(Tech) Productivity

The Role of AI for Nonprofits in Enhancing Operations

The Role of AI for Nonprofits in Enhancing Operations

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming organizations across every industry. Nonprofits are no exception! For mission-driven organizations working with limited resources, AI helps them work smarter, reach more people, and make a bigger impact than ever before. 

However, while AI presents exciting possibilities, its adoption comes with challenges. As the leader overseeing daily operations, Chief Operating Officers will need to be strategic in integrating AI tools into their team’s workflow to improve outcomes. If they prepare well, they can make investments that directly contribute to an organization’s strategic objectives and drive the most value.

Below, you’ll discover a practical blueprint for leveraging AI-driven IT solutions to boost productivity in your workplace. We’ll also discuss the benefits of partnering with a managed IT service provider that specializes in implementing technology for nonprofits, ensuring seamless integration, enhanced security, and long-term scalability. 

How AI Can Integrate into Nonprofit Operations 

Artificial intelligence is a broad term to describe a wide range of tools and technologies that nonprofits can integrate into their IT infrastructure to support various workplace activities, such as

  •  Content Creation: Many organizations are already doing this, with 58% of nonprofits using generative AI in day-to-day operations to save time on basic copywriting tasks. While they will still need to use a human writer to review and refine the content, AI can act as a virtual assistant and co-writer to help save time when developing marketing materials, crafting grant proposals, and creating donor reports.
  • Task Automation: The use case for artificial intelligence goes beyond copywriting. AI-powered automation can empower a nonprofit’s employees to conserve resources for more important work, allowing them to offload various tasks to technology, executing donor engagement campaigns, budgeting, and financial reporting, or using chatbots to handle routine inquiries from stakeholders.
  • Data Analysis: Advanced AI tools can quickly analyze nonprofit data analytics to generate meaningful insights to inform your decisions. In almost an instant, you can assess donor data to predict giving patterns and optimize fundraising strategies or evaluate impact to forecast trends and outcomes so you can allocate resources more effectively. 
  • Mission-Critical Work: Many organizations are even directly applying AI’s data analysis and forecasting abilities to develop their actual programs and solve the world’s most pressing issues. The nonprofit Earth05, which is using AI to find solutions to the global water crisis, is a perfect example of this in action. In fact, since 2018, organizations applying AI to address global sustainable development goals has increased by 300%.

The Steps to Successfully Adopting AI for Nonprofit Operations 

Over the next three years, 92% of companies plan to increase their AI investments. However, despite widespread adoption, only 1% of business leaders consider their organizations to be fully mature in AI implementation.

Harnessing AI’s potential will require more than installing software and calling it a day; it demands a well-thought-out AI implementation strategy. Here, we’ll guide you through the essential steps involved in effectively integrates these solutions to drive growth, enhance efficiency, and strengthen competitive advantage.

  1. Assess Your Organization’s AI Readiness

Before making changes to your IT environment, you first need to understand it. Systematically evaluate your team’s current technology usage and examine your current IT infrastructure. Do you have the right software, hardware, and other resources needed to support new tools? Are there any existing inefficiencies or bottlenecks in your processes that could benefit from automation?

Then, compare your current reality with your long-term organizational goals, identifying areas where AI may be most beneficial for making an impact. Make sure to engage with your various departments to gather insights from their firsthand experience: they are well-equipped to share insights on pain points and opportunities.  

  1. Select the Right AI tools 

As most nonprofits operate on limited budgets, it will be critical to prioritize your AI use cases based on their potential ROI, feasibility, and alignment with strategic goals.

Look for solutions that:

  • Integrate with your existing systems and workflows to minimize disruptions and maximize efficiency.  
  • Offer user-friendly and accessible interfaces that empower your team to adopt and use them.  
  • Have a strong and positive reputation based on a proven track record for success and positive customer reviews. (Ideally, they will provide reliable support to help you address any issues!)  
  • Are financially viable based on the total cost of ownership, including initial investment, implementation costs, and ongoing maintenance.
  • Leverage advanced cybersecurity measures that protect your data and help you comply with any relevant industry standards and regulations.
  1. Deploy AI responsibly  

When officially launching tools into the workplace, your organization will benefit from focusing on intentional change management practices.

Educate employees 

Inform your team about the upcoming new IT environment to avoid resistance from holding you back from the advantages of AI tools for nonprofits. Everyone should should know the reasons for the change, the timeline, and how it will affect their daily work. Thorough staff training will also make it easier to increase adoption and help your team fully leverage the new features and functionalities.

