While many Fortune 500 companies are still debating whether ChatGPT is safe for employee use, a nonprofit with a fraction of Big Tech’s resources is successfully modernizing 15-year-old code using AI. Welcome to Movember, where mustaches meet machine learning in ways that should make every enterprise CTO take notes.
In a recent episode of the AI First Podcast, Box Chief Customer Officer, Jon Herstein, chatted with Graham Link, Movember’s CTO, to explore how the organization is using AI to transform fundraising, operations, and global impact. As Herstein says, “Whether it's supporting the 10 million men living with prostate cancer, addressing mental health challenges, or helping young men facing testicular cancer, Movember shows us that cutting edge technology and social good aren't mutually exclusive.”
If you work in tech, nonprofit, or operations leadership, this episode offers a hands-on look at how AI can amplify your mission and scale your impact.
Key takeaways:
- Movember proves nonprofits can successfully modernize legacy systems with AI, transforming 15-year-old code and reducing QA time dramatically
- A three-bucket AI strategy strategically determines where to lead, where to follow, and where to preserve human connection
- A cross-functional AI working group provides governance and enablement while maintaining innovation aligned with their mission
From mustache generators to life-saving insights
Link shared insights and practical use cases like self-service employee support, the viral AI-powered mustache generator, and content hubs that connect staff across geographies to Movember’s rich knowledge base. The team has built one Box Hub, for example, that helps employees find exact information across 40 terabytes of data.
Honing in on just engineering, Movember’s team now uses AI to automatically update documentation as code changes — a task no engineer has ever claimed to love. And quality assurance coverage that once took weeks now happens in hours. The result? Engineers spend more time solving complex problems and less time on repetitive tasks.
Movember’s team now uses AI to automatically update documentation as code changes — a task no engineer has ever claimed to love.
But the real potential of AI for Movember lies in the organization’s vision for health applications. “There’s a really interesting AI use case to tailor content that’s relevant for certain markets and individuals down to a micro level,” Link explains.
This means Movember could eventually deliver personalized prostate cancer resources to millions of men based on their specific circumstances and location — all while maintaining the organization’s authentic voice.
The three-bucket strategy of AI adoption
Movember is using AI across a number of different teams and use cases. The nonprofit’s overarching strategy of AI adoption focuses on three important ideas.
- Where to lead: Areas like code modernization, where being first provides competitive advantage. “What we’re able to do with AI would’ve taken us multiple years and a whole lot more people to achieve,” Link shares.
- Where to follow fast: Proven technologies where others have paved the way. Think chatbots, content generation, and workflow automation.
- Where to stay human: The critical decision to maintain authentic human connection in ways that matter. As Link puts it, “We very much need to hold and preserve what is authentic and true about our organization.”
When it comes to staying human, an important way Link’s team approaches AI is to assess how it can help humans do their best work. As he describes the traditional status quo of employment: “We hire people for their unique experiences, then put them in roles where 80% of the work, anyone could do. There’s really only a small portion of time when their uniqueness is brought to the role.”
When it comes to staying human, an important way Link’s team approaches AI is to assess how it can help humans do their best work.
AI flips that standard paradigm. It handles the tedious 80% of repeatable tasks that anyone could do, so people can bring more of their unique, talented selves to work.
Yet, instead of fearing job displacement, Movember’s team has a waiting list of employees eager to access AI tools. The organization had to create an entire enablement framework just to manage the demand.
Building guardrails at the speed of innovation
Movember also took an intentional approach to getting buy-in on AI initiatives. Link’s team created a cross-functional AI working group that includes representatives from legal, health, technology, fundraising, and marketing.
The cross-functional group serves three critical functions:
- Ideation engine: Identifying opportunities across the organization
- Governance body: Ensuring responsible AI use without becoming the “Department of No”
- Enablement team: Providing hands-on help to bring AI initiatives to life
The framework categorizes AI initiatives by risk level, creating fast tracks for low-risk implementations while maintaining appropriate oversight for sensitive health data applications.
Link says, “Having CEO and executive support from the top down potentially makes us better. We want to lean into AI — but in the right ways.”
Movember’s success isn’t just about technology choices. It’s about an organizational culture that embraces change while staying true to its mission. With “fun” as a core value, the company has managed to make even AI transformation enjoyable. The organization’s startup mentality (despite being 23 years old) means employees are “prepared to wear multiple hats” and “always pushing to be better.” This cultural foundation has made AI adoption natural rather than forced.
Movember’s success isn’t just about technology choices. It’s about an organizational culture that embraces change while staying true to its mission.
The lesson for every organization
Movember’s journey offers a masterclass in pragmatic AI transformation. The company isn’t trying to boil the ocean and transform everything overnight. Instead, it’s making deliberate choices about where AI can amplify its mission while preserving what makes Movember uniquely human.
For leaders watching from the sidelines, Link offers this advice: “You’ve got to get hands-on with it. It’s really about getting the whole organization to adopt and leverage AI where it makes sense.”
The message is clear: If a nonprofit focused on men’s health can successfully modernize legacy code, reduce support tickets, and create viral AI experiences — all while maintaining its authentic mission — what’s stopping your organization?
To read more about how November uses Box for Intelligent Content Management, check out the Movember customer story or listen to the full podcast episode.
