Aligned for Good at Mission Partners

Our Commitment to Ethical and Responsible AI Use

At Mission Partners, our values guide our work every day. So, as it became increasingly clear that AI would have a significant impact on our field, we leaned into learning. Over the past two years, we’ve been carefully examining what ethical and responsible AI integration looks like for a firm like ours, and for the mission-driven organizations we serve. The result is a detailed framework for ethical and responsible AI use — one that puts human judgment, lived experience, and strategic thinking at the center, and treats AI as a tool to augment that work, not replace it.   

The result is Aligned for Good™ at Mission Partners — our dedicated practice area for ethical and responsible AI use in strategic communications. It’s grounded in the same values that have guided Mission Partners from the beginning: people come first, integrity, excellence, courageous leadership, and continuous learning and growth.

Our Philosophy

Since our first iteration of an AI policy in 2024 and our subsequent public reflections, we have recognized AI’s potential to help, as much as we acknowledge its power to harm.

When used ethically and responsibly, we believe AI can be an effective tool to supplement our human processes and improve how we research, organize, and structure our work. However, AI cannot replace our human judgment, strategic analysis, and lived experience.

That’s why we approach AI through the lens of augmented intelligence — not artificial replacement. AI will never generate the first draft of our thinking, replace our counsel, or stand in for the human relationships at the heart of this work. When used well — with minds open and values intact — we believe it can open new doors to innovative methods of learning, working, collaborating, and advancing mission-driven work in more meaningful ways.

Carrie Fox and Anne Kerns of Mission Partners looking at a tablet, discussing AI.

Why Ethical and Responsible?

Ethical and responsible use of AI are not interchangeable terms, and both matter when we approach integrating AI into our operations and work products.

ETHICAL USE
Ethical use asks: Is this the right thing to do?
Ethical use is grounded in our values. It asks whether AI should be used at all, for what purpose, and for whose benefit. Ethical use goes beyond adhering to established rules or procedures to ask whether our choices reflect who we are as a firm.

RESPONSIBLE USE
Responsible use asks: Am I using this carefully and correctly?
Responsible use is practical and procedural. It ensures we follow best practices, protect company and/or client data, disclose AI involvement, and manage risk for Mission Partners and our clients at all stages of our partnership, now and into the future.

Read on to explore our commitment in depth.

Mission Partners’ Commitment to Ethical and Responsible AI Use

At Mission Partners, we individually and collectively commit and agree to abide by the following standards:

1. Human Leadership

AI can support our work, but cannot replace it. We will not use AI to generate the first draft of strategic or creative work. Rather, we will bring our own original thinking first and use AI to expand, pressure-test, or organize what we have already developed. No AI-generated content will appear in internal or external deliverables without having undergone meaningful editing, human judgment, and personal oversight. Before we use AI, we must first ask ourselves, “Am I attempting to use AI to supplement and augment my individual work product, or to replace it?”

2. Transparency

We pledge to be truthful and forthcoming about how AI supports our work. When AI materially contributes to a deliverable, we will disclose that use and ensure clients understand the nature and extent of our oversight. If a client prohibits or limits the use of AI, we will fully and unconditionally honor that requirement and will follow their established procedures accordingly. *material contribution occurs when AI-generated content or analysis becomes part of the substance of a deliverable, for example, when AI is used to develop insights or recommendations rather than as editing or formatting support.

3. Accuracy and Integrity

We recognize that AI can generate inaccurate or outdated content and may present it with confidence. Therefore, we pledge to treat AI outputs as drafts, not facts. We will independently fact-check, verify, and edit all AI-generated content before use and ensure that any final work reflects Mission Partners’ quality standards as well as the authentic voice and tone of Mission Partners and our clients. Passing off AI-generated content as our own original work is considered plagiarism and violates our values and this pledge.

4. Data Protection

We pledge to protect confidential and sensitive information. We will not utilize public or unsecured AI tools for Mission Partners’ company or client work. We will carefully abide by client requirements and preferences regarding the use of AI, including when and what information may be entered into paid AI tools. By default, we will not enter confidential or sensitive information into any generative AI tool, including paid, pro, or enterprise versions of tools. Confidential and sensitive information includes, but is not limited to:

Compensation data

Financial information

Pending projects and proposals

Proprietary business practices, methodologies, or processes

Proprietary Mission Partners’ or client information

Information protected by client agreements

5. Bias Awareness

We recognize that AI platforms are trained on data created by humans, and that human bias is embedded in those datasets. Therefore, we pledge to critically review AI-generated outputs for bias, stereotypes, and harmful assumptions before use. We will apply an equitable and inclusive lens to all AI-assisted work, ensuring that biased or exclusionary content does not make its way into our work, our client deliverables, or our communications.

6. Responsible Creativity

Clients engage Mission Partners for our human-centered approach, analysis, perspective, and counsel. AI may assist with tasks such as research, brainstorming, drafting, editing, or readability review, but it will never be the origin of our strategic thinking. Our final deliverables will always reflect our own insights, expertise, and ideas.

7. Continuous Learning

We pledge to remain informed about the evolving capabilities and risks of AI tools. We will follow Mission Partners’ executive direction as policies evolve, participate in team training, and raise questions or concerns when we encounter scenarios not covered by current guidance. If we are uncertain whether a particular AI use is appropriate, we will always ask before acting.

Let’s Work Together

Looking to navigate ethical and responsible AI use in your organization? Let us help align your strategy with your values, while building confidence and clarity in your approach. Whether you’re just starting the learning process, you need to update an existing policy, or need support navigating this time, with a mission-driven partner, we can help.

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