Why AI isn't working for your nonprofit (yet)
Artificial intelligence (AI) was supposed to be the game-changer that would free up nonprofit staff to focus on mission-critical work. No more spending hours crafting social media posts or wrestling with grant applications. Just type in a prompt, copy the output, and move on to saving the world.
However, here's what's actually happening: Your AI-generated content sounds exactly like every other nonprofit's AI-generated content. Your "time-saving" tool is creating new security risks you didn't even know existed. And that polished grant proposal? It's missing the authentic voice that makes funders want to invest in your specific organization.
The problem isn't AI itself. The problem is how many nonprofits are using it. Let's talk about what's going wrong and how to fix it.
Your AI content might sound like everyone else’s – make sure you’re customizing it to fit your nonprofit’s brand voice.
Why your nonprofit's AI content sounds like everyone else's
When you copy and paste directly from ChatGPT or Claude, you're not getting original content. You're getting a remix of everything that already exists online. AI tools are essentially sophisticated pattern-matching systems that reorganize existing information in new ways. That's useful, but it's not unique.
Think about your last few social media posts or newsletter updates. If you used AI without customizing the response, they probably sound professional, but generic. They might hit all the right notes about impact and community, but any nonprofit in your sector could have written them. While the words themselves might be different from other organizations, the sentence structure, cadence, puns (ugh!), and metaphors are likely very, very similar.
Your donors and supporters connect with you because of your specific mission, your unique approach, and your organization's brand. When your communications sound like they came from a robot, you lose that connection. Worse, you blend into the noise of every other organization doing similar work.
The solution isn't to avoid AI; it's to use it better. How?
Include your mission statement, core values, and examples of your organization's voice in your prompts. If you're using Claude, you can set personal preferences under Settings to determine what information it should consider in responses.
Provide your AI tool of choice context about your specific programs, your community, and what makes your approach unique.
When asking for help, include past pieces of writing that you personally wrote to help AI understand your unique writing style.
The extra minutes you spend crafting a detailed prompt will save you hours of editing generic output into something that actually sounds like you.
Data security risks nonprofits face when using AI tools
Here's a reality check: When you upload your board meeting agenda or meeting minutes to an AI tool to help write a summary, you might be violating your own data protection policies. My guess is that most nonprofit leaders haven't read the terms of service for the AI tools they're using daily, at least not in detail. Understanding data privacy compliance requirements is especially critical for nonprofits handling sensitive donor and beneficiary information."
So, what you might be overlooking is that many AI platforms retain uploaded data for training purposes. Some even store conversations indefinitely. Others share information with third-party partners that they may or may not disclose. Your donor lists, strategic plans, and confidential program details could be sitting in databases you never agreed to use.
This potential breach isn't just a theoretical risk. Nonprofits handle sensitive information about vulnerable populations, donor financial data, and proprietary program details that other nonprofits or even corporate partners might benefit from accessing. One data breach or privacy violation could destroy years of trust-building with your community.
Before using any AI tool with organizational data, review these specific settings:
For ChatGPT: Go to Settings > Data Controls and turn off "Improve the model for everyone." This setting prevents your conversations from being used for training.
For Claude: Check your plan details—conversations on free plans may be used for safety monitoring, while paid plans offer better privacy protections.
For Google's Bard/Gemini: Review your Google Activity settings and turn off "Include your Bard conversations in your Google activity."
Better yet, establish a policy:
No confidential information goes into AI tools, period.
Use AI for public-facing content and general brainstorming, but keep sensitive organizational data offline.
Create standard language about AI use, disclosing how you've used it, and include it on grant applications, your nonprofit website, social media profiles, etc.
For nonprofits handling data from international donors or operating globally, additional considerations around GDPR and international privacy compliance may also apply to your AI usage policies.
AI transparency requirements for nonprofits
Donors, board members, and program participants have a right to know when you're using AI in your communications and operations. Some funders are already asking grantees to disclose AI usage in applications. And, board members need to understand how new technologies might affect the organization's risk profile. Staff members should know if their job responsibilities are changing because of AI integration and should have access to adequate AI training if you expect (or allow them) to use it in their daily work.
Consider adding simple disclosure language to AI-generated content, such as "We developed this communication with AI assistance of AI" or "We used AI tools to help draft this content, which was then reviewed and edited by our team." For major communications, such as grant proposals or donor appeals, provide more specific details about how you used AI in the process. Google's responsible AI guidelines for nonprofits provide additional transparency recommendations and best practices.
How to use AI effectively in your nonprofit: best practices
AI can be incredibly powerful for nonprofits when used thoughtfully. Instead of treating it as a copy-paste solution, think of it as a sophisticated brainstorming partner.
Start with detailed prompts that include context about your organization, your audience, and your goals. If you're writing a social media post about a recent program success, don't just ask for "a post about our literacy program." Try something like: "Write a social media post for [Organization Name], a nonprofit that provides literacy support to adults in rural communities. Our approach focuses on meeting learners where they are, both geographically and educationally. We just had our first graduate complete their GED after two years in our program. The post should sound conversational and proud, not overly formal. Our audience includes local supporters, potential learners, and community partners."
Always treat AI output as a first draft, not a final product. Use it to overcome blank page syndrome and generate ideas, then edit ruthlessly to match your voice and verify accuracy. For organizations looking to implement comprehensive best practices, the One Nine Design Nonprofit Template Library offers frameworks, templates, and training designed specifically for nonprofits.
Asking your LLM of choice to provide sources and checking those references is a non-negotiable. AI WILL make up references and quotes that are untrue. It is your responsibility to fact-check the information it provides with multiple credible sources.
Creating an AI policy for your nonprofit organization
AI isn't going anywhere, and nonprofits that learn to use it effectively will have significant advantages in efficiency and reach. But rushing to adopt new tools without considering security, authenticity, and transparency will create more problems than it solves.
Take time to audit how your organization is currently using AI.
Review your privacy settings, establish clear guidelines for what information can and can't be used with AI tools, and create transparency policies for your stakeholders. Organizations looking for structured guidance can reference comprehensive AI best practices frameworks developed specifically for the nonprofit sector in this Standford review.
Create an AI specific policy for your nonprofit and add it to your nonprofit policies and procedures, ensuring staff, volunteers, board members and anyone else working directly with your organization is aware of the policy. (Soon, we’ll be adding an AI specific template to our bundle, too!)
Most importantly, remember that your nonprofit's greatest asset isn't efficiency—it's the trust and connection you've built with your community. AI should enhance that connection, not replace it with generic approximations of authenticity.
The organizations that get AI right will use it to amplify their unique voice and mission, not to sound like everyone else. The question isn't whether your nonprofit should use AI—it's whether you're using it in a way that serves your mission and protects your community.
Fun footnote: I asked AI to read this post and let me know if there was anything I missed or should rewrite for better clarity. It suggested that the tone of my writing was a bit off, and that I sounded too skeptical of AI. Ha, the irony! I am in fact very hopeful about the responsible use of AI, for the record. I just believe in 100% transparency, and hope that everyone using it will understand that it’s not a creative engine, it’s your sophisticated (and sometimes delusional) brainstorming partner. It can help you think through ideas faster, but your expertise and voice are what make those ideas worth sharing.
