We’re excited to guide you from AI dabbling to confident, repeatable results.
We're a proud partner of the Fundraising.AI Global Summit. Join one of our Summit PLUS experiences to turn insight into action.
Experience Overview
AI isn’t a distant trend — it’s already shaping expectations from staff, boards, and funders. The PLAI AI Leadership Immersion helps you close the gap between uncertainty and authority. In just three weeks, you’ll test AI against your own work, establish governance practices your board can trust, and design a roadmap that strengthens your credibility inside and outside the organization.
Experience Overview
This immersion isn’t theory — it’s hands-on, human-centered, and built for nonprofit leaders navigating real pressures. You’ll explore AI’s risks and opportunities, practice framing clear guidance for stakeholders, and leave with tools that align experimentation with strategy. By the end, you’ll hold more than a plan — you’ll hold the confidence, trust, and momentum to guide your organization into the AI era.
At the heart of the program are three weeks of high-touch, cohort-based sessions designed for nonprofit leaders. You’ll engage in strategic labs, test tools against your own work, and leave with frameworks that turn AI from an abstract risk into a leadership advantage.
You will receive:
AI moves fast, and so do Sparks. Your enrollment includes a year of high-energy micro-sessions that deliver one sharp breakthrough at a time. From funder-facing guardrails to quick wins and mindset shifts, Sparks keep your skills sharp long after the immersion.
You will receive:
You’ll walk away with a leadership toolkit built for decision-making, trust, and buy-in. These aren’t PDFs for a shelf — they’re practical, funder-ready assets designed to help you brief boards, secure alignment, and guide adoption.
You will receive:
Leadership is easier with allies. Enrollment gives you access to PLAI’s Mission-First AI Community: a safe, private network of nonprofit leaders navigating the same challenges. This is your space for candid conversation, problem-solving, and support.
You will receive:
Before the immersion begins, you’ll join your cohort for a live kickoff. Together, we’ll explore your AI Leadership archetype, set clear goals, and surface your top priorities. You’ll leave with clarity, alignment, and the foundation for a high-trust learning environment that sets you up for success.
By the end of Onboarding, you will:
AI leadership starts with you. This week, you’ll explore the mindsets, principles, and identity shifts required to lead responsibly and credibly in the age of AI. You’ll confront common fears, surface your leadership strengths, and learn from real-world nonprofit and global case studies. The focus: moving from hesitation to conviction.
By the end of Week 1, you will:
This week is about strategic clarity. You’ll examine where AI adds the most value, where it creates the most risk, and how to make informed, credible choices. Together, we’ll explore real examples of success and failure, learn the must-have elements of an AI roadmap, and practice governance frameworks boards can trust.
By the end of Week 2, you will:
Culture makes or breaks AI adoption. In the final week, you’ll learn how to cascade AI through champions, rituals, and narratives that inspire staff, boards, and donors. You’ll design practices that sustain momentum, create a 90-day plan for next steps, and leave with the confidence to embed AI as a lasting, mission-first capability.
By the end of Week 3, you will:
CEO / Founder of PLAI. Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute Alumni. 2 x Top 100 Women of Influence.
Kaz has been building, shaping, and leading it since 2015. As the founder and CEO of PLAI, and a Stanford HAI alum, she’s trained more than 8,000 nonprofits in AI, with a4.9/5 rating along the way. She's worked in impact at every scale - from global NGOs andlocal grassroots orgs to leaders from Google, Tesla, and Bain & Company.
Twice named one of Australia’s Top 100 Women of Influence, Kaz is also the co-founder of the global Ration Challenge (raising $80M+ to fight hunger), and the creator of Digital Village, a top-rated leadership program that continues to inspire change-makers.
She’s a sought-after speaker at global summits including the Fundraising AI, International Fundraising Congress, and the Fundraising Institute of Australia - where she’s known for sessions that surprise, delight, and create a little magic in the room. Kaz’s mission is simple but powerful: make AI simple, joyful, and transformative for those who need it most.
COO of PLAI. Executive Coach (UC Berkeley). Ex-Meta, Salesforce and Accenture.
Stephen builds the systems where AI adoption sticks. He designs the processes, rituals, and accountability that transform “great AI ideas” into workflows that actually ship. His focus: clarity, results, and habits that last - always grounded trust and safety.
With more than 15 years at Meta, Salesforce, and Accenture, Stephen has led high-stakes programs where advanced machine learning collides with human decision-making. He has led specialist trust and safety teams through elections and the pandemic, and coached social impact leaders around the world.
A UC Berkeley–certified executive coach, Stephen is as committed to people as he is to process. He blends empathy and play with uncompromising rigor, developing leaders and high-performing teams who can lead with confidence in the age of AI. His mission is clear: help organizations not just learn AI, but live it - leaving with systems, rhythms, and leadership habits that hold up in the real world.
Unlike any other professional, or leadership course I have participated in. Cohesive group, well facilitated and the learnings structured but held loosely enough to allow for flexibility. I highly recommend PLAI to leaders, teams and those wanting to build curiosity and creativity within their organizations.
From day one I realized this was different...and it was going to challenge me, welcome me and support me. Highly engaging, practical and informative. Smooth, confident facilitation, while deeply approachable and personable. The right language, frameworks, tools and mindset for a different way of being and doing.
It was truly a wonderful restructuring experience for my work but also personal front. I have thought about the key lessons almost everyday, reflecting in silence and embarking upon a process of becoming a better and more effective person and professional.
A rare mix of bold challenge and deep care. I left not just with leadership tools, but with a new way of seeing myself and my role. Practical, stretching, and profoundly human. The PLAI team made complex ideas accessible and actionable. I walked away with both a strategy and the confidence to lead it.
What stood out? The mix of rigorous insight and empathy. I’ve sat through a dozen AI workshops, but this was different. Thoughtfully designed, ethically grounded, and laser-focused on impact. The combination of structure and openness created the conditions for breakthroughs I didn’t expect.
What surprised me most was how quickly fear turned into excitement. The sessions helped our team reframe AI from confusion to possibility. Generous, challenging, and beautifully designed. The PLAI team made AI feel less like a black box and more like a canvas.
Sparks deliver high-energy breakthroughs that flip the switch on AI adoption. These are fast, focused sessions - built on the psychology of peak moments - that give your team immediate wins, fresh confidence, and habits that stick. Sparks cover tools; skills; mindset; and role deep dives.
Unlimited AI Spark Sessions
AI Sparks Annual Pass
AI is already reshaping how staff work, how donors engage, and how boards set priorities. Yet most nonprofit leaders feel unprepared. In just 3 weeks, this high-touch program equips you with the frameworks, guardrails, and confidence to guide your organization’s AI journey.
Virtual AI Immersion
Virtual Immersion
Most nonprofit professionals are dabbling with AI, but few turn it into repeatable results. In 3 weeks, you’ll build real workflows, customize your personal AI playbook, and leave with a 90-day AI action plan that embeds AI into your daily work with confidence.
Cohort Experience (Virtual)
Virtual AI Immersion
