5 ways AI can help your nonprofit do more with less

A woman, working at a laptop computer, turns to smile

Your grant didn’t come through. Your part-time comms person just left. And your board just asked, “Why aren’t we doing more on social media?”

Sound familiar?

The demands on nonprofits are growing, while resources aren’t. But here’s the good news: Artificial Intelligence can help you bridge that gap.

We’re not talking about replacing people. We’re talking about supporting the people you do have — supporting your team, speeding up the grunt work, and giving you back something we all need: breathing room.

Here are five ways nonprofits can use AI to work smarter, not harder. (Plus, a free resource to help you find the AI tools you need.)

 

Burnout is all too familiar in the nonprofit sector. Finding professionals who are both talented and deeply committed to your mission isn’t easy, and supporting them once they’re on board is critical to keeping them. AI isn’t here to replace your nonprofit staff — but let’s be honest, it might help them breathe again.

If your team is overworked, underfunded, and holding your mission together with duct tape and Google Docs, AI can quietly step in and carry some of the load.

It can help draft newsletters, clean up grammar, transcribe your last board meeting, or even summarize that 22-page policy doc you were “definitely going to read.”

How nonprofits can use AI here is simple: Let it take the first swing, so your people can focus on what really matters.

 

You probably have more donor data than you think. The trouble is, most of it’s sitting unused.

AI can help you uncover:

  • Which supporters are primed to give again
  • Who’s lapsing — and why
  • What message will actually get someone to click “donate”

Understanding how nonprofits can use AI to analyze donor behavior is a game-changer — especially for teams without full-time data analysts.

 

Let’s be real: Planning in 2025 feels more like forecasting a thunderstorm. The economy shifts, grant cycles dry up, and last year’s plan may as well have been written in pencil.

AI can’t predict everything. However, it can help you model different scenarios, test assumptions, experiment with various budgets, and identify potential issues early.

How can nonprofits use AI for forecasting? Think of it as decision-making with headlights.

 

We love storytelling. But we also know it takes time.

If you’ve got 10 things to write and zero time to write them, AI can help you:

  • Draft appeal letters and thank-you notes
  • Rework blog posts for social
  • Generate subject lines or calls to action
  • Build out first drafts when you’re staring at a blinking cursor

The key to how nonprofits can use AI for content? Let it do the heavy lifting — but keep your human touch.

You didn’t get into nonprofit work for the spreadsheets.

 

But AI? It lives for spreadsheets. And meeting notes. And inbox sorting. And scheduling.

With the right tools, you can automate the small-but-draining tasks that chip away at your focus, giving you more time to build relationships, tell your story, and drive your mission forward.

One more example of how nonprofits can use AI: freeing your staff from the busywork so they can get back to the big work.

 

AI is a tool. A powerful one. But the work? The real work — that’s still you. Your creativity. Your leadership. Your passion for change. That’s what makes the difference.

So if you’ve been wondering how nonprofits can use AI, start here:

Let it help you reclaim your time, reduce burnout, and stay focused on what matters most.

You’ve got this.

How nonprofits can use AI

  1. Decide where to save. Meet with your team to make a list of meetings, documents, actions, and tasks with which AI can probably be helpful.
  2. Assign the items on that list to individual team members. Accountability equals action.
  3. Direct everyone to the AI Tools Directory, where you can evaluate which AI tool will be most helpful. Some are paid (and worth it), but many are free.
  4. Get going. The benefits start soon.
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