Created By: Terry CangelosiNovember 13, 2024 As the days grow shorter and the new year approaches, the window to maximize your 2024 return on investment in AI is closing. We’ve shared in the past about the need for nonprofits to budget for AI, as well as ways to get started, set up policies to use AI responsibly, and prioritize ethical disclosure, however, we continue to hear one primary challenge faced by many nonprofits. Despite best intentions and interest, they can’t dedicate the staff time for a “major” internal analysis and can’t justify an “expensive” enterprise AI solution. So, how can our partners leverage responsible AI to enhance their workforce without the above? One way is by flipping the script – instead of focusing on how AI can cut down the administrative burden and streamline tasks, let’s focus on how AI can empower staff to learn, grow, and perform more effectively. Instead of using AI to enhance the work, try to use AI to enhance the employee. To help think about this, below are four simple, actionable steps nonprofits can take to build their team’s skills and foster a culture of continuous improvement using AI: 1. Foster a Culture of Learning Embed AI education into any existing learning and development structures to encourage staff to explore new skills and ideas and boost AI literacy. Encourage employees to take ownership of their skill development by identifying areas where AI can help them work smarter. Let staff explore AI-driven learning tools or join online courses in their free time. Try this! 💡Invite staff to present a new skill or insight they’ve gained using AI tools or resources at a monthly all-staff meeting, turning AI skill-building into a collective experience and sparking collaboration. 2. Encourage Data-Driven Decision Making AI excels in data analysis, but staff must be comfortable using data to make decisions. Encourage team members to start small by analyzing simple data sets (eg. donor patterns, volunteer schedules, or program outcomes). Empower staff to ask questions about the data (practicing data safety) and use AI-based tools to seek answers. Even simple insights from basic data tools can help staff make more informed decisions, boosting their confidence in handling data. Try this! 💡 Host a data-driven decision-making learning session, using basic AI-powered tools to show staff how to identify trends in the data and make choices based on the insights. 3. Automate Tasks to Make Time for Ideation Automating routine tasks can give staff more time to focus on mission-driven work and creative problem-solving. Instead of focusing on the technical side of AI, help your team identify simple, repetitive tasks they can offload using AI. This frees up time for innovation, planning, and strategic thinking—key areas where staff can grow into leaders. Try this! 💡 Have team members create and collaborate on a list of tasks they find repetitive. Discuss simple AI (and non-AI) tools or methods to automate those tasks and encourage staff to test low-cost automation platforms. 4. Build Confidence in Experimentation One of the most empowering aspects of AI is the ability to try new approaches and lean into change. Nonprofits can cultivate a mindset where staff feel comfortable experimenting with AI to improve their processes. Encourage them to test new tools or approaches on a small scale without fear of failure. The goal is to make AI the tool for experimentation, helping the team feel more comfortable taking risks. Try this! 💡Set up an “AI pilot program” in which the organization chooses one small project or team to experiment with AI solutions and then shares its lessons with the rest of the team/organization. Empowering Staff for the Future AI doesn’t need to be complicated or costly to make a big impact. By focusing on actions that empower staff to grow, collaborate, and innovate, nonprofits can use AI to build a stronger, more skilled team. Through fostering a culture of learning, encouraging data-driven decisions, simplifying task automation, and promoting experimentation, nonprofits can tap into the power of AI without the need for enterprise solutions or dedicating robust staff time. At Orr Group, we’re enthusiastic about the future of AI and hope to share that enthusiasm with our nonprofit partners. We are ready to assist your organization in brainstorming ways to seamlessly and safely integrate AI into your fundraising and other operational efforts. Contact us to learn how we can help elevate your organization to new heights. Contact Us Terry Cangelosi is a Senior Director and Head of Operations at Orr Group. Terry brings 10+ years of nonprofit operations experience to ensure the most efficient operations in Orr Group’s workflows, technology, and infrastructure. Terry is a member of Orr Group’s AI Taskforce.
How Nonprofits Can Use AI and Automation to Reclaim Time and Realize ROI AI Published Date 2025 How Nonprofits Can Use AI and Automation to Reclaim Time and Realize ROI When workflows are automated with AI, nonprofits can reinvest their time into more strategic and ROI-focused tasks. Explore real-life use cases of AI and automation to improve your effectiveness.
