If you are a nonprofit professional looking to move beyond the “hype” of AI and get into the actual “how-to,” this session is a must-watch.

We hosted Deepa Chaudhary, founder of GrantOrb.com and a former fundraiser. Deepa is a self-described “power user” who uses AI from morning to night to run her startup. In this workshop, she demonstrates live workflows to show how tools like Gemini, MidJourney, HeyGen, and GrantOrb can democratize skills—allowing you to be a video producer, designer, and researcher without the big budget.

Key Workflows Demoed

1. Video Understanding & Content Repurposing

Deepa demonstrated a game-changing feature in Gemini: pasting a YouTube link directly into the chat. She showed how AI can “watch” a 50-minute video in seconds to:

• Extract 7 hard-hitting quotes for social media.
• Summarize key takeaways.
• Write a full blog post in the speaker’s voice.

2. Deep Research & Audio Overviews (The “NotebookLM” Feature)

One of the most impressive demos involved Deep Research. Deepa showed how to use Gemini (specifically the NotebookLM technology) to research complex topics (like her “Fast Fashion” impact project). She then converted a dry, data-heavy report into an engaging, two-host “podcast” audio file using AI—perfect for creating accessible volunteer onboarding guides or digesting dense policy documents on the go.

3. Website Messaging & Live Coding

You don’t need to be a coder to update your website’s messaging. Deepa took a screenshot of the TechSoup homepage and asked Gemini (using the “Canvas” feature) to make the copy more impactful.

The Result: Gemini generated the code in real-time, allowing her to preview a redesigned “Hero Section” with sharper value propositions immediately.

4. Visual Storytelling on a Budget

For nonprofits that can’t afford graphic designers, Deepa showcased MidJourney and Grok. She demonstrated how to:

• Use “Style References” to mimic the branding/color palette of organizations you admire.
• Create specific visuals (e.g., “a drowning city”) for advocacy campaigns.
• Animate static images to create moving visuals for newsletters.

Pro-Tips from the Q&A

• Is it expensive? Deepa confirmed that Gemini is free for nonprofits (via Google Workspace for Nonprofits), making it a highly accessible tool compared to paid subscriptions like ChatGPT Plus.
• How do I write better prompts? It’s about iteration. But Deepa also shared a surprising tip backed by research: Get aggressive. If the AI is being lazy or vague, challenge it. “Threatening” the AI (e.g., “Do this correctly or I’ll switch to another bot” like Claude) can actually improve the output!
• The Environmental Question: Deepa addressed concerns about AI’s energy usage, comparing it to historical technological leaps. She emphasized that AI companies are moving toward solar solutions and that the energy saved by not flying to conferences or wasting human hours on manual tasks must also be weighed.

Jump to the Details

• 00:00 – Introduction & Meeting Overview
• 01:38 – Grant Orb: AI specifically designed for unlocking grant funding.
• 07:33 – Gemini AI: “Video Understanding”—Summarizing YouTube videos instantly.
• 16:19 – Repurposing Content: Turning LinkedIn articles into a “Big Fat Guide.”
• 21:59 – Website Redesign: Using Gemini Canvas to recode a homepage live.
• 26:21 – Deep Research: Converting research reports into “Audio Overviews” (Podcasts).
• 33:37 – HeyGen: Voice cloning to create videos without filming yourself.
• 39:00 – MidJourney: Creating high-quality images and using Style References.
• 45:16 – Q&A: Budgeting for AI (Free tools) & creating fundraising appeals.
• 58:55 – The Environmental Impact of AI.
• 01:01:34 – Incorporating Branding: How to keep your colors and fonts consistent.

Ready to dive deeper?

Check out GrantOrb.com to see how Deepa is helping nonprofits secure funding through AI.