AI tools for nonprofits
Most nonprofit teams do not need more software. They need to know which AI tools are worth the time, and what to actually ask them. Here is a short, honest map of the categories — and a free way to get better output from the ones you already have.
Start here
The tool matters less than the prompt you give it.
ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini all produce forgettable copy when you ask them to "write a fundraising email." They produce genuinely usable drafts when the request includes your mission, programs, audiences, brand voice, campaign goal, deadline, and the fundraising best practices a strategist would apply. That context is the whole job — and it is the part Giving HQ does for free.
General-purpose AI assistants
These are the tools you paste a prompt into. They are the fastest way for a small team to draft appeals, rewrite copy, summarize documents, or think through a campaign.
ChatGPT
Chat assistant from OpenAI, with a free tier.
Best for
Drafting fundraising appeals, donor thank-yous, and social captions from a detailed prompt.
Claude
Chat assistant from Anthropic, with a free tier.
Best for
Long documents — grant narratives, annual report sections, or summarizing a program evaluation.
Gemini
Google's assistant, with a free tier and Google Workspace integrations.
Best for
Teams already working in Google Docs, Sheets, and Gmail.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's assistant, available in Windows and Microsoft 365.
Best for
Staff who live in Word, Outlook, and Excel.
Design and video
Nonprofit communications are visual. These tools help a one-person comms shop produce social graphics, flyers, and short videos.
Canva
Design tool with AI text-to-image and copy features. Canva offers a free nonprofit program for eligible organizations.
Best for
Social posts, event flyers, donor reports, and presentation decks.
Adobe Express
Free-tier design tool with generative image and text effects.
Best for
Quick graphics that match an existing brand kit.
Descript
Video and podcast editing driven by an editable transcript.
Best for
Turning a long beneficiary interview into short, shareable clips.
Meetings, notes, and transcription
Useful when your team is small and the meetings are many.
Otter.ai
Meeting transcription and summaries, with a free tier.
Best for
Board meeting notes and action items without a dedicated notetaker.
Fireflies.ai
Meeting recorder and summarizer that joins video calls.
Best for
Capturing donor and partner conversations for follow-up.
Research and grant prospecting
AI research tools can shorten the list-building stage. Always verify what they return against the funder's own guidelines.
Perplexity
AI search that cites its sources, with a free tier.
Best for
Background research on funders, sector data points, and local context for a proposal.
NotebookLM
Google tool that answers questions grounded only in documents you upload.
Best for
Asking questions across past grant reports, program data, and policy documents.
Fundraising and donor tools
Where the money actually moves. AI helps with the words around it, not the infrastructure.
Give Lively
Free fundraising platform for nonprofits: donation pages, peer-to-peer campaigns, and event ticketing. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Best for
Running the campaign your AI-drafted appeal points to.
Giving HQ
This free tool, from the Give Lively team. It writes the prompt for you, using your nonprofit's mission, programs, and audiences.
Best for
Getting expert-level output from ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini instead of generic filler.
Before you roll anything out
Four rules worth agreeing on as a team
- Never paste donor names, contact details, payment data, or client records into a public AI tool.
- Check every fact, statistic, and funder requirement before it goes out the door.
- Keep a human editor on anything donor-facing — AI does not know your community's tone.
- Write down a short internal policy on what staff may and may not use AI for.
Free, from Give Lively
Know exactly what to ask AI. ✨
Tell Giving HQ about your nonprofit once. We turn your goals into detailed, tailored prompts for fundraising, email, social, donor engagement, and storytelling, ready to paste into your preferred AI tool.
❤️ Free. Just your email.