By Brian D'Antoni
At a lot of small organizations, AI use starts with one staff member at a time, in a grant draft, a donor email or a social caption, long before anyone writes down the rules. The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is offering a free morning session for the people who now have to put rules around that. Building an AI Policy for Nonprofits runs Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Eastern at the Council's headquarters, 601 Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Beach.
The workshop is part of the Council's Institute for Cultural Advancement, or ICA, a season of professional development sessions for artists, arts administrators, marketers, fundraisers, board members and nonprofit leaders. The Council's program page says ICA programs are always free to attend.
What the session covers
The Council describes the session as a look at the risks of using AI without organizational policies or governance, and at what an effective AI policy should include. The registration page adds that it will cover best practices for building a sound AI policy, legal considerations and a starting point for organizations that want to begin writing a policy of their own.
The Council's program lists Caitlen Macias and Chase Fopiano of BotQueen as the presenters. The registration page names Caitlen Macias of BotQueen as the speaker.
Why this one is for the person who sets the rules
Sundaze has covered several free AI sessions this fall, many of them focused on using the tools, including free AI workshops for owners and a run of free SCORE AI webinars. This one takes a different angle. It is aimed at the executive director, operations lead or board member who has to decide what staff can and cannot do, not the person writing prompts.
That makes it worth sending the right person. If your organization has no written AI rules, go with a short list of the questions you would have to answer anyway. Which tools are approved, and who approves new ones? What information should never go into a public AI tool, such as donor records, client files or anything covered by a confidentiality agreement? Who reviews AI assisted work before it goes to a funder, a partner or the public? Coming in with those questions will make the two hours far more useful than arriving with a blank page.
If your organization already uses AI in grant writing or marketing, it also helps to bring a rough list of where it shows up today. A policy that describes how your team actually works is easier to follow than one written in the abstract.
A free framework to read before you go
For background, the National Institute of Standards and Technology publishes the AI Risk Management Framework, which it says is intended for voluntary use to help organizations build trustworthiness into how they design, develop, use and evaluate AI. NIST notes that the framework is being revised. A separate generative AI profile helps organizations identify risks specific to generative AI and proposes actions that fit their own goals and priorities.
The companion AI RMF Playbook organizes suggested actions under four functions: Govern, Map, Measure and Manage. NIST says the playbook is neither a checklist nor a set of steps to follow in full, and that organizations can borrow as many or as few suggestions as apply to them. For a small nonprofit, the Govern section is the natural place to start. The Council does not say the workshop will use NIST materials, and neither the session nor the framework is a guarantee of legal compliance.
How to register
All ICA sessions are free, and the Council says registration is required for featured sessions. The event registration page lists the price as free and shows registration ending Wednesday, November 11. Reserve a seat through the organizer rather than counting on a walk in spot.
If the topic lands, the Council's calendar lists a follow up session, AI Foundations with Caitlen Macias of BotQueen, on January 14, 2027, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. It is described as a hands on workshop on foundational workflows in Claude.
Sources
- Cultural Council for Palm Beach County: ICA professional development program
- Official workshop registration: Building an AI Policy for Nonprofits
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework
- NIST AI RMF Playbook
Related
Key Facts for Owners and Search
When is the AI policy workshop for nonprofits?
Building an AI Policy for Nonprofits takes place Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Eastern. It is part of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County's Institute for Cultural Advancement season of free professional development sessions.
Where is the workshop held?
The session is in person at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, 601 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth Beach, Florida 33460, according to the official registration page. Plan to attend at the Council's headquarters.
Does the workshop cost anything?
No. The registration page lists the price as free, and the Council says all of its ICA programs are free to attend. Registration is still required, so reserve a seat before the listed deadline of Wednesday, November 11.
Who is presenting?
The Council's program lists Caitlen Macias and Chase Fopiano of BotQueen as presenters. The registration page names Caitlen Macias of BotQueen as the speaker. Both describe a session on AI governance and what an effective organizational AI policy should include.
What should a nonprofit bring?
Bring the questions your policy will need to answer: which AI tools staff may use, who approves new ones, what information stays out of public tools and who reviews AI assisted work. A short list of where your team already uses AI also helps.
