A year of hands-on AI workshops across Maui, Kauai, and beyond. 13 sessions. 175 participants. One consistent result: people left ready to use AI in real work.
Across every single session we ran in the past year, the satisfaction rate never dipped. Participants consistently told us the workshops were worth their time, worth the price, and worth recommending to others.
All 175 respondents across 13 workshops answered yes. Not a single “no” in the entire program.
Participants said they would recommend the workshop to colleagues and friends. Net Promoter territory.
When asked directly in the 9/4 workshop, 86% said yes, with additional respondents noting the content itself was valuable.
From small-group SR Partners intensives to weekend workshops for non-profits, from a middle school hands-on session to grant-writing focused trainings, the range of audiences tells the story of how broad the demand has been.
Verbatim responses from participants across the series. No cherry-picking; these are representative of the tone and enthusiasm we saw in almost every response.
When asked “what was the most valuable takeaway,” a handful of themes came up over and over again. These are the patterns that tell us the curriculum is hitting the right notes.
Far and away the most-cited takeaway. Participants were consistently energized by building their own GPTs tailored to their specific work, from grant writing to program development.
Many participants discovered ChatGPT’s Deep Research capability for the first time. Multiple responses called it “mind-blowing” and described it as the tool that will most change their workflow.
The hands-on structure was singled out repeatedly. Participants valued time actually working with the tools over lecture-style content, and most asked for even more hands-on time.
How to talk to AI — writing clear prompts, giving context, iterating. Participants walked away understanding that output quality depends on the quality of their inputs.
Learning how to turn off data training, when to trust outputs, and the reminder that AI output still needs human review. Particularly resonated with non-profit professionals.
Participants articulated a shift in how they see AI: from novelty to a tool that frees up time for higher-value work like relationship-building, outreach, and strategy.
“This was a AWESOME workshop. Thank you so much!!! I can see myself using all your tips and expertise in my day to day duties. Mahalo Nui!”
We asked participants what we could improve. The feedback was consistent across sessions and is already shaping the next iteration of the curriculum.
“More hands-on activities broken down into smaller components” — the top repeated request. Shortening intro content in favor of more build time.
“Separate workshops for beginners and experienced users.” Multiple participants at both ends of the spectrum asked for level-specific content.
“A handout or glossary of components would help.” A post-workshop reference card is in development.
“Offer these as a series so folks can build skills.” The 2026 plan includes a multi-session track for deeper engagement.
“Follow-up sessions with the instructor as we get more practice.” A light-touch office hours program is being piloted.
“Remind us to bring program docs or grant opportunities to work on.” New pre-workshop checklist being added to registration.