Integrating AI at the Joffrey Ballet: Lessons of Innovation Adoption for Nonprofits

The Joffrey Ballet, one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the United States, has long been a leader in artistic innovation. Like many nonprofit organizations, however, it has been slow to adopt artificial intelligence (AI), despite AI's growing influence across industries. Limited resources, risk aversion, and a lack of understanding about AI's potential applications have hindered its adoption. As a member of the Kellogg School of Management's Golub Capital Board Fellows Program, Yvonne Wu partnered with the Joffrey Ballet to explore how AI could support the organization's operations and mission. With a $28 million annual budget and a deeply engaged board and staff, the Joffrey Ballet aimed to identify practical, mission-aligned AI opportunities while navigating a wide range of perceptions across the organization, from curiosity and optimism to skepticism and concern. To address both the technical and the human dimensions of AI adoption, Wu structured the project in two phases: education and change management, followed by a needs assessment and a feasibility analysis. The teaching note outlines a framework for evaluating the opportunities, risks, and considerations for effective AI implementation in the nonprofit context.