Shifting Orbits with AI — A Social Entrepreneur's Honest Journey

Are you curious about AI but unsure where to begin?

Do AI tools feel overwhelming or too technical for your nonprofit team?

Do you wonder how AI can actually support fundraising, communication, or everyday nonprofit work?

Are you concerned about using AI responsibly while handling organisational data?

Many nonprofits are hearing about AI, but very few know how to meaningfully use it within their day-to-day work. With limited resources and small teams, it can often feel difficult to know which tools are useful, what to trust, and how to get started without technical expertise.

In this candid and practical session, Shekar shares his personal journey of exploring AI tools at Shifting Orbits Foundation — what sparked the journey, the tools they experimented with, what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons learned along the way. This is not a technical deep dive, but an honest conversation from someone actively learning how AI can support nonprofit work in practical ways.

The session will explore how tools like NotebookLM, Perplexity, and Claude are being used in day-to-day nonprofit operations, the challenges faced during adoption, and simple ways organizations can begin their own AI journey.

Key Takeaways

• Understand practical ways AI can support nonprofit work

• Learn how tools like NotebookLM, Perplexity, and Claude are being used in real workflows

• Gain inspiration to begin or deepen your AI journey, regardless of technical background

• Learn from real challenges and lessons during AI adoption

• Understand simple approaches to responsible AI and data privacy

• Explore what the future of AI-assisted social impact could look like
  

Who Should Attend

Social sector professionals and nonprofit leaders, small and medium nonprofits curious about AI, entrepreneurs and small organization teams exploring AI adoption, fundraising and communication professionals, and anyone looking for a simple, human, and non-technical perspective on AI in the social sector.

Additional Resources

Here are some additional resources you can go through if you would like to learn more about the topic.

• Leveraging AI for Non-profits

• AI Tools for Nonprofit Operations: Quick Wins on a Near-Zero Budget