“Artificial intelligence is quickly transforming the way we live and work — and nonprofits are no exception. From using ChatGPT to jumpstart your grant proposals to building out responsible and secure A.I.-use policies, nonprofits are grappling with new questions on how to leverage the technology to advance their mission — while proactively navigating the risks,” said Sara Herschander for Chronicle of Philanthropy. “We spoke with several A.I. experts about the promise and perils of this technology for nonprofits, and what you need to know to get started.”
Today, A.I. is the algorithm that filters your incoming email or fills your social media with eerily specific targeted ads. If you’ve browsed Netflix, searched Google, or listened to Spotify — you’ve used A.I.
In other words, “you’re already using it, you just don’t know it,” says James Ellis, managing director of EV Strategic Partners, which provides technology and A.I. consulting to nonprofits. And those uses have only exploded in the last couple of years as AI has grown by leaps and bounds.
Going beyond just recognizing patterns, generative A.I. — the type of advanced technology behind ChatGPT — can use data to generate entirely new text, images, and other media.
Fundraisers have used ChatGPT, which is free (for now) and simple to use, to offload time-consuming tasks like drafting thank-you notes to donors, completing lengthy grant applications, and scheduling social media posts. Other tools on the market, like Grantable, an A.I.-powered grant-writing assistant, and DonorSearch, which uses machine learning for donor prospecting, have made A.I. accessible to even the smallest nonprofit fundraisers.
Nearly 80 percent of nonprofits used automation for online fundraising — including 15 percent who used A.I. for donor prospecting — in 2021 and 2022, according to Nonprofit Tech For Good’s 2023 report.
Fundraisers have used ChatGPT, which is free (for now) and simple to use, to offload time-consuming tasks like drafting thank-you notes to donors, completing lengthy grant applications, and scheduling social media posts. Other tools on the market, like Grantable, an A.I.-powered grant-writing assistant, and DonorSearch, which uses machine learning for donor prospecting, have made A.I. accessible to even the smallest nonprofit fundraisers.
Nearly 80 percent of nonprofits used automation for online fundraising — including 15 percent who used A.I. for donor prospecting — in 2021 and 2022, according to Nonprofit Tech For Good’s 2023 report.