AI Adoption That Actually Works: How Hanna House Went from Pilot to Playbook

What happens when a nonprofit embraces AI not for the hype, but for the help? In the latest episode of the UpLevel View podcast, Brandi Pack and Ken Callander sit down with Cristal Cardenas Sanchez, Director, Research & Evaluation, Hanna Center, and Marissa La Brecque, VP of Research and Training, from Hanna Center, to talk about how their grassroots AI pilot turned into a full 2026 roadmap. Hear how they're using GenAI to streamline operations, spark new ideas, and even open the door to a broader range of grant opportunities, without losing sight of their mission.

Highlights

Streamlining data collection at Hanna Center.

Hanna Center's mission and services overview.

Significant data entry challenges faced early on.

Custom AI tools drastically reduce manual data entry.

Adoption process and early AI successes.

Building confidence and addressing privacy concerns.

Efficient internal adoption fuels enthusiasm.

Insights into using AI for organizational transformation.

Impressive ROI from AI tool implementation.

Planning and prioritizing AI use cases for next year.