Fiscal Sponsors on AI: Risks & Opportunities

Fiscal Sponsors on AI: Real Talk | NNFS National Gathering 2026 74% of nonprofits are using AI, but only 22% have trained their staff on how to use it safely, and just 8% have a plan for the next year or two. Fiscal sponsors sit in the middle of that gap. This panel from the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors gathering in Detroit takes on what AI means for our field, including the risks, the opportunities, and the questions nobody has settled yet. We said up front that disagreement was welcome, and there was some. Panelists Sara Finger, Executive Director, Embolden WI Stuart Hee, Operations Director, Center for Community Stewardship Melissa Erickson, CFRE, Founder, The Funding Studio Kian Alavi, Co-Founder and CEO, Mazlo What we cover Where nonprofits actually are on AI adoption, policy, and training Bias, concentration of power, and who gets to decide what AI is for Why the gap in who can access AI also means a gap in who carries the risk AI as a tool that should make people better, not replace their judgment Energy use: what a single prompt really costs, and where data centers are headed Five questions to ask before your organization adopts AI: purpose, data, quality, cost, and choice Voices referenced: Timnit Gebru (DAIR), Andrew Hall, Dr. Vivienne Ming, Satya Nadella Data source: The State of Nonprofit AI, NTEN and The Bridgespan Group (2026) Learn more about Mazlo: http://mazlo.com #FiscalSponsorship #Nonprofit #AI #NNFS #NonprofitTech