From Experimenting to Evidence: An AI Working Lunch for Nonprofit and Philanthropy Leaders

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Here's a rare thing in our sector: a topic where nonprofits and funders genuinely need each other to get it right.

​Nonprofits are ahead on experimentation. They're drafting, planning, and stretching capacity with whatever tools they can reach. Funders are ahead on caution, thinking hard about risk, equity, and what responsible use actually requires. Neither half works alone. Speed without guardrails burns trust; caution without practice never learns anything. The sector moves forward when both sides are in the same room, comparing notes as peers.

​That's worth 90 minutes.

​Join Complēre at the University of Minnesota's Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) for a working lunch on the question underneath all of it: can you trust what AI gives you well enough to make a decision with it? In this sector, that's a question about evidence, the research that should shape how programs get designed, grants get made, and communities get served. AI can put good evidence within reach of every organization. It can also hand you a confident wrong answer. Telling the difference is the work.

​I'll show you Complēre: how we built it alongside researchers, what the process taught me about where AI helps and where it will burn you. Then we'll dig into use cases that fit the people actually in the room.

​You'll leave with:

• ​One concrete use case worth trying in your own organization this month

• ​A plain-language starting point for policy, governance, and staff readiness

• ​A clearer read on where AI genuinely helps and where it doesn't

• ​Peers from the other side of the funding table

​Lunch is on us and seats are limited, so grab yours early. Wherever you are with AI is exactly the right place to start. Come as you are.

​About Ryan Petersen: Ryan is the founder of Complēre, a 2026 MN Cup semifinalist building AI-powered research and evidence tools for the philanthropic sector. He's spent his career in Twin Cities community work, including roles with GroundBreak Coalition, the Constellation Fund, V3 Sports, Northside Achievement Zone, Housing In Action, and Catholic Charities.