Artificial intelligence and machine learning may be even more useful for NGOs than for regular businesses. However, it can be difficult to start using any new technology without a clear understanding of what it is, what it is designed to do, and how it fits into your daily operations.
Most nonprofit teams work with limited staff and time, that’s why learning new tools feels like a luxury. Yet nowadays not using what artificial intelligence can offer means missing efficiency gains instead of succeeding along with businesses that run for profit.
Let’s examine how to start using these tools daily and test them to see what works and what fails. To support European NGOs is a meaningful task and AI technologies can simplify repetitive administrative work by making cleaner processes without wasting time on tasks that are energy-consuming.
Smart tools for small teams
Running a small nonprofit often feels overwhelming. NGO leaders are beginning to consider the possibilities of affordable automation for everyday tasks such as:
- administrative tasks;
- writing grants and cooperation proposals;
- market analysis;
- field research;
- content creation;
- social media management and so on.
At first, it may seem like a lonely process. Given the number of artificial intelligence tools and the variety of LLMs, it can be quite difficult to understand where to start and what exactly is available to non-profit organizations. It may seem like everyone else is moving forward, while you are still staring at a blank screen, wondering whether to use ChatGPT, Grok, or something else. And especially when you’re solving real problems and dedicating your time to social issues, you don’t want to be left behind.
Real ways NGOs already use AI
Be that simple tasks solved by an LLM such as ChatGPT, more complex analyses by the Perplexity tool which helps with the research, or image generation by Veo 3, thanks to the technical solutions you can create a basic digital workflow for your organisation and learn on the way.
Text generation for charity program descriptions, advertising slogans, social media posts – AI will save time on routine writing tasks, answer common questions on your website or summarise long documents.
Got a 50-page report? AI can pull out key points. Not everything can be perfect at first, but even small intuitive steps can be enough to reduce the workload.
Later, organisations can implement more advanced solutions, that for instance can help figure out industry specifics, predict donation likelihood, and recommend approaches that might work for your particular case.
Thanks to digital solutions, you can approach a larger audience using translation and localisation and analyse your target personas and their pain points to create an approach making the fundraising process more efficient.
How AI helps nonprofits work smarter
When used correctly, AI tools can be beneficial in various ways:
Put order in messy data (ChatGPT)
If your database mixes names, emails, and addresses, AI can help sort it. You give it a clear instruction, and it organizes the list faster than any human. That means your staff can focus on real work instead of spreadsheets.
Help with writing and editing (Claude)
AI handles routine writing well. Give it a short draft, and it can turn it into a clear, formal text for a report or letter. It can help write basic newsletters or event summaries that you later review and add human touch.
Generate ideas and visuals (Midjourney)
You can save on creatives, as a text-based system can suggest ideas for any promo materials in just seconds. You just need to have an idea in your head and feed these descriptions into an image tool to get visuals.
Offer direction when you are stuck (Deepseek)
If you plan a fundraising campaign and do not know where to start, ask AI for a step-by-step plan. As easy as that! You will need to describe the goal of your project and the best possible outcome and ask LLM for the steps to get through. It gives you a base to work from, similar to a short consultation with a specialist.
Surely, it’s important to be cautious:
- To give AI tools NO personal details;
- To always check whatever AI says – the tools are useful, but they are yet not experts – you will see that each tool will warn you to still check what it says. It can sound confident and still be wrong.
- To keep in mind compliance with GDPR legal norms – remember data confidentiality issues and potential algorithm bias when creating materials which will be used for a larger auditorium or has sensitive information. In this case it’s important to check your NGO’s location and applicable jurisdiction.
How to ask AI the right way
People complain a lot about “AI junk”, but part of the problem is that many don’t choose the right tool for the job. And even if they do, there’s a whole field called “prompt engineering” and using it correctly AI work can be almost identical to human-created work.
Simply put, to get decent results from AI, you need to “ask properly”. To begin with, structure your request like this:
- Task: What does AI need to write?
- Role: Why is it writing this?
- Style: How should it write?
- Clarification: What else to keep in mind?
- Audience: Who is this for?
Just remember to provide all the facts and specify as many details as possible. Asking for an event announcement? Give AI all the data (when, where, what, why), specify the target audience. Want a landing page copy? Describe the project essence, explain what makes your offer unique.
You can even ask AI to suggest ideas for a research paper, then ask for its structure. As said, it’s important to remember that in such cases AI might mix up facts. But that doesn’t cancel that AI can make life easier and inspire people to create something new.
Should NGOs start using AI?
It can be tricky to communicate nonprofit values to AI tools. When creating specific materials, you may need to pass the values you’ve been working hard to communicate to create a suitable copy.
That’s why before jumping in, you might need to evaluate some ethical questions for deciding whether using AI makes sense for your NGO.
Ethical questions: What tasks around funding decisions or beneficiary selection can be solved with AI? Do risks outweigh benefits? How will you handle confidentiality, possible algorithm bias, and decision transparency?
Organizational questions: Do staff have the necessary level of involvement, knowledge, and skills? Are people ready and able to use AI?
If after self-assessment it’s clear that AI is the most practical solution, then move forward.
This methodology is just one available tool for a simple checklist before implementing AI. This is an important step, because when there’s no strategy for implementing AI instruments, these unrealized possibilities can negatively affect your organization’s sustainability.
The answer to unsystematic AI use risks is developing understanding that AI and digital tools should be implemented based on real organizational needs and considering available resources and digital readiness.
Start small. Even initial steps in using AI can bring noticeable results. But don’t expect miracles – AI requires constant monitoring and control to avoid mistakes and ensure systems function properly.
Bottom Line
Even a few saved hours a week can make a big difference. Applying AI in NGOs can substantially increase work efficiency and effectiveness by improving resource management, fundraising and optimization of internal processes.
But for full realisation of AI potential, NGOs need to overcome significant obstacles. Focus on developing your digital skills, ensuring timely access to information about new technologies, and forming general awareness in AI use. All these measures together will let NGOs successfully integrate AI into their activities, significantly improving capabilities in solving social problems and raising the quality of people’s lives. Sometimes small steps are exactly what you need.
