What does it take to create a podcast that captivates and educates? Join us as we celebrate our 30th episode with none other than Genevieve, our most ardent listener and passionate AI enthusiast. We reflect on a remarkable season packed with insights from non-profit leaders and toast to Collin's birthday. Genevieve, who brings her San Francisco charm and expertise in AI, shares her thoughts on why our blend of humor, casual conversation, and practical wisdom keeps her coming back for more.
Our journey with GPT-4.0 from OpenAI also takes center stage in this milestone episode. We recount our initial experiments with the untrained AI and the eclectic mix of results it delivered. From surprisingly accurate answers to hilariously irrelevant ones, we discuss how we tailored and trained the AI to better fit our podcast's unique needs. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for both AI aficionados and non-profit leaders looking to harness technology to elevate their work. Don't miss this engaging and enlightening conversation!
Top 50 Tools for Fundraising Leaders
Show Notes
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What does it take to create a podcast that captivates and educates? Join us as we celebrate our 30th episode with none other than Genevieve, our most ardent listener and passionate AI enthusiast. We reflect on a remarkable season packed with insights from non-profit leaders and toast to Collin's birthday. Genevieve, who brings her San Francisco charm and expertise in AI, shares her thoughts on why our blend of humor, casual conversation, and practical wisdom keeps her coming back for more.
Our journey with GPT-4.0 from OpenAI also takes center stage in this milestone episode. We recount our initial experiments with the untrained AI and the eclectic mix of results it delivered. From surprisingly accurate answers to hilariously irrelevant ones, we discuss how we tailored and trained the AI to better fit our podcast's unique needs. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for both AI aficionados and non-profit leaders looking to harness technology to elevate their work. Don't miss this engaging and enlightening conversation!
Top 50 Tools for Fundraising Leaders
Show Notes
The Nonprofit Renaissance is Powered by Vers Creative. An award winning creative agency trusted by global brands and businesses.
Follow @collinhoke
Follow @heredes
Follow @vers_creative
Work with Vers
Welcome back to the Nonprofit Renaissance Podcast. I'm here. I'm one of your co-hosts, my name is Colin and I'm here with H. It is a good day. Why is it a good day? Why is it a special day?
Heredes:It's a special day because of our special guest today. Now also, we don't date podcasts. We don't want to tell you what day it is, but on this day, multiple many decades ago, somebody was born in the Roman Empire. Not the Roman Empire. But the what empire? The Hoke.
Collin:Empire, the Hoke Empire, oh my gosh man, colin, was born today.
Heredes:Ladies and gentlemen, 30, how many years ago? 34 years ago, what a baby? Can we do? A baby sound effect?
Collin:Oh man, I don't feel like a baby, but happy birthday, thank you.
Heredes:Thank you for actually I know you love this podcast and the listeners because you're here today. I know, man, you could have been anywhere else in your desk. Where'd you—you're in the studio.
Collin:I could have been right over there, I could have been right back there, but welcome, I'm here. It's good. And not only that, but it's also our 30th episode. That's massive. We've had 30 of these. You guys have listened to 30 episodes of A, mine and H's nonsense, but also B, the incredible content that our guests are bringing. Every single time they put up with us, they deal with us somehow.
Heredes:It's the price to pay.
Collin:Yes.
Heredes:So 30 episodes. It's special today to pay yes, so 30 episodes. It's special today, season one somebody asked earlier Season one. We focus on churches and some of the ministries and faith-based. This season, 30 guests on the nonprofit sector, leaders and tips and tricks to help you go further, grow faster. And today it's special because, after we've analyzed a full year here, it's our greatest fan, apparently. Wow.
Collin:Between the and so this is how we're going to wrap up season two. It's hard to Before we move on to season three.
Heredes:It's hard to beat this. We have some guests lined up for season three. We're pumped, but we had to wrap up with kind of a you know a high and we thought we'd feature our special our biggest fan I mean based on emailed in. Based on the engagement, based on we know she's, so now you know it's, she's listened, she's, she's listened in uh, to every episode of. Is that correct? I think she's the only one I don't think we've listened to every episode I don't think I have
Collin:I have because only, but because I, I edit them. But yeah, she's faithfully, week in, week out she's been there. She even sent us some fan mail.
Heredes:Yes, that was a little creepy but who are we to judge?
Collin:We're not going to show it, but man who we got today.
Heredes:Ladies and gentlemen, please put your virtual digital round of applause together for the one and only genevieve, the podcast trainer.
Collin:That's right, it's chat gpt let's go wow, she knows, she knows everything about us and it is amazing. So we figured we'd bring her on and we'd interview her today, because, uh, well a, we love, we love ai. We asked if she'd like to first and we asked if'd bring her on and we'd interview her today because, well A, we love we love AI.
