Nonprofits Share 3 Key Insights on Generative AI

Nonprofits across the globe are doing vital work in their communities, from helping individuals develop new skills to safeguarding biodiversity. However, these organizations often find themselves stretched thin, underfunded, and bogged down by administrative duties that eat up their time.

Studies suggest that generative AI tools can boost productivity by a whopping 66%. This kind of efficiency could be a game-changer for nonprofits, freeing them up from smaller tasks so they can focus on initiatives that make a bigger impact.

We recently polled over 4,000 organizations in our Google for Nonprofits program to better understand the potential and challenges of using generative AI in the nonprofit sector. Here are three key takeaways from our survey, along with some AI tools that nonprofits can start using right away.

1. 75% of nonprofits believe generative AI could revolutionize their marketing efforts.

When we asked about the immediate benefits of generative AI, survey participants often pointed to marketing tasks that require writing or customizing content. Whether it's crafting compelling ad copy to attract new donors or launching campaigns to raise awareness, effective fundraising and communication demand a lot of time-consuming personalization.

With AI-powered Google Search ads, nonprofits can connect with new audiences using messages tailored to their specific goals. Tools like responsive search ads let organizations input various headlines and descriptions, and over time, Google Ads will automatically experiment with different combinations to find the most effective ones.

For instance, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) leveraged Google Ad Grants to deliver 48 million public service announcements. These included encouraging voter registration for upcoming elections and promoting local causes, such as donations to support female entrepreneurs, to those most likely to be interested.

[ttpp]To help more social impact organizations harness AI-powered tools, in 2023, the Google for Nonprofits program provided over $2 billion in Google Ad Grants and Google Workspace access to nonprofits. This enabled more than 300,000 nonprofits worldwide to use AI-powered technology at no cost.[yyxx]

2. Two-thirds of nonprofits cited a lack of familiarity with generative AI as their main obstacle to adoption.

Our survey revealed that while four out of five nonprofits believe generative AI could be relevant to their work, nearly half aren't currently using it. A significant number of respondents also mentioned they were unaware of potential applications.

We've seen that when nonprofits receive proper training on how to use this technology effectively, generative AI can open up entirely new ways to support their communities. For example, AI-powered career coaches and tutors can offer personalized assistance to job seekers and students, while queryable databases can help policymakers and the public explore topics like the UN's Sustainable Development Goals in greater depth.

Learn more about how nonprofits are using AI, including the 21 participants in our latest accelerator focused on generative AI solutions.

3. 40% of nonprofits reported that no one in their organization had AI education.

We heard time and again that while nonprofit staff are experts in their fields, they're not usually tech specialists. They're looking for affordable, straightforward training on generative AI, ideally customized for the social impact sector.

That's why we created a productivity guide to go along with Gemini for Google Workspace, the add-on subscription now available to Google Workspace for Nonprofits users. The guide details how to use these generative AI tools for tasks like writing grant proposals and volunteer communications, creating images for marketing materials, and organizing donor databases. Nonprofits interested can start with a no-cost trial of Gemini for Google Workspace today.

For more insights, check out the full report and learn more about the Google for Nonprofits program.