Hi, I’m Garrett Mickley
Make technology work for your mission.
I help associations and nonprofits use AI, automation, open-source software, and better systems to save time, reduce costs, and accomplish more with the resources they already have.
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Technology should solve problems, not create new ones.
There’s no shortage of new technology promising to transform your organization.
AI can automate work that used to take hours. New tools promise to connect your systems, improve productivity, cut costs, and let smaller teams accomplish more.
Some of them can.
But the question isn’t, “Where can we use AI?”
It’s “What are we trying to accomplish, what’s getting in the way, and what’s the best way to fix it?”
Sometimes that’s AI. Sometimes it’s a simple automation. Sometimes it’s replacing an expensive platform with an open-source alternative, connecting systems you already have, or redesigning a process that shouldn’t be so complicated in the first place.
I help organizations figure out the difference.
Start with the constraint.
Before recommending technology, I want to understand three things:
What does your organization actually need to accomplish?
Where are you losing time, money, capacity, or opportunities?
Of all the things we could improve, which ones would create the most leverage?
Only then do we start talking about solutions.
The goal isn’t more technology.
It’s a better organization.
Where I can help
AI Strategy
AI is creating opportunities that simply weren’t practical a few years ago. I help organizations identify where those opportunities are real, where they’re mostly hype, and how to use AI without introducing unnecessary cost, complexity, or risk.
Automation & Workflow Improvement
If people are repeatedly copying information, assembling the same reports, moving data between systems, chasing routine tasks, or doing work a computer could reliably handle, there’s probably a better workflow. I find it and help design it.
Technology Strategy
Sometimes the hardest part isn’t implementing technology. It’s deciding what to implement. I help organizations evaluate systems, integrations, processes, and technology investments based on what will actually move the organization forward.
Open Source & Technology Optimization
Software costs add up quickly, especially for organizations working with limited resources. I help identify where open-source software, better-fit tools, consolidation, or simply using what you already pay for can reduce costs without sacrificing what your organization needs.
AI is a tool. Not the strategy.
I’m excited about what AI makes possible.
I’m also perfectly happy to tell you not to use it.
If a conventional automation is cheaper and more reliable, use that. If an open-source application solves the problem, use that. If your existing software already has the feature you need, turn it on.
And if the best solution is changing the process and buying absolutely nothing?
Even better.
My job isn’t to sell you AI.
My job is to help you make better technology decisions.
about me
Built from inside an association.
I’ve spent roughly a decade as Technical Director for the American Institute of Building Design, working on the same kinds of problems associations and nonprofits deal with every day.
Membership systems. Education. E-commerce. Websites. Communications. Support. Forms. Integrations. Automations. Internal workflows. Legacy systems. New technology. Limited resources.
I’ve worked with staff, members, volunteers, committees, boards, vendors, and software that absolutely refuses to cooperate with the other software.
That experience shapes how I approach technology strategy.
I’m not interested in recommending technology because it looks impressive in a presentation.
I’m interested in whether it actually works for the people who have to use it.
Thinking About Technology
I write about AI, software, the internet, open source, technology strategy, and the relationship between people and the tools we build.
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Wondering where AI could actually help your organization?
Start with the AI Opportunity Assessment.
I’ll ask about your organization’s priorities, constraints, workflows, and biggest opportunities—not which AI tools you think you need.
Because you shouldn’t have to know the solution before asking for help.
Let’s make something work better.
You don’t need an AI strategy just because everyone says you need an AI strategy.
You don’t need an AI strategy just because everyone says you need an AI strategy.
That’s where I can help.