On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, we hosted an online meetup to explore how AI is changing the game for nonprofits. Our guide was Deepa Chaudhary, the founder of Grant Orb, a company that builds AI tools specifically for the social sector. With a background in philanthropy and technology, Deepa understands the unique challenges nonprofits face and how AI can help them work smarter.
Deepa walked us through how generative AI is making powerful new tools accessible to everyone. If you’re a nonprofit professional feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the buzz, here’s a breakdown of the seven most important things we learned.
1. AI is for the “Generalist.”
If you work at a nonprofit, you probably wear many hats—fundraiser, marketer, strategist, and maybe a bit of IT support. In this way, AI truly represents “the era of the generalist.” These tools are designed to help you tackle all of these tasks, even if you’re not an expert in every field. You can use AI to draft emails, summarize documents, or create visuals, making it easier to manage your varied responsibilities.
2. Generative AI is Different from Old AI.
You’ve probably interacted with AI before, like when Netflix recommends a show or LinkedIn suggests a contact. That’s called predictive AI, and it’s based on analyzing past behavior. Generative AI is different. It’s trained on a massive amount of data—think every book, movie, and piece of music on the internet—and it can create new things. This is the technology that writes essays, generates images, and drafts grant proposals.
3. You Have More Chatbot Choices Than You Think.
ChatGPT is the most famous generative AI, but it’s far from the only one. Deepa highlighted other powerful chatbots like Google’s Gemini and Claude. Each has unique strengths. For example, Claude is known for its ability to work with code.
4. You Can Create Stunning Visuals in Minutes.
No design team? No problem. AI can really “take your storytelling to the next level.” Tools like Midjourney, Gemini’s Nano Banana, and VO3 can handle your creative needs. You can create a logo, edit a photo with a simple text command (“add a hat to the cat”), or even generate a short, animated video with dialogue and music. It’s a game-changer for producing professional-looking social media content and reports without a big budget.
5. AI Makes Fundraising More Efficient.
Fundraising is all about storytelling, and AI can help you tell yours more effectively. Deepa’s own tool, Grant Orb, shows how you can use AI to write a full grant proposal in minutes, based on a simple project description or even a voice note. The key is that AI handles the tedious initial draft, allowing you to focus on refining the content and adding the personal touches that make your story unique.
6. It’s a Great Tool for Everyday Work.
Beyond marketing and fundraising, AI can streamline your day-to-day tasks. Deepa shared examples of how she uses it to turn a YouTube video transcript into a blog post, or to convert a research report into a podcast. You can even upload an image of a new product and ask AI to analyze its ingredients or ethical sourcing practices. The possibilities for increasing your productivity are vast.
7. Start Building Your “AI Muscle.”
Using AI isn’t just about getting tasks done; it’s about changing how you work. This daily practice can transform your workflow, as Deepa shared from her own experience: “My work is effortless… I’m actually doing far more work than I’ve ever done in my life before, but I just don’t feel the pressure anymore.” The best way to get comfortable with this is to start using AI every day. Deepa recommends making it a daily habit: “think with AI” and “ask AI first” whenever you have a new idea or task. By treating a chatbot as a friendly collaborator, you’ll learn its strengths and limitations and discover how to get the best results.
Ready to start?
Deepa highly recommends Google’s Gemini AI because it’s a comprehensive, all-in-one tool for video, image, and text generation. Even better, it’s free for eligible nonprofits through the Google for Nonprofits program. Learn more about this nonprofit-exclusive offer.
Missed the live session? Watch the full recording here: https://youtu.be/OeTttFsmbTY
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