Review performance 

Monitoring the solution’s performance post-deployment will be important for measuring its impact and optimizing your usage for maximum effectiveness. Remember, establish opportunities for employees to provide feedback about the new systems so your organization can identify any issues early on and make necessary adjustments.   

Ensure strong AI governance and security 

Cloud-based AI tools are convenient but also make you vulnerable to evolving threats. Your organization will benefit from establishing clear policies and protocols to manage these risks, ensuring that your team uses tools safely and in alignment with your security standards. 

  1. Outsource to a managed IT services provider

Depending on your internal IT resources and skills, you may want to hire an external IT provider who knows how to deploy these technologies and can provide AI implementation consulting services.  

These experts possess a deep understanding of IT modernization strategies for using AI safely and can provide support with implementing governance frameworks for responsible and optimized use. 

A managed IT service provider can also provide regular IT support and education to help your team use any new technology effectively. When a prominent cancer foundation partnered with designDATA , they saw a noticeable difference in their team’s ability to use their tools optimally and securely. Our extensive training gave the organization’s employees the skills and knowledge to maximize its IT investments. 

Partner with designDATA for Your Nonprofit Digital Transformation 

Imagine being able to automate routine tasks to focus on more mission-critical activities. Innovations in artificial intelligence have made that possible and continue to unlock new ways to make a greater impact with fewer resources.

COOs who implement AI solutions for nonprofits can streamline their organization’s operations, reduce manual workloads, gain deeper insights into their performance, and make more informed decisions about resource allocation, all to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

When you partner with designDATA for our managed IT services, our experts will provide professional guidance for modernizing your IT infrastructure, whether that’s integrating AI solutions or implementing advanced cybersecurity tools. We will work with you to transform your nonprofit’s operations and maximize efficiency with a tailored implementation strategy that will position your organization for long-term success.

Optimize your nonprofit’s IT with expert managed services – contact designDATA today! 

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copilot productivity

How Copilot Can Enhance Productivity in MS 365 For Nonprofits 

How Copilot Can Enhance Productivity in MS 365 For Nonprofits 

copilot productivity

When your association or nonprofit is focused on making a real impact, harnessing the latest AI productivity solutions can help you go further in your work and make a bigger difference for your community. Experts predict that if organizations effectively use artificial intelligence, they have the potential to significantly increase their efficiency and output, leading to a $4.4 trillion increase in overall productivity.  

Microsoft offers an industry-leading, robust ecosystem of applications for supporting your daily activities. Within that environment, the AI tool Microsoft Copilot can further enhance the user experience, offering real-world benefits for empowering your team to shift from repetitive to meaningful, strategic work. 

Below, you’ll learn about the tangible benefits of using M365 for nonprofits and incorporating AI into your workplace. We’ll also cover how to securely implement Copilot to enjoy big returns in productivity and why you should consider managed IT support for a smooth integration. 

What Is Microsoft Copilot and How Does It Work?  

If your organization has a Microsoft 365 plan, then you can access Copilot. This artificial intelligence chatbot uses large language model (LLM) algorithms and Microsoft’s proprietary Prometheus model to generate content instantaneously based on user prompts.  

The tool has the capacity and training to mimic more complex human cognitive processes, such as solving problems, recognizing patterns, predicting outcomes, and even discerning emotions.  

The “Copilot” name perfectly summarizes its purpose: the tool will act as your trusty companion, helping you accomplish tasks more efficiently and preserving your energy for more creative projects.  You can use the basic version to complete various tasks, such as writing, answering questions, coding — even generating images.  

Comparing Copilot Chat vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot 

Copilot operates on a freemium model, where users can access some features for free but can pay for more advanced capabilities.   

For business users with an existing Entra account and Microsoft 365 subscription, Copilot Chat is available at no additional cost. You can use the secure, AI-powered GPT-4 chat leveraging GPT-4, use agents with pay-as-you-go pricing and benefit from enterprise data protection and agent management. 

Customers who subscribe to Microsoft 365 for business can upgrade to Microsoft 365 Copilot for $30/month. This subscription delivers a personalized and integrated experience, including AI-driven chat that leverages your organization’s data, seamless integration with apps like Teams, PowerPoint, and Excel, along with enterprise-grade security, privacy, and compliance. 

