Episode 74: Redefining Success: AI and the New Nonprofit Productivity
Overview
The rapid development of AI technologies is changing the rules of productivity, creativity, and success in ways that are a marvel in comparison to before. Nonprofits now have the tools closer by to accelerate workflows, generate insights, and unlock new possibilities, but the challenge is defining what success looks like in this fast-growing landscape. Leaders must rethink priorities, protect time for strategic thinking, and harness AI to amplify mission impact rather than just speed when linear benchmarks, incremental growth, and traditional measures of output are no longer enough. Join Nathan and Scott in this new year’s episode and learn how organizations can thrive by pairing technology with imagination, intention, and cross-team collaboration.
Episode highlights
- 00:57 The end of 2025 and looking ahead to 2026.
- 02:46 The challenge of defining success in a rapidly changing world.
- 08:30 AI’s potential for increased output and the risk of burnout.
- 12:52 Curiosity, intentionality, and the ability to apply passion with direction.
- 16:00 Redefining success as adaptability, alignment, and intentional choice.
- 20:30 Lack of imagination in the nonprofit sector.
- 21:51 The future of AI and its implications for nonprofits.
- 27:45 Turning AI from a tool into a strategic advantage.
- 29:09 Predictions for AI in 2026.
Tips and tools to implement today
- Leaders should redefine success before measuring productivity.
- Just because AI can help to do more doesn’t mean it should do everything. Set guardrails around AI-driven productivity.
- Have open discussions about anxiety and comparison.
- Use AI to improve life, not just throughput.
- Stop treating intelligence as a scarce resource.
- Remember that the future of nonprofit success isn’t about keeping up, it’s about choosing well.
- Nonprofits are often under-ambitious because they’re tired, not because they lack ideas. Encourage mission-driven imagination.
- Make intentional choices instead of reacting to tools.
- Your vision, not technology, is the real limit. Challenge your assumptions and stretch your imagination.
Favorite quotes
- “I think a lot of how we've defined success in the past is going to have to be redesigned for the future.” - Nathan Chappell
- “I think that's kind of the main theme of this podcast is, how do we define success in a world that is changing rapidly, in a world that there's not a lot of baseline in a historical reference for what success looks like.” - Nathan Chappell
- “A fundraiser is largely measured based on how much money they bring in, although we would argue that they should be measured based on how many relationships they retain, or even retain and grow.” - Nathan Chappell
- “The new math of success is essentially that intelligence is now a commodity.” - Nathan Chappell
- “Intelligence is no longer what will get you ahead. So being smart is not the thing that is going to be the single biggest opportunity for you anymore.” - Nathan Chappell
- “What worked for you the year before is not going to work for you in the coming year.” - Scott Rosenkrans
- “Our sector, I'd argue, needs more FOMO to imagine what's possible and then actually do the work.” - Nathan Chappell
- “I think one of my biggest fears is that our sector doesn't have enough FOMO, and that we're not imagining big enough.” - Nathan Chappell
Connect with us
This episode is sponsored by AI for Anyone.
