As AI writers pen essays, create art, and occasionally declare their love for their human users, it’s clear that we’re on the edge of a fraught new frontier. It’s awe-inspiring, it’s terrifying, and it’s here to stay—and that means we need to make the most of it.
For resource-strapped nonprofits, generative AI is like a new colleague. They’re determined and excited, but they’re also pretty green. They’ll need some hand-holding as they get the lay of the land, but if you take the time to mentor them, they can make your life a lot easier. After all, while AI can seem like magic, it’s really augmented magic. Without a person to steer it, it’s just text on a screen.
Today, we’re going to explore this wild new world, taking it from a scary bogeyman to a friendly collaborator. And, great news, you can, too! Funraise’s AppealAI feature is designed to help you write your fundraising appeals, starting with those most visible of campaigns, your (fundraisers’) peer-to-peer pages.
We see this article as the perfect opportunity to take our AI colleagues for a spin by giving them some prompts, which we’ll share with you. By the end of this article, you should know more about AI, understand how you can use it, and have prompts to assist you in getting exactly what you need from your augmented magic friends.
Let’s get down to business.
“What is an AI writer and how can it benefit nonprofits?”
An AI writer is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to generate text automatically. Nonprofits can benefit from AI writers in a number of ways, including automating the creation of fundraising materials, generating content for social media and websites, and producing reports and other written documents more efficiently. AI writers can save time and resources, allowing nonprofits to focus on their core mission and impact. Additionally, AI writers can help nonprofits reach new audiences and engage with supporters in new and innovative ways.
So say our friendly AI fellows.
“Recommendations for AI chatbots and programs”
Since the days of ChatGPT (we were only children!), AI has exploded, and that means you have options aplenty. Here are a few AI programs to explore.
- AppealAI. Funraise’s nonprofit-friendly generative AI appeal writer, made for organizations just like yours, who are changing the world, just like you do.
- ChatGPT. The classic, plus it’s free (for now).
- Notion AI. Notion is fun for us because it’s native to a program that we already use, but you may find that your favorite AI is whatever’s linked to your favorite tools.
- YouChat. Similar to ChatGPT if you’re looking to mix it up.
- Google Bard. Just barely available to the public, so we’ll see how it pans out. Bard pulls information from recent data across the vast expanse of the internet but recognizes the danger of making up urls and references and facts that will further spread and feed on themselves.
- Magic Write on Canva. Kick those snazzy designs up a notch with some snazzy AI text.
- Stable Diffusion. With this open-source AI, you can turn your text into images and get nothing done for the next 48 hours.
Here’s what our AI colleagues had to say:
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as different AI writing tools may work better for different use cases and goals. However, some popular AI writing tools include GPT-3, Jarvis AI, and Writesonic. It's important to evaluate each tool's capabilities and limitations to determine which one is the best fit for your specific needs.
Thank you for that vague answer.
Types of content that nonprofits can write with AI
Once you have an AI tool that you like, you can put your new friend to work! (Make sure they take a break every few hours by loading a nice screensaver with a beach view.) But what types of content can AI write for nonprofits? Keeping in mind that your AI officemate will do better with some of these items than others, here are a few ideas.
- Peer-to-peer appeals. While emails and texts and ads and social posts are great places to use generative AI, we’d like to point out that P2P is supposed to get your appeal in front of new audiences. Plus, when you draft up a peer-to-peer appeal that your fundraisers can use, your message stays on point and consistent.
Bonus! Funraise is excited as can be about the ways that AI can affect and assist nonprofit fundraising, soooooo... (drum roll, please) we're integrating it into our single-solution software! Starting with generated P2P appeal text for your fundraisers!
- Emails and newsletters. Have your AI brainstorm email ideas, draft clickable subject lines, and even write the copy. Just remember to fact-check, personalize, and edit it yourself.
- Social posts. Social copy is short and snappy, making it perfect for AI. AI can write the copy itself, cut down prewritten copy for Tweets, respond to comments and questions from users, and generate content ideas. Just remember to leave any more delicate matters to actual humans—we don’t want AI writing our post-humanitarian-disaster statements.
