A plain-language guide to AI for nonprofits
Where AI helps, where it does not, and what to ask first.
Start with a chore, not a strategy
The best first use of AI is a task your team already dislikes: pulling a list, summarizing a report, or finding a number for a board meeting. Small wins build trust, and show you where it falls short.
Keep a person in the loop
AI can be confidently wrong. Use it to draft and to find things, and have a person check anything that goes out or gets saved. Good tools show their reasoning and ask before making a change.
Be careful with client data
Before you paste anything into an AI tool, ask where it goes, who can see it, and whether it is used for training. For client records, assume the strictest answer until you have confirmed otherwise.
Be honest about predictions
A score that says a donor is likely to give is an estimate from past patterns. Treat it as a prompt for a conversation. Never use one to decide who deserves services.
Write a short policy
One page is enough: what staff can use, what they must never enter, and who to ask. Revisit it every year as the tools change.
Missionly's Fern AI app is built around this work.
See it with your own workflows
A real person will walk you through Missionly using the way your organization already works.