AWS Public Sector Blog

AI, activism, and impact: What to expect at AWS Imagine for Nonprofits 2026

AI, activism, and impact: What to expect at AWS Imagine for Nonprofits 2026

Can you imagine what’s possible when nonprofit organizations are empowered to harness today’s most advanced technology on behalf of people and the planet? On March 19, nonprofit leaders, technologists, and changemakers will gather at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, to celebrate a decade of impact and explore what’s next at the 10th annual AWS Imagine for Nonprofits conference.

This no-cost, in-person event combines thought-provoking keynotes, interactive breakout sessions, hands-on workshops, and dedicated networking time. Sessions explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and intentional innovation transform the nonprofit sector. Attendees will discover how to build robust data strategies and ethical AI frameworks, scale local initiatives into global movements, and use modern technology and human-centered AI to amplify their organization’s mission.

Whether you’re a nonprofit executive, program director, tech professional, or innovation strategist, AWS Imagine for Nonprofits 2026 has something for you. Read on for a look at what’s in store, and be sure to browse the full agenda.

Keynotes from the nonprofit sector featuring John Legend

John Legend is this year’s luminary speaker! An EGOT-winning, multi-platinum artist and activist, Legend focuses his advocacy on advancing criminal legal reform and investing in community well-being. He advances this work through his signature initiatives, freeamerica and HUMANLEVEL, which work to dismantle systems of injustice and build the infrastructure for safer, more equitable communities. He currently serves on multiple boards, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Harlem Village Academies, and on advisory boards for FUSE and Teach For All.

In his fireside chat with Dave Levy, Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector at AWS, he will reflect on the evolution of his impact work, and explore how creativity, coalition-building, and strategic investment can drive lasting systems change.

The keynote stage will also feature Rick Buettner, managing director of Global Nonprofits at AWS, and Lauren Stovall, global head of Nonprofit Programs at AWS, alongside two leaders whose organizations exemplify technology-driven impact at scale: Dr. Lilian Pintea, vice president of conservation science at the Jane Goodall Institute, and Felipe Arango, chief executive officer of Fair Trade USA.

Breakout sessions tackling real nonprofit challenges

The day’s breakout sessions are organized into two learning tracks. The Inspire track showcases how nonprofit leaders are applying technology to expand their impact while keeping people and purpose at the center. The Build track dives deep into how modern technology foundations and AI are helping organizations accelerate time to insight and broaden their reach. Together, the tracks offer both strategic vision and practical tools that participants can bring back to their organizations and apply to their work.

Here are just a few of the sessions on the agenda:

Changing the world is wild. Your AI agents shouldn’t be. AI agents are opening new doors for nonprofits, from drafting grant proposals to analyzing program data. However, connecting AI to sensitive information creates new security risks. Remy Champion, director of Okta for Nonprofits, covers how to build a strong identity foundation for AI agents, including the evolving threat landscape, key phases of AI agent security, and how to give agents only the access they need to be effective.

When every second counts: Building a data foundation that saves lives The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) used cloud technology to move beyond requiring perfect donor matches, successfully pairing patients with the best-matched donors backed by clinical evidence. This resulted in 20% growth in successful matches and dramatically expanded access for ethnically diverse populations. Jamie Margolis, PhD, senior vice president of member, donor, and product operations, explains how predictive analytics helped NMDP scale across its complex stakeholder landscape.

From manual to mission-scale: AI-powered quality and connection in crisis services Julia Dailey, executive director of strategic planning and initiatives at the American Red Cross, and Oscar Gonzalez, director of the Boys Town National Hotline, explore how AI-supported service delivery is transforming crisis response and scaling compassionate care without sacrificing the human connection that is critical in these moments.

How intelligent document processing transformed the Jane Goodall Institute’s legacy data into actionable insights Brittany Roush, public sector generative AI strategist at AWS, and Xi Palazzolo, senior deep learning architect at AWS, reveal how the Jane Goodall Institute partnered with the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center to interpret and translate 65 years of handwritten field notes, unlocking critical insights for wildlife conservation research.

The full agenda also includes workshops on everything from accelerating cloud migrations with AWS Transform to enhancing operations with Agentic AI to Innovation-minded leadership in a changing world.

Connect with peers, AWS experts, and AWS Partners

AWS Imagine for Nonprofits is designed for connection. We’ve built in dedicated networking time from breakfast through the closing reception, offering participants the chance to exchange ideas, tackle shared challenges, and uncover opportunities that will move the work forward. Connect with the AWS nonprofit team, AWS solutions architects, and representatives from AWS Partners throughout the event, including platinum sponsor Bonterra, and gold sponsors Okta and Splunk.

We also invite attendees and non-attendees alike to join the conversation before, during, and after the event by following #AWSImagineNonprofit2026 on LinkedIn for announcements, customer and expert interviews, and behind-the-scenes content from the conference.

Learn more and register

Registration for AWS Imagine for Nonprofits is nearly full. Learn more and register on the conference page. Unable to attend in person? Select sessions will be recorded and available on-demand after the event.

Access the on-demand session library from the 2025 conference today, featuring 15 talks from nonprofit leaders and AWS experts. Then take the next step: contact our team to start your AWS Cloud and AI journey today.

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Rick Buettner

Rick Buettner

Rick is the managing director and general manager of global nonprofits at AWS. In this role, he leads a team helping nonprofit organizations accelerate their digital transformation and mission outcomes through cloud technology.