AI in the Non-profit Sector: Between Promise and Essential Questions

On 6 March 2025, KCS (Karma Com Solidarité, a French non-profit that brings volunteers' professional skills to non-profits, businesses and local authorities) attended a meeting organised by HEC Volunteers For Good, a volunteering group of HEC Paris alumni, and Tous Bénévoles (in French), a French volunteering platform. The subject was one that unsettles our certainties and opens up huge possibilities for the non-profit sector: artificial intelligence. We paid particular attention to the opportunities AI could offer to help non-profits achieve more (in French), while keeping in mind the ethical and practical challenges this technological shift raises.

AI: A Powerful Tool for the Non-profit Sector

The round table covered three questions:

• How can AI help non-profits work more effectively?

• What new challenges need to be taken into account?

• What practical applications and approaches are organisations such as the French Red Cross putting in place?

Enthusiasm for AI is undeniable, but it needs to be approached with a critical mind and a realistic view. At KCS, we believe AI can be an indispensable tool, and we remain committed to a human approach, centred on the values that give the non-profit sector its strength.

The talk by Théo Alves Da Costa (Data for Good, a French non-profit of volunteer data specialists, in French) helped us see the potential of AI for the common good, and the need for a responsible, transparent approach.

These are the points of vigilance that seem essential to us:

• Accessibility for all: AI must not widen the gap between non-profits that can afford to adopt it and those that are left out. Training and hands-on help must be put in place so that every organisation can benefit from it.

• Ethics at the heart of what we do: the use of AI in the non-profit sector must be guided by strong ethical principles, particularly on protecting personal data and tackling algorithmic bias.

• People first: AI must not replace the human contact and empathy that define the relationship between non-profits and the people they serve. It should strengthen those ties and free up time for the work where people matter most.

Artificial intelligence is a major opportunity for the non-profit sector. By adopting these technologies thoughtfully and ethically, non-profits can achieve more and serve their beneficiaries better.

At KCS, we are determined to help organisations through this digital transition. With that conviction, we want to put our skills at the service of non-profits, to help them find their way through the complex world of AI.

Many thanks to Isabelle Persoz (founder of Tous Bénévoles) and Nicole Villaeys for the invitation, and to Tous Bénévoles and HEC Alumni for organising this meeting. At KCS, we are ready to take up the challenge of AI for a stronger non-profit sector that achieves more, with people at the heart of our approach.