GCC and Keela – Using Tech to Talk Tech in the Non-Profit Space
GCC Program Director Kate Vannelli and Board Treasurer Justin Walker were recently selected to speak at the largest nonprofit tech conference in the world – NTEN, in Baltimore.
The opportunity arose when GCC’s Customer Relationship Management software partner, Keela, gave an open call to its customers to co-present with its CEO on the topic of tech and AI in the non-profit space.
As GCC has recently harnessed technology to further its cause, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to speak on this subject to a larger audience. GCC was thrilled to be chosen by Keela as its co-presenting non-profit, and as such the planning stage for the presentation commenced.
Unfortunately, the world took a turn, and, as was the fate of many large gatherings, the NTEN conference was canceled. This, thankfully, didn’t stop Keela. Instead of wasting the opportunity to hear amazing speakers talk about tech in the non-profit space, Keela used tech to talk tech, and organized its own virtual conference, “Plugged-In: Nonprofit Tech and Transformation”.
GCC carried on, with many of the amazing speakers bound for NTEN still in attendance, and the talk, “Searching for Wild Data in your Donor Database: How AI is the Best Safari Guide” was back on, with over 100 registrants on the day.
Keela’s CEO and Founder, Nejeed Kassam, spearheaded the presentation, introducing the concept in AI in the nonprofit space. He outlined the issue: many organizations feel that AI would make their organization more efficient, but most non-profits feel that this is an inaccessible technology.
That’s where GCC came in. Kate Vannelli, GCC’s program director, illustrated the problem that the non-profit is addressing through education – creating a world where humans and wildlife can live together in a mutually beneficial way.
Vannelli’s illustration of the issue involved a cheetah story from her previous work in Namibia, accompanied by lots of visuals. Wildlife and humans are sharing space. How can we make this sustainable? This looped back around to the core of GCC’s mission; wildlife can be saved, but it must start with education. That’s where GCC’s tech innovations come in.
Tech has been an accessible way for GCC staff to free up time by reducing clunky admin, and, by keeping it simple. Custom-made tech has been an accessible and straightforward solution for GCC’s staff. These tools have provided the time for them to focus on what really matters; fostering a connection between young people and nature.
This is where Justin Walker, GCC’s Board Treasurer, joined the presentation. Walker highlighted the potential of AI for GCC, and how, similar to the way Keela uses AI, GCC has the potential and the resources to incorporate this valuable tool into its toolkit.
Nejeed carried the rest of the talk, focusing on what it means to incorporate AI into a nonprofit, and the surprisingly simple and resource-light ways this can be done. The talk wrapped up with a few questions, and was a huge success!
GCC is very grateful to Nejeed and the wonderful team at Keela for this fantastic opportunity to share our story.
