On October 14, about 50 new and existing members of The Miriam Fund (TMF) gathered at CJP’s offices downtown for this year’s grant cycle opening event. There was a buzz in the air as women reconnected before the official program over delicious food and drinks. The vibe was friendly, warm and easygoing, and for many who conduct meetings online, it was a wonderful excuse to meet face to face, especially with others who care about the advancement of women and girls.

Janet Aserkoff, a TMF co-chair, opened the official program and welcomed everyone by talking about a successful year and looking forward to the one ahead. Her wit and dry sense of humor were refreshing, and she reminded members how important it is to pay their dues, as that influences what can be given out in grants for the coming year. She also thanked everyone for their contributions, including Beth Tauro and Anne Marie Boursiquot King for all their hard work. Janet reminded us what a blessing it is to be part of a special community of women.

As a fellow co-chair, I had the pleasure of introducing the evening’s topic: artificial intelligence (AI), and what it could mean for the nonprofits we support. I shared a snapshot of my own day to make a simple point: AI is already deeply woven into our lives, whether we like it or not. I use AI to support research while building a business, to support my learning, and it’s already incorporated into tools I use like health apps. I closed by asking whether nonprofits can use AI effectively to make their dollars go further, completing tasks with fewer people so they can focus on a larger mission that will always require real humans.

Then, the real learning began. We were so lucky to be addressed by three generous women who shared their experiences with AI.

Our moderator, Rachel Goldstein, previous TMF co-chair and now chair of the membership committee, amongst other roles, guided a panel of women leaders who live this every day.

Gail Hoffman teaches foundational AI basics

Gail Hoffman is a member of CJP’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Community Investments Committee, and a member of the CJP AI Task Force. Professionally, she’s a seasoned angel investor and startup advisor, and a Venture Partner and Investor at Companyon Ventures. Advancing and lifting up women has been an important focus for Gail throughout her career, so talking to members who had the same mission deeply resonated.

She started with the basics. Most of us use AI like we use search engines: to answer questions. The next wave is “agentic” AI, which comprises software that’s programmed to perceive its environment and make decisions or take actions to reach a goal. In short, you give an agent a goal and the tools it needs, and it works toward solving the problem. Her practical advice stuck with me and everyone in the room.

5 things to keep in mind when getting started with AI

1. Be patient, because real value takes time.
2. Decide what you want to improve and how you will measure it.
3. Don’t expect rapid results. Expect staff to be a little less productive at first, with real gains to follow.
4. Remember that AI is trained by humans, and like humans, it has biases. Look at AI through a gender lens, since many models reflect biases in the data they were trained on.
5. And protect privacy: use paid versions (many are free for nonprofits) in closed networks, rather than exposing information externally.

Gail’s bottom line was hopeful: for nonprofits, the efficiency gains are real.

Lauren Korn on learning alongside your team

Lauren Korn, President and CEO of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Boston, brought the energy of someone who has jumped in with both feet. When the consultant guiding her strategic plan left midstream, she didn’t start over. She worked through the plan in long, back-and-forth conversations with Claude and came away with a year-long implementation plan. Her team has automated the scheduling of monthly calls with about 140 people, saving roughly a quarter of the time that used to go to logistics. The goal is 100 more volunteer-participant matches with the same team. This is extremely powerful, since there’s a waiting list of “littles” hoping to be matched with “bigs.”

She was emphatic that nobody is being replaced. The aim is for her people to spend their days on the human work, and less on admin. One staff member even built a free app to help volunteers find free events around Boston for activities with the children with which they are matched.

What I admired most was her honesty about what went wrong. She rolled out a new phone system faster than her team was ready for, and she learned, with help from the book “Lead at the Speed of Trust,” by Stephen M.R. Covey, that bringing people along matters as much as the technology. Her takeaway was to listen more and move at the speed your people can follow.

Girls are getting an education in innovation

Cristina Ullmann, Senior Program Director at Science Club for Girls, described a different kind of AI education. During school breaks in February and April, girls code and explore robotics and AI, which includes a trip to the MIT Museum. They don’t just learn to use the tools; they learn how the tools are built and where bias creeps in when the data behind a model doesn’t represent everyone. Her principle message was that the thinking must stay human, and that people teach the machine, not the other way around.

The education and work continue

Nancy Porvu, our third co-chair, closed out the session after a Q&A. She thanked everyone for their commitment to The Miriam Fund and invited anyone interested in a leadership role to step up, since volunteers are always welcome. She also announced Beth’s retirement at the end of February 2027, and everyone agreed she will be missed dearly.

The evening set the tone for the year ahead: a world changing with AI at the speed of light, met with the stability of committed women who are curious, interesting, and interested in the world around them. What stood out to me about the speakers was the consistency across the messages of the three very different women. AI works best when it frees people to do more of what only people can do, introduced with trust and openness, and when we stay clear-eyed about its limits, biases, and dangers. I’m putting my own AI lessons to work in a new venture. I’m building The Starting Line, a health and wellness coaching practice for women who want to take ownership of their health.

The community of women in the room that night was what drew me to join The Miriam Fund several years ago. This is a group of special women from all different backgrounds, at different stages of life, from different synagogues and levels of religious observance, all committed to investing in women and girls in Greater Boston and Israel. I’ve met so many interesting people I would never have met otherwise.

Hearing directly from grantee partners who share their own lessons in their own words is the best way I know to start a grant year. If you’re a woman who wants to give with purpose and in community, I hope you’ll consider joining us.

Learn more about The Miriam Fund.