- Long-form content. AI is great at running with an idea, so use it to get blog ideas or explore relevant topics. While AI can write basic blog posts, you’ll need a good editor to go over everything with a fine-toothed comb, checking for accuracy and voice. AI is also great at crafting summaries for pieces you’ve already written—just paste it in and ask for a brief recap.
- Outlines. Once you’ve taken those messy meeting notes, AI can clean them up and turn them into actionable items. It can also create handy summaries to send out to team members or other stakeholders.
- Ad copy. To make the most of your Google Ad Grant, turn to AI to identify keywords and search terms. After all, it's been trained on the 10 billion ads out there, so it knows what works! Then, let your marketing team shine everything up and put it out into the world.
- Storytelling. If you ask AI to write like Santa Claus, you’d better believe it will jolly up your words in no time flat! Ask it to rewrite content in a different way, or to use existing content to write a catchy song or cute jingle about your org. It’s really good at rhyming!
How does AI fit into your nonprofit’s content operations?
Clearly, AI can change your day-to-day content operations in many ways. Now, you just have to decide how and where you’ll implement it. For most nonprofits, AI will allow you to scale your operations and increase your reach by simplifying many of the more time-consuming content operations processes, leaving your human workers to handle the complexities and nuances.
Add AI into your content operations just like any other team member. For example, your team researches current industry trends, the AI comes up with blog post ideas, your development director chooses one, the AI writes an outline, your writer drafts the actual post, and the AI helps them rephrase and hit key points along the way. Teamwork FTW!
A word of caution, we're suggesting that you incorporate AI into your process not because we want to save writers' jobs, but because this retains the integrity—and your organization's ownership—of the content you're writing. To try and simplify the crux of the issue a bit: copyright laws apply to ideas, products, output, content that come from a human. They don't apply (in the same way) to anything "created" by a robot or AI (in short, because a robot can't "create", only draw from human-made works). When you're talking about branding or sensitive works like your constituents' stories, that can be a dealbreaker.
And one more note: Google technically considers any AI writing to be spam, which is good for no one. At present, there is no definitive way for the Googs to definitively tell what’s AI vs human vs native language speaker vs topic expert vs absolute junk, but at some point, that will change. And when that time comes, you don’t want a website that’s 100% AI-authored, because you’ll have to take it all down or edit every. Single. Line. And even if you don’t have to do that, you’ll still be cursed by the search overlords, which is a legacy you don’t want to leave behind.
Prompts you can use to get the results you want
When it comes down to it, AI content can be all over the map. But if you know how to write a great prompt, you’re much more likely to get results you love. While crafting AI prompts is a bit of an art form, you’re in luck, because the staff here at Funraise is a bunch of talented artistes (with an extra “e”). Below, we’ll share the exact prompt we’ve used to generate results for our 100% imaginary and 110% adorable nonprofit, Pawsitively Purrfect. Then, we’ll show you what our dear friend Ava came up with, along with what some other AI colleagues had to say.
Mission Statement for Pawsitively Purrfect
First things first: our nonprofit needs a great mission statement to focus our efforts and bring in the donors.
The prompt: Write a mission statement for Pawsitively Purrfect, our nonprofit pet rescue that promotes animal welfare.
Notion AI:
The mission of Pawsitively Purrfect is to spread joy and laughter through the power of pets. We believe that animals have a paw-some ability to bring people together and brighten up even the toughest days. Our goal is to promote animal welfare and rescue, while also providing a platform for pet lovers to share their stories, photos, and videos. Through our pawsome programs and initiatives, we hope to create a fur-tastic world where every pet is loved, cared for, and treated like a member of the family.
Fundraising Ideas
With a clear mission, we can start fundraising for all those snuggly furbabies. But that means we need some fundraising ideas!
The prompt: I have a nonprofit called Pawsitively Purrfect and our mission is to spread joy and laughter through the power of pets to promote animal welfare and rescue. Can you give me some fundraising ideas?
Notion AI:
Some fundraising ideas for Pawsitively Purrfect could include:
- Hosting a pet-friendly event such as a dog walk, pet talent show, or cat cafe.
- Partnering with local pet stores or veterinary clinics to host a donation drive for pet supplies or funds.
- Selling merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, or pet accessories with proceeds going towards animal welfare and rescue.
- Organizing a virtual pet show or contest where participants can enter their pets and donate to vote for their favorite.