AI for Nonprofits: 10 Tools and Best Practices to Know Published Date 2025 AI for Nonprofits: 10 Tools and Best Practices to Know Created by: CJ Orr May 19, 2025 In today’s technologically driven world, artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various industries, including fundraising for nonprofit organizations. AI tools have proven to be significant game-changers, enhancing efficiency, creativity, and personalization in donor engagement. To capitalize on these opportunities, over 60% of nonprofits have started embracing AI in their operations. However, despite these high adoption rates, 92% of nonprofits feel unprepared for AI implementation. To prepare your team to fully leverage AI, let’s understand the landscape and discuss the benefits and challenges of using popular AI-powered tools in nonprofit work. Overview of AI for Nonprofits Leveraging AI: Best Practices for Nonprofits Top AI Tools for Nonprofits Overview of AI for Nonprofits What is AI? AI is any technology that can perform intricate tasks and mimic human intelligence. While AI has become a hot topic in recent years, it’s been around for a while, performing simpler duties like sorting emails or scheduling appointments. However, recent advancements in AI have allowed machines to better understand language, process more complex tasks, and generate original content. In the nonprofit world, organizations typically use AI to enhance and streamline: Prospecting and fundraising by analyzing existing donor data for trends, and identifying new prospects with high potential to give Donor communication by analyzing donors based on shared characteristics and tailoring outreach to them for increased engagement Grant writing by quickly reading applications and generating drafts responses, based on previous applications and organizational materials Human resources by automating interview scheduling, onboarding, training, performance management, and more Graphic design by creating visually appealing infographics or mockups Administrative functions by automating repetitive tasks like data entry, timekeeping, and record maintenance Data insights and reporting by analyzing large datasets to forecast trends and enable better decision-making Types of AI Tools for Nonprofits The library of AI tools is vast and ever-growing. While each organization may have its own needs and goals that AI can support, below are several common types of AI tools you may encounter: Generative AI: consists of machines that create new content based on user prompts and training data. Nonprofit applications: Content creation for grant proposals, social media posts, and impact reports. Large Language Models (LLMs): systems designed to understand and generate human language by learning from vast datasets. LLMs are a subset of generative AI focused primarily on creating and understanding text. Nonprofit applications: Automatically answering routine questions via chatbots or summarizing content. Predictive AI uses statistical models and machine learning to identify patterns in large datasets to forecast future outcomes. Nonprofit applications: Prospecting for fundraising and future financial growth. Advantages and Challenges of Using AI Advantages Increased efficiency. With AI handling mundane tasks, nonprofits can focus on more pressing mission-critical work. Easy data reporting. Humans are more prone to making errors when reporting on and analyzing data. AI can easily—and accurately—report on important data. Better decision-making. AI can provide context and information that allows nonprofits to make more informed choices faster. Scalability. Advanced AI solutions can easily adapt to a growing nonprofit’s needs, enabling organizations to handle increased workloads without overburdening staff. Proactive growth. Most nonprofits have adopted AI, and it’s only getting more prevalent. Your nonprofit should leverage similar technology to keep up with others in the field. Challenges Data privacy/security. Nonprofits must confirm that their chosen solution complies with relevant data privacy laws, like GDPR and CCPA, to keep supporter data safe and maintain their trust. Research which regulations apply to your constituents based on their location, and ensure that AI usage is transparently communicated when necessary. Requires human oversight. AI can make mistakes in researching and synthesizing information, so nonprofit teams need to actively maintain their solutions (more on that later). Initial and ongoing costs. Like any other software solution, AI solutions have costs associated with them, both financial and in time to implement and onboard staff. Ethical concerns. AI can reinforce biases based on the datasets it's trained on. There are also concerns about Generative AI solutions trained on user data, which can plagiarize information from other sources. Loss of human touch. Nonprofit outreach relies on forging deep personal connections with supporters. While AI can emulate human thought, it lacks the emotional depth needed to reinforce relationships, so it still requires staff to ensure the final product aligns with an organization’s values. Leveraging AI: Best Practices for Nonprofits Establish parameters for AI privacy and ethics. Your entire team should be aligned on ethical best practices while using AI. Adopt an AI usage policy and supporting AI governance infrastructure to ensure you’re fulfilling promises to stakeholders and protecting their sensitive information. Identify areas for AI application. While AI has many different