How Nonprofits Are Building Their Own AI Agents for Free

What if your employees could build their own AI agents—without help from outside consultants? That’s exactly what a Pittsburgh nonprofit is teaching government and nonprofit workers through a free, three-part AI literacy course.

Community Forge, led by Executive Director Mike Skirpan, launched the program after seeing organizations get burned by expensive third-party AI tools that didn’t actually fit their needs. The course—developed with the Carnegie Mellon-led Open Forum for Artificial Intelligence—teaches participants AI literacy, how to build custom agents, and how to evaluate whether those tools are actually working.

Key Takeaways

• AI agents built by end users outperform vendor solutions. Skirpan argues that people doing day-to-day work are best positioned to build tools that fit their actual workflows—not outside firms charging for generic solutions.
• Prompt framing shapes output quality. Instructor Samantha Finkelstein showed participants how the way you talk to AI directly affects the relevance of what you get back—a skill applicable across any professional AI use.
• Responsible use means setting boundaries. The course emphasizes using AI strategically to preserve human judgment, not replace it—especially for sensitive work involving donor data, clients, or confidentiality.

The course is free for nonprofit and government workers. Organizers cite concern that AI adoption in the social sector could reduce service quality over the next decade if implemented without intention and care.

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