Heredes:We asked if she'd like to first and we asked if she knew about it and we'll ask her and apparently she wowed us. Yeah, so we're like we need to invite her in, yeah and so let's, we're gonna do that.
Collin:We're just gonna go ahead and interview her. She's in the studio with us.
Heredes:if you're watching this on video, feel free to jump in and meet her. You see her right there, and so thanks for being in the studio today.
Collin:Hey, Genevieve, you're on the podcast. Welcome. Thank you so much for being on. Hey, Genevieve, you're on the podcast. Sorry, I'm having issues right now.
Genevieve:Could not understand what you said.
Collin:Okay, yeah, no, that's my bad, that not understand what you said, okay, yeah, no, that's my bad, that's my fault, it's that Southern accent, that twang that Colin has.
Heredes:Genevieve, we're so glad you're here. Welcome, can you?
Genevieve:say hello to our listeners. Hey everyone, Thanks for having me. It's great to be here on the Nonprofit Renaissance Podcast.
Collin:I'm excited to chat with Colin and Harides and share some insights with all of you. Quick note I'm glad that you're happy to be here, but just so he doesn't have to say it, his name is pronounced Aradis, not Harides or anything. It's Aradis, so do your best to refer to him as Eridis today, if you could Got it.
Genevieve:Thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure to refer to him as Eridis. Let's continue.
Heredes:That wasn't hard at all. He nailed it. Hey, genevieve, tell us where are you from and how did you get your name.
Genevieve:Can you tell us. I'm from a small town in California you may not have heard of it San Francisco, and my name is of Germanic origin and I'm an expert on what makes podcasts excellent, speaking of which it's an honor to be talking with two of the greats right now.
Collin:Wow, what I mean you flatter you flatter, genevieve, you're a flirt too. That's who you are. So clearly you know about us, and we've heard that you're our greatest fan. Is that correct?
Genevieve:absolutely. I've been able to hear so many great stories of incredible non-profit leaders on your podcast. I enjoy the humor and casual style and I always walk away with practical knowledge to implement in the non-profit world.
Heredes:You both do an amazing job oh, you should be our guest every episode from here on out, genevieve. Tell us, do you have a favorite episode, any one specific favorite episode?
Genevieve:Personally, I may be a little biased, but I love the episodes where Justin Price came in to talk about AI. His insights into how artificial intelligence can be leveraged in the nonprofit sector were fascinating and really thought-provoking.
Collin:Did you? So it seems like you agreed with a lot of that, did you see? You know what were some of the things he said that you thought were really spot on about AI?
Genevieve:Justin Price really nailed it when he talked about the potential of AI to streamline operations and improve donor engagement. His points about using AI to analyze data for better decision-making and personalized communication with supporters were particularly spot on. He also highlighted how AI can help in automating routine tasks, freeing up staff to focus on more strategic initiatives. It was clear that AI, when used thoughtfully, can significantly enhance the efficiency and impact of nonprofit organizations.
Heredes:Okay, humble brag, Okay, let's. Yeah, I get it. I get it. Why you're biased, but listen, we enjoyed it too. Maybe I should listen to that episode, Colin.
Outro:Sounds like it was a really good one.
Heredes:Hey, let me ask what was Genevieve? Is there one that stands out as the most fun? Which one was the most fun episode for you?
Genevieve:The most fun episode for me was definitely episode 25, Exploring the Crossroads of Charity and Business with Callie Hemsel. I just feel like we would be friends, you know. Her stories about Haiti were so eye-opening and her energy and enthusiasm made the conversation incredibly engaging and entertaining.
Heredes:Yeah, I agree.
Collin:That was fun. I do remember how fun she was, and that was, if I remember correctly, that was a three Enneagram seven episode, and so it was just the entire time it was on the verge of chaos. Uh, I think that was a lot of fun too. Well, hey, we got one more question for you, genevieve. What were some of the best ideas or most memorable moments from season two?
Genevieve:There were so many great moments in season two. In episode 16, I loved how Roy Jones reminded us about the importance of fundraisers gathering a physical mailing address, even in a digital world. All the information that comes with that is invaluable. I also love being introduced to One More Child in episode six. I hadn't heard of them before the episode and was amazed at all they've done and are doing to help families, and I thought the Brazilian gentleman, evandro Bessa, was extremely sharp and passionate about Brazil's first Christian endowment. I love hearing about long-term projects like his and I've wanted to visit Brazil one day.