uses, your nonprofit doesn’t have to rely on it for everything. To start, identify a few pressing areas where AI could help your operations, like content creation, data analysis, or task automation. Work with an expert to implement AI effectively. The stakes are high when implementing AI, so it’s worth consulting with a professional to cover all of your bases. Double-check AI’s work. While AI can generate human-like text, it’s not flawless. You must review and edit the generated content to ensure it aligns with your organization’s voice, mission, and fundraising goals. Properly train your team. AI can present a learning curve for teams, especially those less technologically advanced. Align everyone with comprehensive AI training and educational resources. Don’t completely replace human interaction with AI. As previously mentioned, AI can’t perfectly emulate your connections with supporters. Use AI to brainstorm ideas for communication (like an outline) and fill in the details yourself. Choosing the right AI systems, developing policies, and training your team are essential, but they take time and expert knowledge to get right. By working with a professional team like Orr Group, you can get up and running with new insights and ideal tools by your side. Top AI Tools for Nonprofits General Use/LLM: ChatGPT Use: ChatGPT is an advanced language model that has significantly influenced the nonprofit sector’s fundraising strategies. It utilizes machine learning algorithms to generate human-like text based on the input it receives. Best features: Live web search, DALL-E image generation, and access to a growing dataset. Cost: Limited free tier $20 Plus tier $200 Pro tier $25/user Team tier Pro-tip: Eligible nonprofits can receive a 20% discount on ChatGPT Team and a 50% discount on ChatGPT Enterprise through OpenAI for Nonprofits. AI Chatbot: Cody Use: Cody is a chatbot that uses organizational content to answer HR-related queries for employees based on defined knowledge sources. Best features: Easy user interface, customizable knowledge base, task automation, and specific features for IT support, business consulting, marketing, HR, and more. Cost: $29/month for the Basic tier, $249/month for the Advanced tier Writing: Grammarly Use: Grammarly is a browser extension that enhances grammar and generates written content. Best features: Tone suggestions, auto-completion of writing, and extensive user-supplemented knowledge base. Cost: Free tier, $12/month, $15/month Prospecting: Apollo Use: Apollo is a sourcing tool that collects contact information for prospective supporters. Best features: Automated outreach, meeting scheduler, and CRM enrichment tools. Cost: Free-$119/month Grantwriting: Grantable Use: Grantable is an LLM that automates aspects of the grantwriting and submission processes. Best features: Ability to train the system from writing samples, reference user-uploaded materials from a library, and include educational resources. Cost: Free-$89/month Graphic Design: Gamma Use: Gamma is a graphic design platform that facilitates the creation of presentations, documents, webpages, infographics, and more. Best features: AI-generated designs, customization options, and user-friendly interface. Cost: Free-$15/seat/month Administrative: Zapier Use: Zapier automates repetitive administrative tasks while connecting various apps and services. Best features: Configurable workflows, app integrations, and a large integration ecosystem. Cost: Free-$69/month Data Management: Microsoft Power BI Use: Microsoft Power BI is a Microsoft add-on tool that allows users to create reports, visualize data, and share insights. Can be combined with Microsoft Copilot 365 for AI data insights. Best features: User-friendly integrations with Microsoft Suite, interactive dashboards, and customizable reports. Cost: Free-$10/user/month Meeting Management: Zoom AI Companion Use: Zoom AI Companion simplifies meeting management by automatically completing tasks during the meeting. Best features: Real-time meeting transcriptions, agenda generation, and ability to assign next actions with a meeting summary. Cost: Free with paid Zoom account Now that you have a solid understanding of AI in the nonprofit world, it’s time to create and execute your own strategy! Developing policies, training your team, and staying updated on the newest best practices can be draining—but it doesn’t have to be. Having an expert team by your side allows you to play around with these tools, test them out, and see what works for you without compromising mission-critical activities. We suggest working with a team with a business-oriented mindset, embedded partnership approach, and AI-specific expertise, like Orr Group. Our well-rounded nonprofit experience and hands-on strategy can help your nonprofit become more comfortable with AI and develop a sustainable use policy in the long term. That way, you can adapt to the rapidly-changing world of AI with ease! CJ Orr is President and Partner of Orr Group. As an expert project and relationship manager with 10+ years of experience in the sector, CJ utilizes data and technology to execute on the development of strategies and tactics to drive effective fundraising plans that meet or exceed targets.
How to Drive Transformation with Strategic AI Implementation AI Published Date 2025 How to Drive Transformation with Strategic AI Implementation Learn how to strategize around effective AI implementation at your organization to responsibly address problems and create lasting results.