Your data isn't ready for AI yet.
Donor data, program data, and grant data live in different systems and rarely talk. Before we build a single model, we diagnose what's actually there, integrate what matters, and get your governance in shape.
For Nonprofits · $1M–$50M Budgets
Built for the nonprofits
Built for the nonprofits
big consulting forgot.
Boutique data and AI consulting for nonprofits with $1M–$50M budgets. Fixed-scope. Senior-led. Built to hand off — so the engagement ends and your team owns what we built together.
- Pilot length
- 6 weeks
- Reporting time saved
- 60%
- Software we'll sell you
- None
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Why this exists
We started Balboa Insights for the buyers Big Four wouldn't return a call to.
The mission-driven nonprofit. The regional foundation. The healthcare or community-services org with real data, real questions, and a board asking what AI actually means for them.
These are the buyers who can't afford a six-month engagement with a Big Four firm — and who shouldn't have to. They need AI that ships, data that works, and consultants who finish what they start.
That's the firm we built. Senior-led. Fixed-scope. No retainer trap. No software to sell. We come in, we ship something real, and we hand it back to your team.
How we think
Three things most nonprofit AI conversations get wrong.
AI pilots that ship — not slides.
Six-week sprints with named success metrics agreed up front. You leave with a working prototype your team can defend at the next board meeting, not a 30-page deck.
No software to sell. No retainer trap.
We're vendor-neutral. We use the tools you already own. Every engagement is built to hand off — so when we're done, your team owns it and the work doesn't depend on us being on payroll.
What we do
Three engagements. Each one finishes.
Pick the one that matches where you are. They're designed to stand alone — but they also build on each other when the next step makes sense.
Start here
AI Readiness Audit
Four to six weeks. We inventory your data, integrate what matters, set your AI governance, and hand back a prioritized use-case roadmap.
- › Data & system inventory
- › Governance & policy starter
- › Prioritized use-case roadmap
Rapid AI Pilot
Six weeks, fixed price. One real AI use case from idea to working prototype, with a 90-day roadmap to scale across your org.
- › One use case, end to end
- › Working prototype on your stack
- › 90-day scale roadmap
Fractional Data Leadership
Half a day to a full day per week of senior data leadership for nonprofits without a CDO. Six- to twelve-month engagements.
- › Senior data leadership, on retainer
- › Board & ED-level reporting
- › Built to graduate to in-house
Is this for you?
A great fit if you're…
- A nonprofit with $1M–$50M in annual budget and real data flowing through it
- Hearing "we should be using AI" from your board, but not sure where to start responsibly
- Spending too much staff time on manual reporting that should already be automated
- Looking for a senior partner who finishes — not a 12-person team and a 90-day onboarding
Probably not a fit if…
- — You need a 30-page strategy deck before any work begins
- — Your "AI project" doesn't have an executive sponsor or a budget
- — You want a software vendor or a long retainer, not a finite engagement
- — You're optimizing for procurement theater, not outcomes
Not sure? Take our free 2-minute AI assessment — you'll get a clear read on whether a pilot makes sense for you, no sales call required.
Client outcome
See full case studies
60% less time on reporting. More time on mission.
Regional Nonprofit · Operational Data Strategy
60%
Reduction in time spent on manual reporting after a six-week operational data engagement — freeing program staff to focus on mission delivery instead of spreadsheets.
More nonprofit case studies will be published as engagements close. Want to be the next one?
What "built to hand off" looked like.
- Connected donor, program & grant data — no new platform required
- Trained the in-house team to own the dashboards day one
- Engagement ended on schedule — no permanent retainer
Coming soon — free download
The Nonprofit AI Policy Template every board should see.
A board-ready AI policy template built for mission-driven organizations. Plain language. Practical guardrails. Designed to be adopted, not just filed away. Join the waitlist and we'll send it the day it's ready.
Join the waitlist
No spam. Just the template when it ships.
Ready to put AI to work for your mission?
Book a 30-minute strategy call with a senior principal. No deck, no junior gatekeeper, no obligation.