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[Free] AI for Hawaiʻi Nonprofits: Build Your First AI Agent in 2 Hours
** Update as of 9/17: Doors open 9:00 · arrive by 9:30 for kickoff · ends 11:00 (cleanup to 11:30).
Nonprofit budgets are getting cut while need goes up. This workshop is a concrete way to hold your impact steady with the team you already have.
In two hours, you'll build your own AI agent, customized to your organization. We are not showing demos or just having you take notes - you will leave with an actual, functioning AI agent.
.org, .edu, and .gov are all welcome!
What you'll build
Grant & Funding Research Agent (everyone) — scans funding sources, matches them against your mission, and delivers a summary of relevant opportunities. Replaces hours of manual searching every week.
Program Data Reporter (if time allows) — takes your raw program data and drafts the narrative report your funders ask for each quarter.
Who this is for
Staff and leaders at Hawaiʻi nonprofits. No coding, no prior AI experience. We'll have roughly one tech volunteer for every ten attendees, so nobody gets left behind.
Before you come (15 minutes — this must be done beforehand)
Install the Claude desktop app on the laptop you're bringing (Mac or Windows): https://claude.com/download. The browser chat will not work here.
Sign up for the Claude $20/month plan (you can always cancel later).
Bring: a 1–2 paragraph description of your mission and programs; a list of 3–5 places you currently look for funding. Optional: An example of a past grant application; a recent funder report and a spreadsheet of program metrics
On privacy: please strip client Social Security numbers, medical records, and other sensitive personal information. On a paid plan, the AI companies commit not to train their models on your data — similar to the trust most organizations already extend to Google for email and documents.
Your hosts
Richard Matsui — Founder/CEO of 2 tech companies in the energy industry. Co-founder of Movers & Shakas and ThriveHI. Raised in Kapahulu.
Brent Akamine — Co-founder of Vinovest, acquired in 2026. Previously led design at TikTok and other major tech companies. Raised in Manoa.
Miki Hardisty — CEO and co-founder of Olelo Intelligence. Previously COO of ProService Hawaiʻi, CTO at Jack in the Box, and an engineer at NASA. Raised in Kailua.
Matt Lamon — Geotechnical engineer and early adopter. Uses Claude Code to build custom productivity tools for his own business.
Alex Han — AI implementation handyman. Previously a16z backed startup founder, venture investor, and growth leader.
Landon Opunui - Medical Director at Nā Puʻuwai, first naturopathic physician to be appointed medical director of a federally funded Native Hawaiian Health Care System. Prior "AI for Nonprofits" workshop attendee.
Jocelyn Leavitt — Former startup founder and CEO. Built, scaled, and sold Hopscotch, a programming language and coding community for kids. Raised in Honolulu.
Tim Anderson — A nonprofit CFO who uses AI every day. Runs finance at Lanakila Pacific after a decade of corporate finance and auditing across Hawaiʻi.
Gray Stecher — Founder/CEO of Tesray Technologies, helping SMBs see real results with AI.
Adam Altman — Product manager at Clubhouse, the social audio platform, longtime builder of consumer tech products.
Hosted at HTDC's Entrepreneur Sandbox.
Promoted in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO) the Hawaii Leadership Forum (Omidyar Fellows), and ThriveHI.