7 May 2026
As part of the National Training Fund (NTF) 2026 Programme, Carmichael is hosting a free webinar on “Governance and responsible organisational AI adoption“.
We invite you to join us on 14th July 2026, from 1.00PM to 2.00PM for a 1 hour webinar. Register here.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool, but it brings with it governance, reputation, and communication challenges for organisations.
This webinar will help nonprofit organisations understand the governance risks associated with widely used AI tools and support them in developing a practical AI usage policy for staff and volunteers.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the governance, ethical, and operational risks of AI.
- Identify the essential components of a simple, practical AI usage policy.
- Apply a practical framework for drafting a policy.
There will be time for questions, some polls, and an AI policy template to take away.
Course Outline
Often, AI usage in organisations is discussed in terms of adoption: its utility, speed, and productivity. A more significant issue is that, in many organisations, policies are not keeping up with experimentation and usage. AI is already being used in most organisations, often informally and without clear guidelines.
There are legal and regulatory reasons why organisations need to have usage policies in place. That’s the governance challenge.
There are reputational reasons to have, and communicate, AI use policies. For charity and nonprofit organisations, stakeholder trust can be critical. That’s the reputational challenge.
AI is also already shaping how your organisation is seen and understood by stakeholders, whether you are using it or not. That’s the communication challenge.
If AI is already being used in your organisation, formally or informally, governance needs to catch up. A simple, usable policy is the place to start.
Session Outline
1. Welcome and Context (5 mins)
The risks are real, but manageable. Policies should enable safe use, not restrict innovation.
Online poll will be carried out.
2. What Do We Mean by ‘AI’ in Practice? (5 mins)
This workshop is for non-techies. It’s designed to demystify Generative AI and focus on readily available AI tools used for the kind of work nonprofits do e.g. grant applications.
3. Why an AI usage policy is essential for governance and reputation.(10 mins)
Scenario: A volunteer uses an AI tool to respond to a service user and unknowingly provides incorrect advice. Who is accountable?
AI usage policies respond to:
- Legislation (e.g. AI literacy obligations under EU AI Act)
- Data protection (GDPR implications)
- Reputational risks (e.g. incorrect or biased outputs)
- Ethical responsibility (especially to vulnerable cohorts)
4. What does an AI policy look like?(10 mins)
The best policies are co-created, plain-speaking, practical documents. We will work through a simple, practical AI Policy Framework covering purpose, acceptable and prohibited use, oversight, transparency, and accountability.
5. Governance, Communication & Implementation(10 mins)
Policies fail not because they are wrong, but because they are ignored, and out-of-date. This section will examine who owns the AI usage policy? How does it connect to your board / risk register? How, and how often, is it reviewed?
6. Q & A and Closing Poll.(10mins)
Speaker: Martina Byrne, PhD., M.Phil., B.A Communication Studies, FPRII.
Dr Martina Byrne, FPRII, is a senior corporate communications and governance advisor, educator, and former Chief Executive of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) and
the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA). She has over 30 years’ experience advising boards and senior leadership teams on corporate reputation, stakeholder engagement, crisis preparedness, governance and strategic communications.
She is a PhD-qualified, award-winning educator with extensive experience designing and delivering executive, graduate, and postgraduate programmes, across universities and professional bodies. Her teaching is practice-led and case-based, integrating academic insight with real-world boardroom and leadership experience.
Martina is a Fellow of the PRII, Founder and Principal Consultant at Byrne Consultants, and currently serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Governors & Guardians of the
National Gallery of Ireland. She brings particular expertise in governance, leadership communications, public affairs and the strategic implications of artificial intelligence and
digital transformation for organisations.
Register now to secure your spot: Register here.
The funding for the provision of these services comes from the National Training Fund administered by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science. Participants will be asked to provide further information regarding Age Range, Gender, Employment Status, Educational Background, Role in Organisation, Organisation Activity & Size post registration.