Why AI Tools Like Copilot Are Changing the Game 

There are many advantages to using Microsoft Copilot for nonprofits, especially when paired with the Microsoft 365 productivity tools they already use daily: 

Faster, Smarter Document Creation  

Copilot offers several document automation tools that will make content management more efficient for your organization: 

  • Document Management in Word: Easily organize, create, and edit documents when you use Copilot to draft content, pull in details from relevant files and refine grammar and tone. 
  • Presentation Creation in PowerPoint: Copilot can help you put together presentations, whether you’re starting from scratch, working from a Word document, or using your organization’s templates to keep things on-brand. It can also suggest images and turn complex information into a clear, well-structured deck. 
  • Summarizing Content: In applications like PowerPoint and OneNote, the AI assistant can help you quickly understand a document’s key details. 
Better Collaboration and Communication  

For nonprofits and associations, good teamwork is everything, whether it’s when coordinating projects, managing volunteers, or communicating with stakeholders. 

Various Microsoft applications provide AI collaboration tools that help teams connect more effectively.  

Meetings: You can use Copilot to create a meeting agenda or prepare specific discussion questions. Microsoft Teams AI features can also  quickly summarize lengthy chats, automate meeting notetaking and generate post-meeting action items.  

Email Management: Copilot can provide the highlights from long email threads in Outlook or help compose a reply to someone’s message that properly contextualizes its content. 

Informed Decision-Making with Data Insights 

Copilot is also helpful for strategic planning! You can use the tool to generate reports with valuable observations that evaluate your performance, identify any weaknesses, and set well-aligned goals. For example, in Excel, you could ask for quick insights based on the data in your existing tables or suggestions for formulas for what you want to calculate. It can also quickly highlight, sort, and filter your tables.   

In Word, Outlook, or Teams, you can also use the AI tool’s conversation feature to review documents or meetings and ask questions to get feedback, such as “What actions would you suggest for my organization going forward?” or “How can I improve this plan? What is missing?” 

Clearer Project Management Across Teams  

If you want your employees to understand exactly how and when they should contribute to your long-term goals, your organization needs clear, specific processes and workflows. Copilot can streamline that task! 

For example, you can ask Copilot to create a to-do list, tasks, or even an entire project plan from your notes with cloud-based productivity tools like OneNote. After a Teams meeting, it can generate the main takeaways and action items so everyone has explicit guidance on expectations, responsibilities, and upcoming project milestones. 

While subscribing to Copilot may cost money upfront, it can help your organization save over time. With increased efficiency and more effective project management, you can focus on more value-added activities, better allocate resources, minimize delays, and stick to your projected budget. 

How to Prepare for Copilot in Your Organization  

Not sure how you can make Copilot a useful and trusted part of your workplace? Getting ready to bring Copilot into your organization doesn’t have to be too complex. Harnessing the benefits of AI productivity for associations and nonprofits involves two main tasks: getting your team ready to embrace this tool and your systems to support it effectively. Here are the best practices you should follow for a smooth experience: 

Evaluate Workflows  

Assess how your team currently works to identify how this new tool can enhance or streamline their processes. You’ll also need to check whether your infrastructure is prepared to handle this deeper level of MS365 integration. 

Define Policies and Permissions  

You can create a secure, efficient, and responsible AI-friendly environment by partnering with your IT team or service provider to establish a comprehensive management strategy for Microsoft 365 with strong policies for user access and permissions that follow best practices for AI and cloud security. 

Train and Support Staff  

To successfully introduce AI in nonprofit operations, your employees should receive comprehensive training on using new tools and guidelines that maintain consistency, efficiency, and security. 

Monitor and Optimize  

Regularly gather feedback from users and monitor the tool’s performance. Be ready to adjust your approach for optimal benefit. 

Why Managed IT Support Makes the Difference  

Every nonprofit or association wants to support their communities effectively. Leveraging an artificial intelligence tool like Microsoft Copilot can be a great solution for achieving that goal! This AI-powered assistant will enhance how you manage your documents, plan your projects, communicate with your colleagues, and other critical daily workplace tasks – all necessary to help you drive your mission forward.   

When you partner with designDATA, you’ll receive tailored IT support for nonprofits. We specialize in guiding organizations through integrating new productivity tools. Our experts will conduct an in-depth business analysis, manage all aspects of system deployment, and train your staff. Together, we’ll empower your team to unlock the full potential of AI technology. 

Ready to boost your productivity? Let’s discuss how your organization can successfully roll out Microsoft Copilot with designDATA. 

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