Signal AMINA: The Inclusive and Accountable AI for Marginalized Immigrant Nonprofit Assistance

Summary

The study conducted a three-phase mixed-methods investigation with Iranian immigrant-led nonprofit practitioners operating in politically sensitive contexts. It combined 27 semi-structured interviews, a co-design session, and 7 evaluation and feedback interviews on a prototyped AI assistant called AMINA. Findings showed that legitimacy barriers, capacity gaps, and politically charged misinformation constrain nonprofit operations. These insights were translated into design goals: support for everyday operations, recognition of informal nonprofit efforts, proactive countering of misinformation, and multilingual, accessible interaction. User evaluations indicated that AMINA could reduce reporting burdens, foster transparency through proactive reminders, and catalyze collaboration across dispersed networks. The authors state that AI can act as a collaborative partner strengthening rather than displacing human connections in nonprofit ecosystems, while also posing major risks.