Musicians on Call - AI Transformation

Transforming nonprofit operations through strategic AI automation

Overview

Musicians On Call (MOC) brings the healing power of music to patients' bedsides in healthcare facilities across the United States. Their dedication to capturing and sharing powerful patient stories drives their fundraising efforts, but manual processes can limit their ability to surface the most compelling testimonials when they need them most.

Whitesmith partnered with Musicians On Call to identify AI-powered solutions that would transform their operational efficiency. Through a focused 10-hour assessment, we identified opportunities to save over 700 hours annually while enhancing their fundraising potential and expansion. Our approach prioritised quick wins with immediate ROI, building a foundation for comprehensive digital transformation.

musiciansoncall.org

The challenge

Musicians On Call's growing impact is constrained by time-intensive manual processes that prevent their team from focusing on what matters most: building relationships and expanding programs.

The team manually reviewed 20-40 feedback forms daily, copying and pasting information into spreadsheets with a "loose tagging system" that meant valuable stories often got lost in the data
Monthly interview transcriptions required 8-12 hours of manual processing through multiple platforms, with Spanish/English content requiring dual transcripts and translations
Tracking 200+ celebrity artists for engagement opportunities consumes 15-20 hours monthly, with staff admitting "sometimes we can miss things" when artists tour through MOC markets
The inability to quickly surface relevant testimonials created bottlenecks in grant applications and fundraising efforts, with no way to search for specific story types like "Veterans programs in the last 5 years"
Disconnected systems across several platforms create data silos that make comprehensive analysis impossible

Services delivered

AI opportunity assessment & Strategy
Process analysis & Workflow mapping
ROI modelling & Implementation planning
Data privacy & Security listing
Phased implementation roadmap

"We are very grateful to Whitesmith for working with us on this assessment. It was the catalyst we needed to start thinking bigger about how we approach AI, and the process has already inspired meaningful internal discussions that will shape our organization's path forward."

Elizabeth Black, VP of Operations at Musicians On Call

Solution

We started with a kickoff call to understand MOC's pain points and prioritise opportunities based on time impact and fundraising potential. Rather than proposing to automate everything at once, we focused on identifying three high-impact areas that would demonstrate immediate value once implemented. Our discovery process revealed that feedback analysis offered the highest return: 480-600 hours annually that could be redirected to relationship building. We designed an intelligent system that would:

Automatically categorise feedback by location, demographic, and program type
Use sentiment analysis to identify high-impact testimonials
Enable natural language queries ("show me moving stories from Veterans programs")
Integrate seamlessly with their planned Salesforce migration

For quick wins, we recommended shifting from two-week to one-week sprints. This single change immediately injected a new level of agility and responsiveness into the team’s workflow, delivering huge effects. For the long term, we mapped out a vision for a new team organisational structure, a strategic goal that was methodically worked on over the course of the year.

For interview processing, we identified an automated pipeline solution that would process transcripts immediately, extract and categorise quotes, and handle bilingual content seamlessly. This would transform a monthly bottleneck into an asset for the fundraising team by giving instant access to powerful interview quotes. With a proof of concept that would take 4-5 days of implementation, they could validate the approach before scaling to more complex workflows. This phased approach would prove ROI at each stage while building staff confidence in AI tools.

Addressing data privacy

Understanding MOC’s (and many other clients) sensitivity around data privacy and handling, we analyse their data privacy concerns and present several implementation options balancing performance with control like Google Gemini in workspace, Self-hosted AI models and Enterprise-configured ChatGPT (or similar). These options allow MOC to move forward with AI confidently, knowing their data integrity and user trust remain fully protected.

Results

Our assessment identified opportunities to reclaim over 700 hours annually, which is equivalent to adding a part-time staff member without the associated costs. By starting with the interview processing workflow, MOC can achieve break-even in just 4-5 months while building the foundation for broader transformation.

The real value extends beyond time savings. With the AI-powered story discovery system we've outlined, MOC will be able to surface powerful testimonials for grant applications instantly, create data-driven donor engagement strategies, and ensure they never miss an opportunity to connect with artists touring through their markets. Most importantly, their team can focus on what they do best: bringing music's healing power to those who need it most.

This project was delivered in collaboration with 10x Management, a trusted partner known for connecting top-tier technical talent with organisations solving meaningful problems. Their experience in managing high-impact freelance talent helped ensure a fast, focused delivery that balanced innovation with risk management. Together, we formed a cross-functional team that combined deep AI expertise with operational insight, specifically tailored for nonprofit transformation.

Project

Musicians on Call - AI Transformation