In this episode of Tech Innovators Spotlight, host Chad Merck is joined by Paul Goldstein, Head of AI Growth at Blackbaud to discuss how AI is transforming the social good sector through a focus on customer needs, simplicity, and measurable outcomes. The conversation explores the rise of agentic AI as virtual teammates, capable of autonomously supporting tasks like donor engagement while maintaining a human-in-the-loop for trust and oversight. Paul emphasizes that successful AI adoption isn’t about the technology itself, but the value it delivers, whether that’s increased fundraising, stronger relationships, or operational efficiency.  

In This Episode You Will Learn:  

• How agentic AI is being structured and onboarded like a real team member 
• What product and leadership shifts are needed to successfully adopt AI at scale 
• Why outcome-driven AI matters more than understanding the underlying technology 

Some Questions We Ask: 

• What do customers actually care about when it comes to AI? 
• How do you measure whether your AI strategy is working? 
• What future developments in AI are you most excited about? 

Resources:      

View Paul Goldstein on LinkedIn   

View Chad Merck on LinkedIn  

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