The organization recently launched what itโs calling an AI playbook for social good.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ As community need grows, nonprofits in Charlotte are turning to artificial intelligence to stretch their limited resources โ and theyโre getting support from another nonprofit to help them do it.
Apparo, a Charlotte-based organization that helps other nonprofits use technology, is leading efforts to train local groups in how to integrate AI into their operations. The goal: increase efficiency and expand their impact.
โWeโve seen nonprofits use it to create a process they didnโt have, and it streamlines their ability to serve,โ Apparo CEO Kim Lanphear said.
The organization recently launched what itโs calling an AI playbook for social good. As interest in AI continues to rise, Lanphear said more nonprofits are asking for help navigating the fast-moving technology.
โAI is through the roof as far as what weโre being asked about now,โ Lanphear said. โItโs a fascinating set of tools.โ
One of the nonprofits benefiting is Project Outpour, which provides mobile showers for Charlotteโs unhoused population. The group expects to deliver more than 5,000 showers this year โ double 2024โs total โ with just one full-time staff member, founder Mashonna Hughes.
โWe are a small but mighty team,โ Hughes said. โI rely a lot on AI when it comes to our marketing and grant writing. I like to call it my admin assistant because it helps create efficiency for us.โ
Another participant is CT Anderson, founder of Springclean, a nonprofit focused on sustainable fashion. She said Apparoโs cohort training model helped her team not only better understand AI, but also improve cybersecurity and internal operations.
โOne of the things I didnโt expect to learn about was cybersecurity โ multi-factor authentication and all those things you hear in corporate America,โ Anderson said. โItโs very relevant for nonprofits as well.โ
Anderson said the experience was more than just technical โ it gave her a sense of community and support.
โOh my goodness, itโs hard to explain without getting choked up,โ she said. โWhen youโre a small nonprofit doing grassroots work, you feel alone. But connecting with others and with Apparo was probably one of the best things Iโve done this year.โ
Over the last six years, Apparo has worked with 80 nonprofits through its cohort model, providing an estimated $1.4 million in value.
Contact Michelle Boudin at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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