AI strategy that starts with your people.

I help mission-driven organizations build AI practices their teams trust and funders respect.

Let's Talk

The Reality

Your staff are already using AI.
Do they have your support?

Missed opportunity

AI could meaningfully reduce administrative burden in your organization. Many nonprofits are leaving that on the table.

 Policy gap

Staff are making judgment calls about what goes into AI tools, including client data, without any organizational guidance.

 Team anxiety

Employees have genuine questions about what AI means for their roles. Silence from leadership is itself a message.

 Funder shift

Major foundations are beginning to ask about AI use in proposals. Most nonprofits don't have an answer yet.

The Work

What working together looks like

01

Understand

Before any recommendations, we need to know what's actually happening. Staff interviews, workflow review, and a half-day workshop to surface risks, opportunities, and the questions your leadership team should be asking.

Staff interviews Workflow review Half-day workshop Written assessment
02

Build

Once we know where AI can genuinely help, we build the practices and policies together. Tool selection, staff training, hands-on implementation, and a use policy your org can actually follow.

AI use policy Tool selection Staff training Implementation support
03

Sustain

AI is moving fast. Ongoing advisory, board presentations, and grant support to keep your strategy current as tools and funder expectations evolve.

Leadership advisory Board presentations Grant support Ongoing access

Outcomes, not outputs.

About

Black and white portrait of Nate Irish.

20 years in technology. Product director, builder, veteran.

Over two decades I've watched organizations struggle every time the technology shifts underneath them. AI is the latest version of that pattern, and most of the mistakes are familiar ones. I'd rather be in the room while it's still taking shape.

I work with nonprofits because the mission matters, the resources are limited, and the people running them are usually trying to do more than anyone should reasonably expect. My goal is to leave your organization more capable than I found it.

  • Director of Product Management, 20 years
  • U.S. Air Force veteran
  • Deep hands-on AI experience
  • No vendor relationships, no tools to sell
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Who I serve

Small to mid-size nonprofits

Organizations with $250K–$5M annual budget being asked to have an AI strategy without a CTO to figure it out.

Government & public agencies

Smaller municipalities navigating AI procurement without dedicated tech staff.

Small businesses

Professional services firms where AI is touching core work product.

Associations & foundations

Organizations wanting to guide their grantees or members through AI.

What people I’ve worked with say

Nate has the ability to pull together all of the threads from the engineers, the marketing team, industry trends, and customer feedback, while authentically threading them together into a perfectly crafted product plan.

Katie D.

Nate is patient, thoughtful and calm under pressure. He actively listens to stakeholders, and ensures that they are fully briefed throughout the development process and are involved in any ongoing decision-making.

Sandy B.

Nate is a unique combination of professional excellence and authentic personal connection.

Achilles M.

Get Started

Start a conversation

No pitch, no pressure. Tell me about your organization and what's prompting the question.

Initial consultation is complimentary.

Ready to talk now?

Book a 30-minute call

FAQ

Common questions

Do I need to know anything about AI before we start?
No. Most of the organizations I work with are starting from scratch or have only experimented informally. The assessment phase is designed to meet you where you are and build understanding as we go.
What size organization do you typically work with?
Most of my clients are nonprofits and mission-driven organizations with 10 to 150 staff. The work scales well in that range because the team is large enough to benefit from AI but small enough that we can involve the right people directly.
We already have IT staff. Do we still need this?
Building is rarely the bottleneck. Most organizations that struggle with technology have plenty of capable people. What they lack is clarity about which problems to solve first and confidence that they're pointed in the right direction. If you've ever worked somewhere that built constantly but never seemed to move forward, you've seen what happens when implementation runs ahead of strategy. Your IT team handles execution. I make sure what they're executing will matter.
How long does a typical engagement last?
An AI readiness assessment usually takes two to three weeks. Implementation support runs four to eight weeks depending on scope. Many organizations continue with ongoing advisory after the initial engagement.
Will you recommend specific AI tools?
Yes, when it makes sense. But tool selection comes after understanding your workflows, data practices, and budget. I have no vendor partnerships or referral arrangements, so my recommendations are based entirely on what fits your situation.
What if our staff are skeptical or resistant to AI?
That's common and usually reasonable. Staff concerns tend to come from real experience with tools that were introduced poorly. The process includes staff interviews early on, which builds trust and surfaces practical knowledge that leadership often doesn't have.
Can you help us write an AI use policy?
Yes. A practical AI use policy is one of the most common deliverables. It covers which tools are approved, where sensitive data can and cannot go, and what disclosure expectations look like. The goal is a document your team will follow, not a compliance artifact that sits in a drawer.
Do you work with government agencies or for-profit organizations?
Yes. While most of my work is with nonprofits, I also work with public agencies and small businesses that are mission-oriented. The common thread is organizations where getting AI right matters more than getting it fast.
Can you help with grant proposals that involve AI?
Yes. I help identify funding opportunities for AI capacity building and write the technical scope sections of proposals. Funders are increasingly asking how grantees plan to use AI, and a clear, honest answer strengthens your application.
Is the initial conversation really free?
Yes. The 30-minute call is a chance to talk through what you're dealing with and whether working together makes sense. There's no pitch and no obligation.
What happens after the engagement ends?
You keep everything: the assessment, the policy, the training materials, and any documentation we build together. Many clients move to a lightweight advisory arrangement for ongoing questions, but that's optional. The goal is to leave your organization more capable, not more dependent.