AI for Charities - Free AI Tools for Non Profits

AI for charities; our Charity AI Toolbox - free AI non profit tools for everyone, plus our free charity AI insight briefings, guides, training & resources. 

AI For Charities And Non Profits - Free Tools, Guides, Training & Much More

AI for charities - our Charity AI Toolbox makes free AI non profit tools available for everyone, as well as our charity AI insight briefings, guides and training.  Our Charity AI Steppingstones Strategy will enable the rapid, but safe adoption of AI for charities and adapting our remaining systems to create a charity AI concierge service - a single gateway to everything in the sector that'll be not only far more powerful, but also even more accessible and easier to use.

FREE AI FOR CHARITIES - OUR CHARITY AI TOOLS

Following the launch of ChatGPT in Nov 22, we launched our first AI service in Dec 22.  Click the AI bunny icon in the bottom right of any screen and ask it short questions, including key words.  These are free, available 24/7 and can handle unlimited numbers of tasks.

Both AI Bunnies

  • Enabling any non-profit to find the funding, free help and resources it needs (Dec 22).
  • Ask Me Anything – answering almost any question about running your charity (Feb 23).
  • Charity & non-profit facts and popular questions, for the public and media (Apr 23).

Website AI Bunny Only

  • Connecting individuals and families to welfare and financial support (Jan 23).

In-system AI Bunny Only (You must register and login - it's free)

  • Grant Application Bid Writer – it doesn't matter if you've no fundraising experience and/or struggle with written English (Apr 23).
  • Chat To Charity ChatGPT - for those who don't do tech.  Chat to the in-system tech bunny and it'll do everything for you (Jun 23).
  • Policies - tell the bunny what policy you want and it'll hop off and get it for you, then download it in Word for you (Oct 23).  Our policies are AI and crypto fundraising ready.

Biomni provide their Tenjin AI machine learning software and GPT access at no cost.  We haven't yet begun scaling usage, as we've been focussed on building and training the AI but the bunnies are already helping 4,500+ people a month.  They can answer 20,000 non profit questions with a 90% success rate.  If you'd like a bot for your charity, here's what you need to know.

THE IMPACT OF AI ON THE CHARITY SECTOR

Our AI Insight Briefings on how AI might impact the sector.

How to Choose the Best AI for Your Charity

How to choose the right AI for your charity.  What kind of AI works best for particular needs, the pros and cons of the most popular, plus what's free, discounts and grants.

Charity AI Benchmarking Survey Results 2024

The June 2024 results of out first benchmarking survey.  How many are now using AI, what they use and how well prepared charities are in the 9 key areas. This includes AI data from a range of other organisations as well.

The Future of the Charity Sector in an AI Enabled World

What the future will be like - Part 1 is the very short timeline of when things will happen and Part 2, best and worst case scenarios for whether our future will be golden or dystopian.  Part 3 is the strategic factors we think will drive this for anyone who wants more detail.

How AI Will Impact The Charity Sector

A simple introduction to AI, including the new generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT. We also look at the problems, estimate the impact we think this will have on charities, including our assessment of the future.

AI for Charities - Ethical Considerations

AI can have a positive impact on the environment, from energy-efficient building design to monitoring deforestation and optimising renewable energy deployment.  However, it uses very large amounts of energy.  A lot more work is needed to create more energy efficient hardware and algorithms. There are also both legal and ethical considerations from the potential discrimination, scams and disinformation, and how imagery is used. The AI Ethics & Governance Framework below provides charities with a simple checklist and resources for managing the ethical use of AI.

Charity AI - Impact On Fundraising

The impact of AI on fundraising, looking at how fundraising jobs and the sector will change, providing ideas on how to exploit the innovation offered, and who the winners and losers might be.  We also revisit the risk of the very large charities creating 'digital moats', by building on their already very dominant position to secure an ever greater share of the available income. And the opportunity to instead level that already unequal playing field, by making AI accessible to all charities.

The Impact Of AI On Charity Sector Jobs

The impact on jobs - which will go, what changes we might expect, new roles that will be created and what charities need to think about and do to make the most of this opportunity and to ensure their people are properly cared for in the process.

FREE CHARITY AI TRAINING

Our very popular AI training webinars, primarily to support small infrastructure bodies and groups of charities.

  • Introduction to AI - what generative AI is, the key risks, how to manage these, how to exploit the opportunities and what AI can and cannot do. Click the link for our You Tube video of this webinar.
  • Charity ChatGPT - what it is, what it can and cannot do, how it can be used to help charities, and how we enable anyone to begin using it immediately.  Click the link for our You Tube video of this webinar.
  • Charity AI 2024 and How to Choose the Best AI - the AI charities are using, how ell prepared we are, the best known systems, free and paid for, grants and discounts, and which work best for different charities.
  • Charity Sector Impact - what we think the future of the charity sector might look like, who may be at risk, new roles and the skills we'll need.  Click the link for our You Tube video of this webinar.
  • Using ChatGPT to Find Grants - how to use ChatGPT, or other AI, to find grants using our simple AI Grant Finder toolkit.  Click the link for our You Tube video (5 Mins).
  • AI for Grant Makers - what AI is and how it works, the risks, how it can be used in grant applications and strategic issues for grant makers.