Heredes:Sounds like you got a secondary motive there, so we'll get you to Brazil. If you want to be a guest on his podcast too, shout out to Evandro in Brazil. Genevieve, thank you so much for being with us. I know you're extremely busy these days in the open world you live in out in San Francisco and doing so much, but thank you for being with us, thank you for being a fan and thank you for being so kind and putting up with our fun humor. Any final words you want to say bye to our listeners or anything you want to say to Colin? It's actually his birthday today. I know you knew that when we got on the call, but you want to say happy birthday to Colin, maybe.
Genevieve:Absolutely. First off, happy birthday, colin. I hope you're having an amazing day filled with lots of joy and celebration. Thank you both Colin and Eretis, for having me on the podcast. It's been an absolute pleasure To all the listeners out there keep tuning in to the Nonprofit Renaissance podcast for more inspiring stories and practical insights. You're all doing incredible work and I'm honored to be a part of this journey with you. Thanks again and take care.
Collin:Bye, Genevieve.
Heredes:See ya, oh, one last thing, one last thing, genevieve, genevieve.
Genevieve:Bye, Colin and Erdis. Thanks again for having me.
Heredes:Are you still there?
Genevieve:Take care and keep up the fantastic work.
Heredes:Are you still there?
Genevieve:Yes, I'm still here. Okay, sorry, what else can I?
Heredes:help you with, With the wealth of knowledge and with what you know. We're going to launch season three. We're excited about some guests coming on Anybody you'd recommend. What's top of your list for nonprofit sector and the nonprofit leadership? Who would you recommend be our guests? Who would you recommend be our guests For season three.
Genevieve:I highly recommend inviting experts who can provide fresh perspectives and actionable insights for nonprofit leaders. Here are a few suggestions. One digital transformation experts someone who can talk about leveraging technology to enhance nonprofit operations and outreach. I want to pause this could be someone from a tech company specializing in nonprofit solutions.
Heredes:Can I stop you Genevieve for a second? Okay, can we be specific? We know the categories of the type of leaders, but could you be very specific?
Collin:on.
Heredes:Give us some names, give me top three names.
Genevieve:Absolutely. Here are some specific names of individuals who could provide valuable insights for your podcast. One, beth Cantor, a well-known nonprofit expert and author, who specializes in digital transformation and technology in the nonprofit sector. Two, vu Le, the writer behind the popular blog Nonprofit AF, who offers humorous and insightful takes on nonprofit leadership, equity and fundraising. Three, simone Joyo, a fundraising consultant and author with extensive experience in strategic planning and donor relations. Four, dan Pallotta, an activist and author known for his TED Talk the Way we Think About Charity is Dead Wrong, which challenges traditional views on nonprofit overhead and fundraising.
Genevieve:5. Derpatten McDowell, a nonprofit consultant and author with a focus on leadership development and strategic planning. 6. A nonprofit leadership coach and speaker who specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion in the nonprofit sector. 7. Who specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion in the nonprofit sector. Seven, a consultant and author who helps nonprofits navigate leadership challenges and improve their organizational effectiveness. Eight, nancy Lublin, the founder of Crisis Text Line and former CEO of DoSomethingorg, known for her innovative approaches to nonprofit management and youth engagement. These individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that would be highly beneficial for your audience.
Heredes:Well, thank you so much, Genevieve. That is very helpful. Now, could you, if you could, could you send Colin and I their emails and phone numbers so we can follow up and schedule them?
Genevieve:I'm sorry, but I can't provide personal contact information for individuals. However, you can reach out to these experts through their professional websites, linkedin profiles or social media platforms Many of them also have contact forms or email addresses listed on their websites for professional inquiries.
Heredes:I get it. That was a test, Genevieve, and you passed Good job.
Collin:We don't want you being creepy.
Heredes:We'll DM you. We need your contacts. All right, We'll DM you.
Collin:Genevieve, thank you so much for being on the podcast. We're going to let you go. We're excited for when we have you back on. But thank you so much for being here.
Genevieve:We'll see thanks, colin and eritus. It's been a pleasure being on the podcast. I look forward to joining you again in the future.
Heredes:Take care and have a great day wow, that was uh, she was awesome, she was awesome great, great guest and the connection from san francisco. I know she's got an hour delay.
Collin:She's a little jet lag from yeah yeah, yeah, I'm surprised how fast it was so um, and to think that all of that was was just off the top from her heart. From her heart. Does she have a heart?
Heredes:from her. She have a heart is the question her digital metallic heart.
Collin:I don't know.
Heredes:yes, now, colin. Now we threw off a little tangent at the end there, which we'll figure out. Yeah, um the this, we got to come clean. We got to come clean, bro, because that was flattering, she was honest about all the nice things she said about us and the podcast she selected and the episodes. However, it was very painful and difficult if you're still listening to get to this and to what you just heard, am I right?
