The conversation around Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the nonprofit sector has shifted rapidly from “What is it?” to “How do we actually use it?” For many executives, the pressure to adopt AI can feel like being asked to fly a plane while it’s still being built. You know the potential for increased impact is there, but the path to getting your team AI-ready is often unclear.

At Build Consulting, we believe that successful technology adoption—especially with a transformative tool like AI—starts with people, not just platforms. This is where an AI Skills Matrix becomes an invaluable strategic asset.

What is an AI-Focused IT Skills Matrix?

In its simplest form, a skills matrix is a visual grid that maps out the specific skills your organization needs against the current proficiencies of your staff—but it should be positioned as a professional development roadmap rather than a performance evaluation tool.

To get an accurate picture of your organization’s AI readiness, staff must feel safe being honest about what they don’t know. We recommend explicitly stating that the matrix is a tool to help the organization identify where to invest in training and support, ensuring that no one is left behind as the technology evolves. For more tips on using an IT skills matrix, you may want to check out our webinar and blog post, where you will find a downloadable template.

In the AI Edition, this skills matrix doesn’t focus just on who knows how to write a prompt. It is a tool to help you:

• Assess AI Literacy: Identify who understands the ethical implications and data privacy requirements of AI.

• Gauge Adoption Comfort: Distinguish between your early adopters (who are likely already experimenting with AI tools for productivity) and those who may be tech-phobic or skeptical.

• Identify Training Gaps: See exactly where your team needs support to move from curious to competent.

Assessing Your Staff’s AI Comfort and Adoption

Before you invest in enterprise-level AI tools or expensive consultants, you need a baseline. We recommend categorizing your staff’s AI journey into three distinct dimensions:

1. Technical Proficiency (The “How”)

This measures the ability to use specific tools—like Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, or specialized AI, for example for fundraising. You also likely have gained AI assistants within tools you already license in your recent updates – for example your CRM, Zoom, Zapier, Salesforce, etc. Most organizations will find a bell curve of skills here, with a few power users, a larger group waiting for guidance, and a few highly skeptical or distrustful staff.

2. Strategic Literacy (The “Why”)

Does the staff member understand how AI can actually improve their workflow? Can they identify a good use case for AI versus a task that is better done manually? This is where managers can provide a lot of value and leadership. Where are the repetitive tasks? What would the staff member automate first?

3. Ethical and Risk Awareness (The “Safe”)

AI introduces new risks regarding data bias and security. Your skills matrix should track who has been trained on your organization’s AI acceptable use policy.

Where to Start Your Training and Education

Once your matrix is populated, you don’t need to train everyone on everything at once. Use the data to prioritize your investments:

• Start with the Champions: Identify the staff members who are high-interest and medium-to-high proficiency. Empower them to lead small, low-risk pilots, and to share their discoveries regularly.

• Focus on Universal Literacies: Before teaching advanced prompting, ensure every staff member understands your data privacy rules. How do staff access enterprise-licensed AI? Because AI tools are very accessible, you will likely find many variations in access and process. Ensure your staff understand your basic expectations, no matter how they are using AI.

• Bridge the Gap for the Skeptics: For those with low comfort levels, focus on efficiency wins—show them how AI can take a tedious task off their plate to win their buy-in. Build up team-level training as you introduce new tools and processes, emphasizing that consistency at the team level has a high value for all.

How the AI Skills Matrix Informs Strategic Decisions

For a nonprofit leader, the matrix is more than a HR document; it is a roadmap for resource allocation.

• Budgeting: It helps you decide if you should spend your Q2 budget on a new software license or on a training workshop for your program leads.

• Hiring/Upskilling: If your matrix shows a massive gap in AI data governance, your next IT hire should likely have a background in data strategy rather than just general support. Not hiring? Your leadership owners of IT need to prioritize gaining data strategy chops.

• Change Management: Executive leadership is more likely to support AI initiatives when they can see a data-backed plan for how staff will actually be supported during the transition. Implementing AI, and its transformative implications, requires change management to match. AI tools will touch every staff member at your organization. More change management resources are available from Build here, including our 4-part webinar series here.

The Build Consulting Approach to AI Readiness

Adopting AI is a marathon, not a sprint. By using a skills matrix, you are treating your staff as the professionals they are—giving them the tools to master new competencies and ensuring your organization’s move into AI is grounded in reality, not just hype.

Ready to start mapping your team’s future? Download our Skills Matrix Template and begin tailoring it for your AI initiatives today.