Religious Groups at Pride Celebrations This Year ([NPR]( - Trustees of Reservations, Country’s Oldest Land Trust, Names New Leader ([Boston Globe]( Arts and Culture - It’s the Perelman Performing Arts Center, but Bloomberg Gave More ([New York Times]( - American Revolution Museum Staffers Are Fighting to Cancel a ‘Moms for Liberty’ Event ([Philadelphia Inquirer]( - Climate Protesters Assemble Outside Museum of Modern Art Party, Calling On Museum to Drop Its Board Chair ([ARTnews]( Note: In the links in this section, we flag articles that only subscribers can access. But because some journalism outlets offer a limited number of free articles, readers may encounter barriers with other articles we highlight in this roundup. SPONSOR CONTENT | Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University [Supporting Your Team: Nonprofit Edition]( After thousands of conversations, this department discovered one of the top challenges among non-profit leaders was effectively supporting their teams. Editor's Picks WORKPLACES [Fridays Off? Fewer Meetings? 10 Tips for Testing a 4-Day Week]( By Drew Lindsay [STORY IMAGE]( How groups have squeezed their work — and impact — into schedules that aren’t Monday through Friday CRIMINAL JUSTICE [Nonprofit Bail Funds, Fueled by a Surge of Funds After George Floyd Protests, Face New Challenges]( By Kay Dervishi [STORY IMAGE]( After receiving $140 million, the funds have experienced both transformative growth and major political backlash FUNDRAISING RESEARCH ROUNDUP [Nonprofits Are Harder to Find on Search Engines; What Motivates Donors and Volunteers; DAFs With the Most to Give]( By Emily Haynes and Rasheeda Childress [STORY IMAGE]( Almost 20 percent of Vanguard donor-advised funds have more than $250,000 to give. OPINION [To Fend Off Threats to Freedom Worldwide, Support Local Economic-Development Nonprofits — Not More Foreign Aid]( By Brad Lips [STORY IMAGE]( Nonprofits that help local economies thrive are doing the work needed to promote individual liberty and counter authoritarianism across the globe. Philanthropy should invest in them rather that pouring more funds into big government programs. BUILDING BRIDGES [Nonprofits Advancing Pluralism Jump at New Grants From an Ambitious Collaboration]( By Alex Daniels [STORY IMAGE]( The New Pluralists has attracted $47 million from foundations as divergent in their political views as Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Charles Koch’s foundation as part of its work to build bridges. Eventually it hopes philanthropy will pour $1 billion into similar efforts. ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDED WEBINAR [Join Our Next Webinar]( — In-person fundraising events are back in full force, but rising costs for food, venues, and more, are making it harder than ever to stay within budget. How can your nonprofit attract corporate support for its fundraising events that help advance its mission? Join us for a 75-minute session on Thursday, June 8, at 2 p.m. Eastern to learn from two experts who have proven track records in securing corporate support for events. You'll gain insights into the corporate giving landscape in 2023 and better understand what businesses seek from nonprofit partnerships. Plus, you’ll learn how to approach corporations, common pitfalls to avoid, and what’s working best right now to secure corporate support. 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