AI might sound like something made for big tech companies, but it’s quickly becoming a powerful tool for nonprofits too.
Whether you’re writing emails to donors, managing event lists, or figuring out how to do more with fewer staff, artificial intelligence can make your work easier, and even more impactful.
But let’s be honest: getting started with AI can feel confusing. What tools should you use? How do you use them responsibly? And where do you even begin if you’re already juggling a million things?
That’s where this guide comes in. We’re going to break down what AI is, how it’s already helping nonprofit teams like yours, and how you can start building AI skills, without needing to become a tech expert. We’ll also cover how to use AI in ways that align with your mission, your team, and your community.
Why artificial intelligence matters in the nonprofit sector
Nonprofits have always been creative about doing more with less. Whether it’s running programs on tight budgets or managing a team of volunteers, you’re used to making things work. But now, with artificial intelligence (AI), there’s a new way to work smarter, not harder.
AI isn’t just about robots or complicated code. It’s about using tools that can help you save time, make better decisions, and connect more deeply with your community. We’ve seen small teams use AI to write donor emails in minutes, plan smarter events, and even predict which supporters are most likely to give again.
In the nonprofit world, trust and relationships matter. AI helps you understand your supporters better, respond faster, and stay focused on your mission, not the busywork. It’s like adding a teammate who works around the clock (and never takes lunch breaks).
The truth is, AI isn’t a trend. It’s becoming a standard tool in nonprofit work. And the sooner you get comfortable using it, the more prepared you’ll be to grow your impact in a changing world.
How generative AI tools are changing the game
Generative AI tools are the ones that can actually create things for you, like text, images, or even summaries, just by typing in a few words. Think of them like super-smart assistants that understand what you’re asking and give you something useful in return.
Let’s say you need to write a fundraising email but don’t know where to start. Tools like ChatGPT can help you draft a message in seconds. You can edit it, tweak it, or just use it to get your thoughts flowing. We've worked with nonprofits who now build entire campaign drafts in a single afternoon, something that used to take days.
And it’s not just about writing. Generative AI can help with creating social media posts, generating volunteer thank-you notes, summarizing meeting transcripts, and even organizing event ideas. These tools take the pressure off your team, especially if you're wearing multiple hats.
The big win? You can move faster without sacrificing quality, and spend more time on the parts of your work that matter most: connecting with people, growing your mission, and making a difference.
Getting started with AI: A roadmap for nonprofit professionals
If you’re new to AI, you’re not alone. A lot of nonprofit teams are just starting to explore what’s possible. The good news? You don’t need a tech background or fancy setup to begin. Just a little curiosity and the right mindset.
The first step is learning the basics. What is AI? How does it work? What can it actually do for your nonprofit? Once you’ve got a handle on the big picture, you can start looking at tools that fit your needs.
Next, pick one area to test. Maybe that’s writing donor emails, organizing event ideas, or summarizing meeting notes. Start small, this isn’t about doing everything at once. The goal is to get comfortable and build confidence over time.
From there, think about your team. Who’s excited to try new tools? Who might need extra support? Learning together makes it easier to spot what’s working and what’s not. And once you find something that helps, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it.
We’ve seen this happen with plenty of nonprofit teams. One small win leads to another, and before long, AI becomes just another tool in your toolbox, like your CRM or donation form.
How to build confidence with AI: A step-by-step guide for nonprofit teams
Step 1: Understand the basics of artificial intelligence
Before diving into tools and strategies, it helps to know what we’re actually talking about when we say “AI.” You don’t need to get too technical, just a clear idea of the basics will go a long way.
Artificial intelligence (or AI) is when machines are trained to do tasks that usually need human thinking. That could be writing an email, answering questions, or spotting patterns in data. If you’ve ever used voice assistants or seen auto-suggestions while typing, you’ve already used AI.
There are different kinds of AI, but one that’s especially useful for nonprofits is generative AI. This type of AI creates new content, like text, images, or even audio, based on prompts you give it. It’s kind of like having a co-writer or creative helper.
Another term you’ll hear is machine learning, which is just a fancy way of saying the AI gets better the more it’s used. The more data it sees, the smarter its responses become.
The key takeaway? AI is just a tool. And like any tool, it works best when you know how to use it for your specific goals. You don’t need to understand every detail under the hood, you just need to know what it can do and how it can help your team.
Step 2: Build prompt engineering skills
Now that you’ve got the basics down, the next step is learning how to talk to AI tools. That’s where prompt engineering comes in. It’s just a fancy way of saying: “Ask better questions to get better results.”
Think of prompts as instructions. The clearer you are, the better the AI can help. For example, instead of saying “Write a donor message,” you could try, “Write a warm thank-you note for a donor who gave $100 to our food program this week.” That extra detail helps the tool give you something that feels more personal and useful.
We’ve seen teams create full fundraising campaigns just by learning how to give the AI a few strong prompts. Like any skill, it takes a little practice, but once you get it, it makes your job so much easier.
Start by writing out a few tasks you do regularly, emails, social posts, event invites, and test how AI responds when you give it more context. You’ll be surprised how quickly it starts feeling natural.
Step 3: Evaluate tools for your nonprofit
There are tons of AI tools out there, and not all of them are made with nonprofits in mind. So how do you choose? Start by asking what you need help with most. Are you short on time to write content? Struggling to organize data? Need help replying to donors faster?
Once you’ve narrowed that down, look for tools that are easy to use, secure, and affordable. Some are free. Others charge monthly, but many offer discounts for nonprofits.