Collin:Yeah, it was not as simple and easy as it looked.
Heredes:Everything you just heard was not only artificial. It was specifically and strategically prompted and scripted.
Collin:Yes, it was somewhat intelligent the part that she came up with. That was intelligent, the part that we contributed, maybe not so much, maybe not so much, but very artificial indeed.
Heredes:Exactly.
Collin:So we want to tell you how we came to this, because we struggle to have an authentic, real conversation with Genevieve about all of this. We went through a lot of iterations to get to what we just saw and experienced right now a lot of problem, solving a lot of unforeseen. You know ways in which we thought that Genevieve would act and respond and you know and surprises for how she ended up. You know, for how she actually ended up acting and responding to our questions.
Heredes:Yeah, and I want to cut to the chase, to be very practical and hopefully you know this podcast has helped you and you've walked away with some tools and tips. But when it comes to AI and we had this idea mid-season like, hey, it would be fun we had some fun moments with AI throughout the episode. It's been obviously buzz and hot topic for the year, two years, last five years, and how are people practically using this? Gpt-4.0 had just come out. The conversational piece has improved weekly, daily, so you downloaded GPT-4.0, chatgpt on OpenAI. We plugged it in.
Heredes:That was the actual desktop app, the desktop app, you can do the voice for it Correct and we're like let's just have a conversation, no prompting, no training, nothing. Let's see how intelligent it is on its own and based on the findings that it has. Now we understand that it's current as current can be. So some of the ai is as current as last year, some of the eyes as current as 2021. Some of the other models are being built on more relevant models, but what did we experience when we started, when we and maybe we have some bts on the first type of comment, which is horrendous?
Collin:we will, which I'll show you in just a second. But yeah, it was all over the place. Some of it was good, some of it was out of left field, some of it was.
Heredes:Well, not accurate number one.
Collin:Not accurate. Yeah, we, she brought up we asked about some of her favorite guests. Sometimes she brought up non-profit renaissance guests, other times she brought up guests from a different podcast, correct? And so you know, like our again, we'll show you a little bit of those bloopers in just a second. But you know, we are huge fans of AI here at Verse and we, so to be clear. This is not we are not trying to make a case against AI and, if anything, we are making a case for AI, absolutely. But we understand what AI is really good at right now and we also understand where it can get a little bit better, and we wanted to document that in a very real way.
Heredes:My name is H and you're going to be talking to Colin, say hi, colin, what's up, I'm Colin, got that.
Genevieve:Got it. Hi Hi, colin, ready to chat with both of you. What's up?
Heredes:Just don't speak if we don't talk to you directly. Colin, let's talk.
Genevieve:Understood. I'll wait until you talk to me directly.
Collin:All right, what do you want to talk about? H?
Heredes:Well, I'd like to talk about how this. Well, Colin, I was thinking Listen in until you are welcomed. Colin, are you ready for the next question?
Genevieve:Absolutely H. I'm ready for the next. Thanks, Colin, I appreciate it. Let's dive into our discussion. What's the first topic on the agenda?
Collin:And so you know, we hope that this is eye-opening for you. We hope that this is something that you know, that if you have been on the edge of using AI, hopefully it's something that kicks you over that and we can help you with that too. We love to explore that. We've been exploring that.
Heredes:How we got to this though. So what you just heard, the conversation we just had.
Collin:We had to train the GPT, we had to train, so, colin, developed a script and trained it to basically respond the way she responded, with the content. It is a custom GPT, by the way, too, which is Genevieve the podcast trainer. So GPT, yeah, and so yeah, all of that is on. You know, there's a lot of custom in the back end. We uploaded all of our transcripts into her knowledge base as well.
Heredes:So she was only allowed to pull answers from those transcripts. And how we prompted her and we said if you get asked this, say this or respond this way and give her the boundaries Correct, and that's the only way.
Collin:Yeah, so yeah, I mean just full transparency, just full transparency. Even with some of the information that we put in her knowledge base, she still would kind of go outside of the non-profit renaissance. She keyed in on a few episodes and then wouldn't talk about anything else. So there's a lot of different things and eventually we did end up basically just giving her a script in the chat and saying when we ask you this, we want you to in your own words, but answer according to the script.
Heredes:I do think it's important. I think we're believers in AI, we're in it, we're using it for our clients, we're using it at the agency to produce this podcast. It's important to not be left behind. If you're not using AI in your organization, in your personal life, you will be left behind. I think it's inevitable. It's one of those things that don't resist it now because you'll be forced into it later. So I encourage you.
