Start Small. Think People First. AI adoption is just as much about the people and culture as it is the technology. Used thoughtfully, AI can help nonprofits strengthen reporting, simplify communication, and free up staff time for mission-driven work.
1. Organize and Understand Your Data: Use AI in familiar tools like Sheets or Excel to summarize, clean, or visualize program data.
- Identify missing information
- Generate charts or summaries for reports
- Compare trends across years
Try This: Start with one dataset that slows your team down and ask AI to generate the tables or take-aways you typically analyze for.
2. Strengthen Internal Processes: Let AI help document, plan, or review information-heavy workflows.
- Summarize meeting notes or contracts
- Generate onboarding checklists
- Create a clear record of key decisions
Try This: Use AI to adapt or draft a policy document, then review as a team for accuracy.
3. Improve Communication: AI can help staff write clearly and consistently while keeping the human touch.
- Draft first versions of grant text or emails
- Tailor messaging for donors or partners
- Translate materials into plain language
Try This: Provide AI your annual report or program website and ask it to write a grant application for you. Even better if you provide it past grant narrative and the funders application.
4. Build Staff Confidence: Start with curiosity, not pressure. Small experiments build comfort and shared understanding.
- Host “AI playground” sessions
- Invite staff to share helpful prompts
- Create a shared space for AI examples and wins
Try This: Survey staff about how they are already using AI. Have a handful of staff share their favorite use cases from the past week at your next team meeting.