The courses are practical and do not require any IT expertise.  Microsoft also offer a range of free courses.  These are mainly Azure and cloud computing but include a range of AI courses too, including fundamentals.

AI POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Charity AI Policy Template

This simple charity AI policy template is mainly for small charities.  Or download it in Word by logging in, clicking the in-system AI bunny icon, then his Policies button and asking him nicely.  He'll hop off and get it for you.

Charity AI Policies

Additionally, the Charity AI Governance and Ethics Framework (below) can be used to create a more sophisticated policy or to extract items to include in your own existing policies.  However, we've also built AI into our 40+ downloadable policy templates, where relevant, and our other AI toolkits can be used to create more specific AI policies, if you need these.

CHARITY AI TOOLS & RESOURCES

AI tools and resources that work for every non-profit, from sector level decision making to tiny charities making changes to their policies to ensure AI works well for them.

Charity AI Governance & Ethics Framework

AI is now far ahead of both the legal and ethical issues it has created. Fixing these will take years and we're likely to be in for a (possibly very) bumpy ride in the meantime. This Charity AI Governance and Ethics Framework provides a simple, practical and flexible framework that anyone can use to manage these challenges.

AI Risk Register And Assessment

This is our own AI risk register which we've published to help anyone.  It can also be copied and adapted by any charity to create their own AI Risk Register.

Charity AI Data Protection Toolkit

AI represents a real data protection risk.  This toolkit is for charities whose staff and volunteers are (probably already) using AI systems like ChatGPT, and those using charity IT systems, such as CRMs that will have AI built in and also for those building or commissioning/funding AI systems.

ChatGPT Funding Finder Toolkit

Built for small charities, the ChatGPT Funding Finder toolkit works for any charity.  A prompt you can run in a variety of ways to generate lists of potential funders.

AI Strategy Phase II - What Does Good Look Like?

In phase II of our AI strategy we will launch our next generation AI systems and also collaborate with other organisations to co-create best practice in key areas and safety guides, to enable all charities to adopt AI effectively, quickly and safely.  We are building on our expertise since we launched our first AI system in 2022. Below are our drafts to date. We welcome any comments to improve these, which should be sent to ian@charityexcellence.co.uk.

CHARITY AI BEST PRACTICE

Charity AI Best Practice and Regulation

What, when and why the sector must begin to work collaboratively to develop charity ‘industry standards’ of AI best practice and also regulation.

AI System Design and Procurement

A draft practical set of AI design principles for those funding, designing or commissioning charity AI systems.

Imagery Ethics

The advent of AI has raised new issues for charities regarding the safe an ethical use of imagery but imagery has been manipulated since the advent of photography. Imagery Ethics Best Practice looks at not only AI but also other aspects of imagery, with a checklist you can use to create your own imagery ethics policy.

STAYING SAFE IN AN AI ENABLED WORLD

Charity AI - Cyber Security for Charities

A simple practical guide - Charity AI: Cyber Security for Charities.  The cyber risk is already significant and it's going to get a lot worse, not only for your charity but also your beneficiaries and you. What you need to know and do in simple English.

Charity Fact Checking Toolkit - Misinformation

Free simple to use fact checking toolkit for misinformation and AI deepfakes, including procedures, checklists and resources.

Charity AI Deepfake Toolkit

How to safeguard against deepfake video and imagery, including how to identify deepfakes and a whole series of steps you can take to mitigate the risk of your imagery being used as a deepfake.

Is AI a Threat To My Charity?

This charity AI tool explains the key things any charity needs to think about and gives you questions to ask to find out if AI is a threat, or the opportunity it should be.

CHARITY CHATGPT - STEPPINGSTONES

These are how we use our steppingstones approach with ChatGPT for charities.  Start at Stage 1 or whatever one suits you, progress through and then you'll end up knowing more about it than us.  Perfect!

Stage 1 - ChatGPT For Those Who Don't Do ChatGPT

If you're uncomfortable using any kind of tech and wary of AI, you don't even need to have a ChatGPT account of your own.  Simply register, login and have a chat with the in-system AI bunny.  He'll create a prompt for you then hop off to ChatGPT and run it for you.  If you think it could be improved on, click the regenerate button and he'll hop back over to ChatGPT and do it all over again.

Stage 2 - Charity ChatGPT Step-by-step Guide

Ready to get started on your own?  Our introduction to ChatGPT - what it is and does, what you need to know and how to use it, including how to register with OpenAI for your free account.

