Building AI Literacy for Community Impact: Highlights from Today's Volunteer Managers & Coordinators Meet-Up
Today's Volunteer Managers and Coordinators Meet-up was a wonderful reminder of the power of learning together. I had the privilege of joining others in the volunteer engagement field for a dynamic session centered around one of the most relevant topics of our time: AI Literacy for Community Impact.
We were honored to welcome Dr. Tricia Rizza, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Tallahassee State College, who led us through an engaging and practical conversation on how artificial intelligence can support, strengthen, and amplify the work of volunteer programs.
Exploring AI with Purpose and Practicality
Dr. Rizza opened with an accessible pathway into AI literacy-grounding complex concepts in real-world examples and volunteer-centered scenarios. Her goal was clear: help us understand how AI can be a tool for clarity, creativity, and efficiency, not a replacement for the human connections at the heart of community service.
Throughout her presentation, she shared practical guidance on:
- AI
Tips for Everyday Use
From reorganizing workflows to simplifying communications, Dr. Rizza offered ways to leverage AI to save time and reduce administrative load-freeing more of our energy for people-focused work. - Prompts
& Guardrails
She provided insight into crafting effective prompts that lead to useful outputs, while also emphasizing the ethical guardrails needed to ensure we use AI responsibly. Transparency, data privacy, and maintaining a human-centered lens were key themes. - Reflective
Activities
Together, we explored how AI might support volunteer engagement, training, and storytelling. These activities prompted us to think critically about where AI fits into our organizations' missions and where it shouldn't.
Community Learning at Its Best
One of the most valuable aspects of today's meet-up was the shared dialogue. Volunteer leaders from across the county brought thoughtful questions, real challenges, and meaningful reflections. The willingness to explore new tools-not just for innovation's sake, but for genuine community impact-showed the strength and adaptability of our volunteer ecosystem.
It was exciting to imagine what possibilities today's learning could unlock:
- More accessible volunteer information
- Streamlined onboarding
- Improved communication strategies
- Stronger storytelling of community impact
- Enhanced support for our partner organizations
Moving Forward Together
As volunteer managers and coordinators, we thrive when we learn from one another. Today's session with Dr. Rizza reinforced that embracing new technologies can be both empowering and deeply aligned with our shared mission: supporting volunteers and strengthening the communities we serve.
Thank you to everyone who participated, asked questions, and explored new ideas with curiosity and openness. And a huge thank you to Dr. Tricia Rizza for guiding us through such a thoughtful and actionable discussion.
Let's carry today's momentum forward, continuing to learn, experiment, reflect, and innovate together.
