Issue 01 • November 16, 2026 AI for campuses and causes
Campus & Cause

The Brief • Issue 01 • November 16, 2026

Start with what you already have

The fastest AI wins this week didn't come from buying something new. They came from turning on tools teams already pay for and taking an hour to learn them together. Every story below points the same direction: the license matters less than the training.

Edited by Brian Stack • 3 min read • Share on LinkedIn

On Campus

Three universities rolled out AI by starting with tools they already had

What happened. EdTech Magazine profiled how Case Western Reserve University, the University of Hawaii and John Carroll University rolled out Google's Gemini. All three were already Google campuses. Case Western waited until Gemini was included in its Google Workspace for Education contract, then added monthly office hours and an AI Playground where faculty and staff can test tools before buying licenses. Hawaii started by showing executive leaders how to use it. John Carroll formed a steering committee of faculty, students and staff and had a consultant review privacy and security risks first.

Why it matters. Case Western's main goal was moving people off unsecured consumer AI tools that could expose data or use it for model training. For a marketing, advancement or enrollment office, the safest tool to start with is often the one already connected to your email and files, with your IT team's data protections in place. None of these schools treated the license as the finish line. Training, office hours and clear guidance did the real work.

Try this. Send your IT team one question this week: which AI features are already included in the tools we pay for, and what kind of information are we allowed to use with them?

Source: EdTech Magazine, November 2, 2026
For the Cause

Almost every nonprofit uses AI. About a third of staff have been trained on it.

What happened. NTEN and The Bridgespan Group surveyed 917 nonprofit leaders and staff from late April to mid-June for the 2026 State of Nonprofit AI report. 98% said their organization uses AI in some capacity, and 45% use it for work at least daily. But only 32% of staff have received formal AI training, 37% of executives say they don't train staff on the tools they already have, and only 8% have a one- to two-year AI roadmap.

Why it matters. 70% of respondents believe their organization is missing meaningful opportunities to use AI. More than half said they use AI outside their organization's guidance. The gap isn't access to tools. It's knowing what's allowed and how to use what's already there.

Use is nearly universal. Training and planning aren't.% of respondents
Use is nearly universal. Training and planning aren't.
FindingPercentBase
Say their organization uses AI in some way98%All 917 respondents
Believe they are missing meaningful AI opportunities70%Leaders and staff
Use AI outside their organization's guidance53%All respondents
Use AI for work at least daily45%All respondents
Staff who have had formal AI training32%Staff respondents
Have a one- to two-year AI roadmap8%Leaders and staff

Source: NTEN and The Bridgespan Group, State of Nonprofit AI, 2026. Survey of 917 nonprofit staff and executives, late April to mid-June 2026.

Try this. Bridgespan's free Choosing Your AI Path framework sorts AI ideas into three buckets: augment (internal work), advance (programs and services) and advocate (policy). Spend 30 minutes with your team listing one idea for each.

Source: NTEN and The Bridgespan Group, State of Nonprofit AI, September 10, 2026
Tools

Gemini can now edit an entire Google Slides deck from one prompt

What happened. Google added a feature on October 30 that lets Gemini change many slides at once from the side panel in Google Slides. You can ask it to match the style of another presentation, update content using files in your Google Drive, or condense several slides into one. When it's done, it lists what it changed, and version history lets you undo anything.

Why it matters. Think of the board update rebuilt from last year's deck, or the campus presentation five people edited in five different fonts. That kind of cleanup can eat an afternoon, and now it's one request.

Who has it. English only for now. Available on Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Google AI Pro and Ultra, and the Google AI Pro for Education add-on. Google's announcement doesn't mention nonprofit editions. Higher usage limits run through at least December 1, then per-user limits apply.

How to try it

  1. Open a deck in Google Slides and click the Ask Gemini icon in the top right.
  2. Type one instruction, like "Make the titles on all slides the same font size and color."
  3. Read the summary of changes in the side panel.
  4. Use version history if you want to roll anything back.

Try this. Open your messiest recent deck and ask Gemini to make every title match. It takes a minute and shows you right away whether your team has access.

Source: Google Workspace Updates, October 30, 2026
For the Cause

OpenAI's caregiver workshops are a training model any nonprofit can copy

What happened. On November 10, OpenAI Academy teamed up with the Caregiver Action Network, the Alzheimer's Association and the American Diabetes Association to run free, hands-on AI workshops for caregivers in Oakland, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Detroit. Participants practiced four everyday tasks: organizing caregiver schedules and checklists, turning trusted educational resources into plain-language materials, finding community resources, and preparing support group discussion guides. They also covered responsible use, including protecting personal information, understanding the limits of the tools, and knowing when to talk to a healthcare professional instead.

Why it matters. Most nonprofits serve people, and work with volunteers, who could use these exact skills. The structure is what makes it work. It pairs real tasks people already have with clear guardrails about what AI should and shouldn't be used for. No coding or technical background was required, and mentors helped people hands-on throughout.

Try this. Plan a one-hour session for your volunteers or program participants. Pick three real tasks from their week, and open with a five-minute rule on what information never goes into an AI tool.

Source: OpenAI, Helping caregivers use AI in everyday life, November 2026
The one thing to try this week

Ask your IT team which AI features are already included in the tools you pay for, then book one hour to learn them together.

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