10 AI prompts for non-profit teams
Written for the writing non-profits actually do: grant paragraphs, board summaries, donor updates, volunteer thank-yous, and turning one good story into six pieces of communication.
Non-profit teams are almost always short-staffed, and the writing is often the thing that slips. These prompts are built for that reality. They are specific, they ask the tool not to invent things, and several of them are designed to stop AI doing the thing it most wants to do in this sector, which is inflate.
Before you paste anything in: never put identifying details about a client, beneficiary or donor into an AI tool without checking your organisation's privacy obligations and the tool's data settings first. Use initials or "the participant" instead. This applies to the free tiers especially.
"Write a 150-word paragraph describing the need our program addresses, using only these facts: [paste facts and statistics]. Do not add claims I have not given you. Plain, specific, no emotional overreach."
"Write a warm thank-you email to the volunteers who helped with [event]. Mention this specific impact: [detail]. It must not sound like a template. Under 150 words."
"Turn these program notes into a board-ready summary with three sections: highlights, risks, and what we need from the board. One or two lines per point: [paste notes]."
"Write 3 social media captions promoting our fundraiser for [cause]. Each ends with a clear, specific ask. No guilt, no hype. Under 50 words each."
"Write a clear, inviting description of our event [name]: who it is for, what will happen, and what to bring. Under 120 words, welcoming to someone who has never come before."
"Write a short update explaining to a donor how their support helped with [program or outcome]. Warm and appreciative, specific about what changed, no jargon."
"Suggest a simple 4-section structure for our monthly newsletter that we could repeat every month, then draft the opening paragraph using this update: [paste update]."
"Write plain-language answers to these questions families ask about our program: [list questions]. Assume the reader is stressed and skim-reading. Aim for a Year 8 reading level."
"Here is our grant agreement outcome wording: [paste]. Here is what we actually delivered: [paste]. Draft an honest acquittal paragraph for each outcome, and flag anywhere we fell short so I can address it directly."
"Here is a story from our program: [paste]. Turn it into a newsletter item, two social captions, a one-paragraph grant example, and a short quote for our website. Keep the facts identical across all of them."
Two rules that matter more in this sector
Fact-check every number. AI will confidently produce a statistic that sounds right and is not. In a grant application or an acquittal, that is a serious problem. Give it your figures rather than asking it for figures.
Do not let it inflate. AI defaults to emotional language about impact. Funders read hundreds of applications and can smell it. Ask for plain and specific, then cut further.
You may not need to pay full price
If your organisation is ACNC-registered, there are meaningful discounts on both ChatGPT and Claude, and a single verification usually unlocks several of them. Here is how that works in Australia.