Guardrails for nonprofit teams

When you finish, you can protect the people you serve and keep AI use consistent with your mission and funder rules.

Protect the people you serve

Many nonprofits hold sensitive information about health, housing, immigration status, safety, finances, family situations and more. Never put names, case notes, photos, or identifying stories about clients, participants or beneficiaries into a consumer AI tool unless your organization has approved that tool for that data and the people consented where required.

Privacy laws may apply, such as health-privacy laws like HIPAA in the US and data-protection laws like the GDPR in Europe. Funders may also set data rules. If you serve people who could be harmed if their information leaked, such as survivors of violence, be especially careful. Follow your organization's policy and ask your director or a privacy-aware advisor when unsure.

Donors, volunteers and staff

Donor lists, giving histories and volunteer details are also personal data. Do not paste them into unapproved tools. Avoid using AI to profile donors in ways that feel invasive, and respect their communication choices.

Be mindful of staff privacy and fairness too. AI tools used to screen volunteer or job applicants can reflect bias. If you use them, keep a human in the decision and test the process.

Honesty in stories, images and claims

Fundraising stories carry power. Do not let AI invent a participant, a quote or a result. Do not use AI-generated images that suggest real people or events without clear labels, since this can mislead donors and exploit communities. Get consent for real stories and photos, and honor it.

Check every statistic and result against your own records. Funders and regulators can take false claims very seriously, and community trust is hard to rebuild.

Funder rules, disclosure and saying no

Some funders have rules about AI use in applications and reports. Read the guidelines. If they are silent, consider asking. Be transparent in a way that fits your organization, and always take responsibility for the final text.

Say no when asked to paste client records into an unapproved tool, to invent a story for a campaign or to publish AI text unreviewed. A helpful line: “Let us draft it, then check every fact against our records and get consent for any story.”

Practice now

Make a one-page AI use note for your team: what is allowed, what never goes into a tool, who reviews.
Check three stories you use in fundraising: do you have consent and have you protected identities?

Use any AI assistant you have. Do not paste private, client or patient information into it.

Check yourself

1. A volunteer pastes a client's housing case notes into a free chatbot. What is the main problem?

2. Why avoid AI-invented participant stories in appeals?

3. What should you do with an AI statistic in a grant draft?

Ask the AI tutor

Ask anything about this lesson, in any language. The tutor is an AI: it can be wrong, and it never needs your personal details.

Next lesson: Grow with AI: your 30-day plan

AI-drafted. Checked by an automated validator and a separate AI reviewer; a person has not read every lesson. Translations and tutor answers are AI-made. Found a mistake? Tell us. AI can be wrong. General information only, not professional advice. Not affiliated with any AI company named. Current University is not accredited.