AI4VA for Employers
AI4VA provides Virginia small businesses, organizations, and nonprofits with free virtual AI consulting courtesy of UVA students. By participating, you will emerge not only with key deliverables but with processes to help your business streamline operations. UVA student teams work remotely and will check in with you via Zoom on a convenient schedule.
Why participate?
As AI use becomes more ubiquitous, many businesses and organizations are wondering where and how AI tools fit into their strategy. AI4VA seeks to address this by applying UVA students' expertise to your business questions — in a way that is free of charge, entirely virtual, and suited to your unique needs and schedule.
As an iteration of our broader Career Academies program, this scalable approach delivers proven results. Hear from past employers on how pairing with student teams helped them build capacity and create sustainable processes.
Project Tracks
AI4VA projects fall into five categories, or tracks, to address your specific business needs and challenges. Click on each header to learn more about what each track entails and what a potential project may look like.
AI in Organizational Strategy & Impact
- Review workflows and financial processes to find where AI can improve decision-making.
- Build a roadmap for using AI to predict future needs and better allocate resources and grants.
- Select AI tools that uncover new opportunities for growth or greater impact.
Example project:
Student teams will work with a small business to identify where AI tools can help leadership make smarter decisions, plan for the future, and find new growth opportunities. Common challenges include relying on gut instinct over data and stretching limited staff too thin. Deliverables may include an AI-assisted growth opportunity report, simple forecasting models, and recommendations for automating repetitive reporting tasks.
AI in Data & Analytics
- Assess AI tools that clean and organize messy data (e.g., donor records or program data) to reduce manual entry.
- Explore how to use AI to summarize complex data and build dashboards for better decision-making.
Example project:
Student teams will work with a small business to assess the quality of their data and identify where AI tools can help turn that data into useful insights. Common challenges include disorganized or incomplete data and difficulty knowing what the numbers actually mean for the business. Deliverables may include a data quality review, an AI-assisted dashboard design, and a simple predictive model to help the business make smarter, more informed decisions.
AI in Operations & Process Automation
- Identify time-consuming workflows and recommend AI tools to reduce bottlenecks.
- Find AI opportunities to simplify administrative, HR, or hiring processes and improve how teams work together.
Example project:
Student teams will work with a small business to identify where day-to-day operations are slowing things down and where AI tools can help. Common challenges include time-consuming manual data entry, inefficient scheduling, and approval processes that create unnecessary delays. Deliverables may include a workflow automation plan, a visual map of current processes with AI recommendations, and a practical guide for putting those improvements into action.
AI in Marketing & E-Commerce
- Assess tools to make marketing more personalized and relevant.
- Pinpoint drop-off points — like abandoned carts or poor search results — where AI can quickly improve conversions.
- Find repetitive tasks (e.g., ad copy or product descriptions) that AI can handle at scale to speed up launches.
Example project:
Student teams will work with a small business to identify where AI tools can help improve their marketing — from creating content more quickly to reaching more customers online. Common challenges include irregular social media posting, low website or social media visibility, and the time it takes to produce content manually. Deliverables may include a website search ranking review, practical content recommendations, and a content calendar with recommended AI tools to make the process easier.
AI Literacy & Enablement
- Develop resources and guidelines to help employees use AI responsibly and effectively.
- Coach teams on prompt writing, responsible AI use, and adopting new tools.
Example project:
Student teams will work with a small business to assess how ready their staff are to start using AI tools and build internal capacity based on this assessment. Common challenges include employees not knowing how to get the most out of AI tools or lacking clear guidelines for using them responsibly. Deliverables may include an AI readiness assessment, a plain-language usage guide, and a practical training roadmap to help the whole team adopt AI confidently and consistently.
Resources
Feel free to bring these resources to team discussions and explore how AI4VA can help your organization build AI capacity and literacy.
AI4VA Slide Deck
AI4VA One-Pager
Visit this site to view an AI4VA one-pager to share with your team.
Get Started
Ready to explore how your business or organization can leverage AI tools?
Sign up for our upcoming employer webinar at this link or sign up for a project directly in the Riipen portal.
Unsure how to get started on the Riipen platform? Use the PDF below as a guide.
Riipen Onboarding & Matching Guide
AI4VA is an initiative of the Office of the Vice Provost for Online Education and Digital Innovation at the University of Virginia.
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AI4VA
Learn more about our new AI4VA initiative this summer, including details and resources for employers and students alike.