We often suggest starting with general tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, or Canva’s AI features. These are easy to try and can fit right into your daily workflow. If you’re looking for more advanced options, there are also tools made for fundraising, donor outreach, and volunteer management.
The main thing? Don’t get overwhelmed. Pick one tool. Try it with your team. If it helps, keep going. If not, move on. Your time is too valuable to waste on tools that don’t fit.
AI in action: Use cases that drive real social impact
You don’t need to imagine how AI might help your nonprofit, it’s already happening. Across the sector, we’re seeing teams use AI in practical, mission-driven ways that save time, increase donations, and deepen community connections.
Enhancing fundraising with intelligent automation
Writing personalized thank-you notes, drafting donation appeals, segmenting donor lists, these tasks used to take hours. Now, AI can help do them in minutes. You give it a few details (like a donor’s name and gift amount), and it gives you a starting draft that sounds warm, clear, and on-brand.
We’ve worked with organizations that used AI to build full fundraising calendars, automate recurring emails, and even test different subject lines to see what drives the most opens. The result? More giving, less guessing.
Streamlining internal nonprofit operations
Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of admin work that eats up your team’s time. AI tools can help with things like scheduling volunteers, organizing meeting notes, or creating event checklists. Some nonprofits even use AI to summarize board meeting recordings or pull key takeaways from long reports.
It’s like giving your team a virtual assistant, one that doesn’t need training and never calls out sick.
Improving community engagement through social media
Posting on social can be a full-time job. But with AI, it doesn’t have to be. You can use it to write captions, suggest hashtags, or even plan out a whole month’s worth of posts in one sitting.
One of our partners uses AI to repurpose donor stories into short, emotional posts that connect with their audience, and they’ve seen engagement go up because of it. The best part? Their team has more time to focus on relationships, not writing captions.
Responsible AI adoption for nonprofit organizations
As exciting as AI can be, it also comes with big responsibilities, especially when you’re working with donor data, community trust, and sensitive stories. That’s why taking a thoughtful, ethical approach is just as important as learning how the tools work.
Ethics and data privacy in the age of AI
Your donors and community members are trusting you with their information. When using AI tools, especially those that run in the cloud, you want to make sure you’re protecting that trust. That means checking where data goes, who can see it, and how it’s stored.
Some tools save the info you enter to help improve their systems. So before uploading anything sensitive, like donor lists or personal details, look at the tool’s privacy policy or ask your tech lead to take a look.
We’ve seen smart teams keep a clear line: test AI with public-facing content (like event descriptions or social media drafts), and hold off on using it with private data unless the tool has proper security built in.
Governance and decision-making frameworks
You don’t need a legal team to be thoughtful about AI. Just having a simple plan in place makes a big difference. Here are a few questions we recommend nonprofits ask before adopting any new tool:
- Who will use it, and for what?
- What kind of data will we enter?
- Is this tool secure and trusted?
- Do we need approval from leadership or IT?
- How will we track if it’s actually helping?
It can also help to assign one person or a small group to own your AI testing. That way, things don’t fall through the cracks, and your team has someone to turn to with questions.
Responsible AI use isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being intentional. The goal is to use these tools in ways that support your mission, respect your people, and protect your data.
Building long-term AI capacity through training
Trying a new tool is one thing, building real confidence takes practice. That’s where training comes in. The more your team understands how AI works (and how it fits into their everyday tasks), the more useful it becomes. And the good news? You don’t need to spend a ton or bring in outside consultants to get started.
AI training formats for nonprofit professionals
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach here. Some teams like quick, self-paced tutorials. Others prefer group workshops where they can ask questions and try things together. What matters most is picking a format that fits your team’s learning style, and your schedule.
Free courses can be a great starting point. LinkedIn Learning offers solid introductions to topics like prompt writing and generative AI. NetHope (in partnership with Microsoft) has a free series built just for nonprofits. These cover everything from beginner basics to using Microsoft Copilot in your daily work.
You can also build your own in-house “learning days.” We’ve seen partners set aside a Friday afternoon for AI experiments, testing tools like ChatGPT, rewriting donation pages, or brainstorming social media ideas. It’s low pressure, and people actually look forward to it.
Creating a learning culture inside your nonprofit
Here’s the secret to long-term success: don’t treat AI like a one-time project. Make it part of how your team grows. Encourage folks to try, share, and teach what they learn. Even small wins, like drafting an email faster or automating a task, can build momentum.
One organization we worked with created a shared “AI wins” board. Anytime someone used a tool that saved them time or solved a problem, they added a quick note. Over time, that board became a reminder that change is possible, and that they were learning together.
When your team sees AI as a tool to help (not replace) them, they’re more likely to lean in. And once that mindset clicks, you’ve got something powerful: a team that’s not just keeping up, but growing forward.
Supporting your work
AI doesn’t have to be intimidating, and it definitely doesn’t have to feel out of reach for nonprofit teams. Whether you’re writing donor messages, planning events, or juggling a dozen priorities at once, AI can help lighten the load. It’s not about replacing the human side of your work, it’s about supporting it, so you can focus on what matters most.
We walked through the basics, explored real use cases, and laid out a step-by-step roadmap to help you build confidence. Along the way, we looked at tools, training options, and ways to use AI responsibly. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s progress. Start small, learn as you go, and give yourself (and your team) the space to experiment.
At Harness, we’ve helped nonprofits use technology to grow stronger, raise more, and free up time for mission-driven work. We’re here to guide you through your AI journey with tools, training, and expert support that feels like part of your team. If you’re ready to explore what’s possible, we’d love to walk that path with you.
