Created By: Terry Cangelosi and Bobby HunterJanuary 10, 2024 2023 was a year defined by trends in emerging technologies, economic challenges, and shifts in workforce talent that altered the landscape for organizations across sectors. Among these trends, the prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the hottest topics of the year, with organizations and industries embracing AI tools and witnessing the transformative power they bring to their operations. A testament to this phenomenon comes in the form of a recent working paper, published by the Harvard Business School, which shows improved worker productivity and quality by those using AI successfully. That said, while AI can be advantageous, it also comes with its fair share of challenges, especially when it comes to finding the time to learn these new tools. As we strive as a company to catalyze the latest innovations and achieve the most efficient and effective results for our partners, this means we must also stay on the cutting edge when it comes to technology. This includes AI, and not only using it as a tool to improve our internal practices but to also share our learnings more broadly with the nonprofit sector. In doing so, we’ve analyzed more than 90 AI tools, conducted training sessions and published thought leadership pieces, and established an internal framework for continuous staff development. To share this knowledge and help nonprofits overcome the challenge of time, we’ve distilled our findings into 5 cost and time-efficient strategies organizations can utilize to embrace AI. 1. It Starts with Leadership – Identify an Executive Sponsor This task is easy if your nonprofit already has a CEO, COO, or other executive leader who is excited about AI. It is important to have someone in leadership who is willing to champion this effort and share their insights, successes, and challenges with other members of the C-suite. While they don’t have to be an overly active contributor, an executive sponsor can help strategize around time and money investments in your organization’s AI tool adoption and thus play a crucial role in advancing AI usage throughout the organization. 2. Gather the Team – Create a Task Force Unless your nonprofit already has a dedicated team in place, you will likely need to find volunteers to form an AI committee that will drive this work. Consider bringing together a diverse group of staff from various departments who can find unique ways to implement AI tools toward achieving the organization’s mission and day-to-day work. Ideally, these volunteers are excited about the prospect of AI and may already have experience using AI tools. Once created, the committee should build and align on a mission to drive all initiatives, develop a meeting cadence, and set achievable goals. 3. Set the Guidelines – Build an AI Usage Policy As there is so much yet to be learned about AI, it is important that when conducting business, your employees use AI tools safely and responsibly. To help ensure this code of conduct, nonprofits should develop an AI usage policy, aimed at ensuring the privacy, security, and ethical usage of AI tools while maximizing the benefits for the organization. There are many templates available online that nonprofits can use as a starting point. Your organization’s policy should be tailored toward the specific data you work with, the deliverables you create, and how AI usage may interact with other organizational policies and agreements already in place. Creating this documentation should be an early initiative for the task force, while the executive sponsor can collect feedback and eventual approval of the new policy from leadership. (Note: While some AI leaders offer lawsuit protection for their users, this doesn’t address internal practices and Orr Group doesn’t recommend this as a suitable replacement for a policy.) 4. Do the Research – Analyze Tools According to this August 2023 Medium article, there are “almost 7,000” AI tools; however, with the rate of innovation and access to plug-ins, that number is likely growing exponentially. While most of these AI tools are likely not applicable to your organization’s workflow and mission, identifying and analyzing some of these can help identify key types of tools that can offer the most value. By setting a realistic timeline and building a basic comparison rubric, your AI Task Force can divide and conquer the analysis project to identify the tools that might have the biggest added value (pro tip – many of the tools out there offer free trials). 5. Train your Team When Orr Group conducted an internal survey about how our staff thought they could use AI more effectively, 67% of respondents requested more training sessions and demonstrations. To build our trainings, we looked at what Microsoft, Google, and other tech leaders were sharing to help with AI adoption. This information helped drive an initiative to conduct internal training sessions on how to effectively and safely use AI tools in our line of work. These trainings were built off what had been learned during the tool analysis, such as effective prompt creation and daily life applications, and then simplified into short, interactive presentations. By building baseline skills that apply to a wide range of AI tools, we’re enabling our staff to expand their usage of AI tools overall. For your organization, consider the work your team does and the areas where they could benefit from increased efficiency. Use this as a starting point to customize your trainings. If your nonprofit hasn’t yet formalized its approach to AI, these steps can offer significant workflow improvements with minimal budget impact. Further, they provide a foundation for informed decision-making, helping you determine whether further investment in AI is warranted at your organization. Implement AI For Your Nonprofit With Orr Group 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 more about 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. Bobby Hunter is a Senior Associate Director supporting Operations at Orr Group. Bobby is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of the firm’s use of technology and internal systems to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Bobby 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.