Stage 3 - Charity ChatGPT Prompt Library

Want to begin getting a bit more out of it?  Our 'oven ready' ChatGPT prompts for a variety of tasks that any charity can amend and use to very quickly and simply create content using AI.  From press releases, events plans and fundraising through to finance, governance, HR and how to be happy.  We have 60+, so far.  Better still, if you don't know what techie stuff like a hierarchy of messages is we've built that in for you.

Stage 4 - Writing Your Own Charity ChatGPT Prompts

Bored with listening to us and feel ready to do it yourself?  Our ChatGPT 'Pick-n-Mix' is a simple guide that anyone can use to write their own prompts from scratch.  Then you'll know as much as we do and you won't need us any longer.  Bye!

OTHER CHARITY AI TOOLS AND RESOURCES

If you still haven't found what you want, try these.

AI Buzz Words!

There's a whole new vocabulary emerging.  Everything from the AI machine learning and ChatGPT large language model we use, to stochastic parrots and paperclip maximisers.  If you ever need to know what any of this stuff actually means, just ask an AI bunny.

Charity AI Policies

If you wish to create an AI policy for your non profit, you can use our AI Ethics & Governance Framework to do so.

Not all charities will want or need AI specific policies but almost all will have to make changes to their existing policies.  For example, their website privacy, data protection and social media policies and potentially others.  The Charity Excellence example policies have been updated and now include sections on both AI and crypto fundraising.  These can be downloaded from within the system.

Some non profits may wish to have more specific AI policies and our work is being used more widely than just our own sector, so we've sourced other AI ethics and policy guidance for non profit, public and private sector organisations below.  You can find this in the Other Useful Resources section below.

AI Resources - Charity Sector

AI Resources - UK Government & Regulatory

AI Resources Produced By Others

Thank You - Biomni

Biomni provide is with AI software and pro bono support from their AI experts, without which we would not be able to deliver our growing suite of AI services.  To exploit the potential of AI in your own charity, speak to them about having your own Charity Bot.

A Free One Stop Shop for Everything Your Charity Needs

  • Funding Finder - with categories for Core Funding and Small Charities & Community Groups.
  • Help Finder – including free fundraising help and companies that make donations.
  • Data Finder – for fundraising bids & research.

Plus, 60+downloadable funder lists, 8 online health checks and the huge resource base.  Nearly half of our tens of thousands of members rate us 10/10.

Fast, Simple, Free & Very Effective

To find the funding and free help you need – Register Now

AI for Charities FAQs

  • What's with the Charity Excellence AI bunnies?  Some of our users are very vulnerable and we wanted avatars that were as non threatening as possible.  We needed 2 and the Founder has 2 house rescue rabbits - done.
  • How can I use AI in my charity?  AI will help you in 2 ways.  Firstly, it removes a significant amount of routine admin (digital debt), saving you time and, secondly, it augments your existing capabilities, enabling you to achieve more. AI can be used for creating ideas, summarising, contrasting and comparing, and having fun and being creative.
  • Will AI create charity job redundancies?  Some routine charity jobs will be replaced by AI, but most will be changed and new jobs will be created, so it will not negatively impact charity sector jobs.
  • What charity jobs won't be replaced by AI?  Some routine, repetitive jobs will go, and the vast majority will change significantly but AI can’t replace jobs that require passion, creativity, emotional intelligence, judgement and insight.
  • Are charities using AI?  According to the ONS, in 2023, about 50% of people had used AI.  According to the 2023 Digital Skills Report around a quarter of charities were but only about 4 in 100 had built it into their systems and processes.
  • Can I use AI to write grant applications?  AI can be used to write grant applications, but it knows nothing about your charity, its plans or your project, so you must include the significant amount of detail required for a grant application or it will not be very good and/or will include made up information (hallucinating).
  • Will AI make grant writers redundant?  AI can write very effective grant bids, but it will not replace grant writers because it does not have the insight, flair or creativity of a good grant writer, lacks understanding of context and can struggle with long form content.
  • Where can I find a free AI tool for grant writing?  The Charity Excellence in-system AI bunny can write funding bids for you, but you must register and login to use it – everything is free.
  • Is AI bad for the environment?  AI can have a positive impact on the environment, from energy-efficient building design to monitoring deforestation and optimising renewable energy deployment.  However, it uses very large amounts of energy.  A lot more work is needed to create more energy efficient hardware and algorithms.
  • Do I need to update my charity policies to reflect AI?  How AI will impact your charity policies depends on your sector and role but those areas most likely include privacy statements, data protection, ethical fundraising and financial controls.
  • Do I need a charity AI policy?  A charity AI policy can be helpful in providing guidance for ethical AI use and compliance with regulatory requirements but is not essential.  You should update relevant policies for AI, such as data protection, privacy, ethical fundraising and internal financial controls.  You can download free AI ready policies from Charity Excellence.
  • What are the AI risks to charities?  There are a number of real risks that charities will have to manage, including data protection/privacy, legal issues, scams, disinformation and discrimination, amongst others, for both charities and their beneficiaries.
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