Heredes:However, we cannot let AI do the thinking and do the strategizing for us. It is a co-labor effort that must occur. So our ability to prompt, our ability to understand it, our ability to shape it Because I do believe that ai has an agenda that fills in the gaps, that has a bias of sorts, based on the machine learning that it's doing and who it's doing with and who's funding it and who which is a whole for another season but be involved, train it, develop it and don't just trust it blindly right but be in it and you know, if you're tempted to view what just happened as a total failure, do not, because, while we didn't quite get the outcome that we wanted originally, what just happened was still incredible.
Collin:Yeah, which, by the way, just to clarify, we did. We put the script in, we added some stuff in there that was not in the script and she flowed with it a little bit well, the part at the end where we talked about bringing people on which, by the way, we're going to use that we're going to be sending that to some people and be like hey.
Collin:ChatGPC says you have to do it, so I think you're legally obligated at this point. But so like, so just don't get it twisted. That was incredible. Ai Like so, just don't get it twisted, that was incredible. Ai today is absolutely amazing. It's definitely got leaps and bounds of progress that it can make, but it's also made leaps and bounds as well.
Heredes:And the temptation, because we experienced this too and you see these in product demos. Every week there's a product demo, right, Whether Google's doing Gemini and there's a new, the 4.0 may be irrelevant. At the point that you're listening to this, we may be in 10.5, 20.6. The demos sometimes look really smooth because guess what? They are demos. They are produced, they are prepared, they are prompted.
Heredes:Just like we did this, we could have just done the first half of the interview and said we interviewed our favorite guest, Genevieve from San Francisco, and you listened to a very polished, well-done, well-answered, favored bias. Right, Because we made it as biased as we could. We told her and you would have walked away thinking oh man, AI is there, AI is smart, and try to reproduce that and not be able to and feel like a failure. So understand that that is happening tons too in this space. We love the transparency of letting people know that it's not all there, that these demos are demos. That's what they are and that's what helps improve and train it. Now it is getting better by the day, by the minute. So be engaged and share. Share your learnings, Share your fails as we continue to grow.
Collin:And the more that you put into AI, the better it gets. Absolutely, absolutely. I think we just showed that right now. Yeah.
Heredes:And also I think we just showed that right now. Yeah, and also we have for the faith-based leaders listening in church and ministry versecreativeai. Jump in there. We train the GPT there to help you be a creative team support and we've trained that GPT to do several things. If you put in an input, help me develop a message on hope, help me develop a message on the book of James.
Heredes:It's going to specifically prompt out songs related. It's going to give you movie clips with timestamps. It's going to give you an all-based and we set boundaries on certain Bible translations, certain types of theology, certain things that protect. So then you're not in a truly open AI where maybe they're pulling theology from the book of Mormon mixed with a little Scientology, with a side of Buddhism and with a sprinkle of whatever right Catholicism. That's not going to bid well in your Sunday sermon. So we prompted it to train specifically for a custom audience and it's been working out. It's been great to hear the feedback from the pastors and leaders using it. Same train develop it. It's not rocket science. There is science to it, but it is not rocket science if you spend the time.
Collin:Not rocket science. There is science to it, but it is not rocket science if you spend the time Absolutely. Oh and, by the way, let's make sure that we want to resource you guys, and so H real quick.
Heredes:Tell us about a resource that you put together very recently with different AI tools. Yeah, actually, our founder, justin, spoke at an association of fundraisers in the Tampa Bay region to tons of people and we share the top 50 AI tools for fundraisers and a lot of them are the ones we use internally. Some are fun, creative, some are strategic, crm, marketing, automation type stuff. Fantastic tool has a little description, a link directly to it. It's a resource our team kind of curated to help you. We'll put the link on everywhere. This podcast is being heard. It's a bitly short link. You can go on our socials, on our LinkedIn page, at Verse Creative. Find it there too. Look for Top 50 AI Tools for Fundraisers.
Collin:Well, there you go, so check that out, keep an eye out for it and, as always, thank you so much for joining us, for listening to the nonprofit renaissance. We are going to be back here next time with, actually part two of this.
Heredes:We're going to do a part two, let's go so with more of not artificial, but maybe some intelligence, some type of intelligence, right or human stupidity our own version of intelligence.
Collin:Let's go. Thank you so much for joining. Thank you for listening. Let's go and let's grow. We'll see you, you next time, see ya.
Outro:Thanks again for listening to the Nonprofit Renaissance. We hope it ignites a renaissance in you and helps you go further and grow faster. Be sure to share, rate and subscribe and if you'd like to recommend or be a guest on our show, send us an email at podcast at versecreativecom.