AI Confluence Program
Program Overview
AI Confluence is a 12-week, fully-virtual, cohort-based program designed to help nonprofits
build sound judgment about AI before making implementation, integration, or policy decisions.
AI Confluence is designed and facilitated by White River Strategy (WRS), a Colorado-rooted
consulting firm serving as a strategic partner to the social sector, in partnership with the
Colorado Nonprofit Association. Rather than focusing on tools or automation, the program
centers on literacy, sensemaking, and governance readiness. Participants examine how AI
actually behaves in real nonprofit work, where it adds value, where it introduces risk, and how
human oversight and decision ownership must evolve as AI use expands. The program
emphasizes ethical reasoning, role-aware judgment, and organizational clarity so that next
steps are deliberate rather than reactive. By the end of the program, organizations have
stronger internal language around AI, clearer boundaries between individual and leadership
decisions, and practical insight into what sustainable, responsible adoption would require.
Program Objectives
- Clarify what AI is and is not, reducing fear, hype, and unrealistic expectations
- Build practical judgment through guided experimentation with real, non-sensitive work, anchored by an individual Personal Project
- Develop shared language and mental models across roles
- Strengthen organizational readiness by surfacing ethical considerations, decision boundaries, and governance needs
- Create durable learning that supports sustainable, responsible next steps
Program Details
The program runs for 12 weeks using a bi-weekly rhythm. Live sessions are led every other
week for 120 minutes by White River Strategy facilitators with optional, low-burden exploration
and resources offered during off weeks. The final two weeks include consecutive live sessions
to support synthesis and program wrap-up. Each participating organization selects five
participants, intentionally distributed across roles (Executive & Senior Leadership; Development
& External Relations; Operations & People; Programs & Direct Service).
The cohort is explicitly designed for team participation rather than individual enrollment,
avoiding reliance on a single “AI super-user” while remaining accessible to small, medium, and
large nonprofits. Because the learning is cumulative and organization-centered, consistent
attendance across sessions is expected for all selected participants. Organizations participate
alongside peers facing similar nonprofit constraints, enabling cross-organization learning,
shared reflection, and candid discussion without evaluation or attribution.
Participants will experience:
- Live, virtual, facilitated cohort sessions
- Applied activities grounded in real nonprofit work
- Role-based and task-pattern peer learning
- Optional office hours and light-touch experimentation between sessions
- Artifacts and resources for continued exploration and development
Program Journey
Phase 1 | Building the Foundation (Weeks 1 – 4)
- Build shared AI literacy through surveys, facilitated discussion, and guided exploration
- Surface organizational perceptions, concerns, and readiness signals related to AI
- Each organization receives an AI Snapshot Report & AI Opportunity Map capturing current context and areas for exploration
Phase 2 | Task Exploration & Role-based Learning (Weeks 5 – 8)
- Experiment with realistic nonprofit tasks to compare AI behavior across contexts
- Peer groups form around shared opportunity areas to explore more complex solutions together
- Surface shared constraints, judgment calls, and oversight needs that inform organizational decisions
Phase 3 | Ethics, Governance, & Sustainability (Weeks 9 – 12)
- Role-based breakout discussions exploring ethical boundaries, responsibility, and risk in AI use
- Guided exploration of sustainability and scalability, moving from individual to shared to organizational
- Program synthesis, reflection, post-program survey, and cohort wrap-up
Program Time Commitment
The program includes seven, fully-virtual, live sessions, each 120 minutes, delivered over 12 weeks. Live, virtual sessions occur every other week throughout the program, with the final two weeks including consecutive sessions to support synthesis and wrap-up. Additionally, there is light optional exploration between sessions
Program Schedule – 2027 Cohorts
Nonprofit Community
Registration deadline: Jan. 6
Session 1: Jan. 20
Foundations
Registration deadline: Feb. 10
Session 1: Feb. 24
Private Foundations
Registration deadline: Mar. 17
Session 1: Mar. 31