April 17, 2025
5 AI Experiments Any Charity Can Run in 1 Hour a Week
Step-by-step, no waffle. Try one. Get a result. Repeat.
KONEKT
artificial intelligence
Robotic arm with humanoid fingers clicking a laptop keypad.
Pick one. Run it. Get a result.
This blog gives you five AI experiments — not ideas, not theories, but real, doable tasks your team can try this week.
You don’t need a digital strategy. You don’t need budget.
You just need:
- One hour
- One challenge worth solving
- One free AI tool
Each experiment comes with full step-by-step instructions.
If you actually try one, we guarantee you’ll save time, uncover insight, or upgrade something that’s been slowing you down.
Abstract image of a clock face
AI for the Time-Strapped Charity
You’re probably already using AI — you just haven’t called it that yet.
Writing social captions with ChatGPT. Summarising reports. Drafting funding bids. These experiments are built around real charity use cases, using free tools, and designed to give you a clear result in under 60 minutes.
Think of this as your hands-on AI starter kit. Pick one. Follow the guide. Get it done.
ChatGPT application running on a mobile phone device
1. Turn a Report into a Blog Post
You’ve written a 20-page impact report. It’s full of insight. But let’s be honest — barely anyone is reading it.
This experiment turns that hidden value into something people will actually engage with: a short, readable blog.
Step-by-Step
Tools: ChatGPT, Claude.ai, Google Docs
Time: 40–60 mins
1. Copy a 1–2 page section of your report
2. Paste into ChatGPT or Claude
3. Prompt:
“Turn this into a 600-word blog post for a general audience. Use a warm tone. Highlight key stats and messages.”
4. Follow up with:
a. “Add a headline and call to action”
b. “Give me three tweet-length quotes”
5. Edit, fact-check, and publish
Tip: Ask for three social posts to promote the blog
Asian male manually taking notes on a notepad while looking at computer screen in an office.
2. Summarise a Long Document for Decision-Makers
Board papers. Strategy docs. Evaluation reports. You know they’re important — but you also know most people aren’t reading them in full.
This experiment gives leadership teams exactly what they need: clear, focused insight in five bullet points.
Step-by-Step
Tools: Claude.ai, Notion AI
Time: 30–45 mins
1. Upload a long doc (e.g. board report, service update) to Claude.ai
2. Prompt:
“Summarise this in five bullet points for senior leadership. Focus on urgent actions, risks, and decisions.”
3. Follow up with:
a. “Make it shorter”
b. “Rewrite this as a Slack message or plain-text email”
4. Paste summary into your next meeting pack
Tip: Ask AI to flag anything likely to be missed or misunderstood
Flip chart in an office showing a persona being mapped out.
3. Create Donor Personas from CRM Data
You want to tailor your messaging — but without real personas, you’re just guessing.
This experiment gives you three data-driven audience profiles to guide content, campaigns, and asks.
Step-by-Step
Tools: ChatGPT, CRM/Excel
Time: 45–60 mins
1. Export a small anonymised donor sample (gift size, postcode, channel, frequency)
2. Prompt:
“Based on this data, create 3 donor personas. Include name, motivation, giving barrier, preferred tone and channel.”
3. Ask follow-ups:
a. “Add a quote from each persona”
b. “Suggest one campaign message that would appeal to them”
4. Use personas to shape your next campaign or appeal
Tip: Test subject lines or visuals aligned to each persona in a small A/B test
Young woman working from home office using laptop and the Internet.
4. Rewrite a Policy in Plain English
Policies are essential — but most people don’t read them. And if they do, they don’t understand them.
This experiment simplifies complex policies into something people can actually use and follow.
Step-by-Step
Tools: ChatGPT, Word or Google Docs
Time: 45 mins
1. Copy your policy into ChatGPT (e.g. safeguarding, volunteer conduct)
2. Prompt:
“Rewrite this in plain English. Keep all legal meaning, but simplify the language. Use clear headings, short sentences, and a friendly tone.”
3. Ask for a one-pager version
4. Review with a colleague or legal lead
5. Publish both full and simplified versions together
Tip: Use Canva or Slides to turn the plain-English version into a visual guide
Abstract image of a person using a chatbot
5. Build a Volunteer FAQ Chatbot
Your team spends hours answering the same questions. This experiment builds a basic bot that handles them automatically.
It’s not about replacing people — it’s about reducing friction.
Step-by-Step
Tools: Chatbase, Landbot, Tidio
Time: 45–60 mins
1. List your 10 most common volunteer questions
2. Go to Chatbase and start a new bot
3. Upload your Q&A and test responses
4. Add links to shift rotas, cancellation forms, or contact details
5. Embed the bot on your WhatsApp, Slack or volunteer portal
6. Ask three volunteers to try it and share feedback
Tip: Link your chatbot to a Google Sheet so you can update FAQs live without touching the bot backend
Two business people reading from a phone screen at a modern office foyer.
Track What You Learn
Create a shared doc or Notion page to log:
What you tried
- The prompt used
- Time taken
- Output
- One takeaway or improvement
Call it your AI Lab. Treat it like R&D — not performance reporting.
Tips to Get Your Team on Board
- Start with annoying tasks, not exciting ones
- Share wins (and funny failures) openly
- Make it informal — try “AI Fridays” or a “What we tried this week” Slack thread
- Celebrate the small stuff — one person saving 45 minutes is a big deal
Final Words
Just Pick One and Run It
Don’t overthink. Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait for the strategy slide deck.
Pick one experiment. Try it this week. Log what happened. Share it with your team.
Because if your charity can reclaim just one hour a week, you’re not just saving time — you’re making room for deeper impact, sharper thinking, and more human connection.
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