ChatGPT:
Certainly! Here are 5 fundraising ideas based on your nonprofit's mission:
- Pet-Themed Virtual Trivia Night: Host a virtual trivia night with pet-themed categories and questions. Participants can pay an entry fee to play, and the winner can receive a prize.
- Pet Supplies Donation Drive: Partner with a local pet store or grocery store to set up a donation drive for pet supplies such as food, toys, and blankets. You can also set up a crowdfunding page to collect monetary donations.
- Virtual Pet Therapy Sessions: Partner with a local therapy animal organization to offer virtual pet therapy sessions. Participants can make a donation to your nonprofit to attend the session.
- Pet Portrait Painting Fundraiser: Host a virtual or in-person painting event where participants can paint a portrait of their pet. You can partner with a local artist to lead the event and charge an entry fee.
- Virtual Pet Costume Contest: Host a virtual pet costume contest where participants can submit pictures of their pets in costumes. Participants can pay an entry fee to participate, and the winner can receive a prize.
Funraise Brain Trust
If you want to know what Funraise’s creative team came up with, take a look at these 35 animal-focused fundraising ideas straight from your favorite writers’ brains!
Social Copy
Those were some decent ideas! Let’s say we liked ChatGPT’s Virtual Pet Costume Contest suggestion. Now, let’s turn it into social copy—and those emojis and hashtags are all our AI friends’ doing.
The prompt: I am running a fundraiser for my nonprofit called Pawsitively Purrfect. This is the fundraiser: Virtual Pet Costume Contest: Host a virtual pet costume contest where participants can submit pictures of their pets in costumes. Participants can pay an entry fee to participate, and the winner can receive a prize. Can you write several social copies for our social media to promote this fundraiser with an engaging, helpful, and relatable tone?
Notion AI:
- Are you ready to show off your furry friend's Halloween spirit? 🐾🎃👻
- We're excited to announce our virtual pet costume contest, where you can enter your pet's photo for a chance to win a pawsome prize! Not only will your pet be the talk of the town, but you'll also be supporting a great cause.
- Here's how it works:
- Submit a photo of your pet in their costume through our website.
- Pay the entry fee, which goes towards supporting animal welfare and rescue.
- Share your pet's photo on social media and encourage your friends and family to vote for them by donating to our cause.
- The pet with the most votes at the end of the contest wins!
- Don't miss out on the fun - enter your pet today! 🐶🐱
- #PawsitivelyPurrfect #VirtualPetCostumeContest #SupportAnimalWelfare #HalloweenFun #FurryFriends #PetLovers
- Looking for a fun way to support animal welfare and rescue? Participate in our virtual pet costume contest! Not only will you get to show off your pet's costume, but you'll also be helping a great cause. Enter now! 🎃🐾👻
- #PawsitivelyPurrfect #VirtualPetCostumeContest #SupportAnimalWelfare #HalloweenFun #FurryFriends #PetLovers
- We know you love showing off your furry friend, so why not enter them in our virtual pet costume contest? Not only will they get to strut their stuff in their Halloween best, but you'll also be supporting animal welfare and rescue. Enter now! 🐶🐱🎉
- #PawsitivelyPurrfect #VirtualPetCostumeContest #SupportAnimalWelfare #HalloweenFun #FurryFriends #PetLovers
ChatGPT:
- "Calling all pet owners! 📣 Dress up your furry friends and join us for our virtual pet costume contest! It's a fun way to show off your pet's style and help us raise funds for our animal rescue efforts. 🐾 Sign up today!"
- "Is your pet a Halloween fanatic? 🎃 Put their costume skills to the test and enter them into our virtual pet costume contest! Not only will they have a chance to win a prize, but you'll also be supporting a great cause. 🐶🐱 Register now!"
- "It's time to get creative with your pet's wardrobe! 💃🐶 Join us for our virtual pet costume contest and show off your pet's personality. Plus, you'll be helping us raise funds to support our animal welfare mission. 🐾 Enter today!"
- "Does your pet have a costume that's too cute not to share? 🤩 Enter them in our virtual pet costume contest and help us raise money for animal rescue! Whether they're spooky or silly, we want to see your pet's costume style. 🐱🐶 Register now!"
- "Want to show off your pet's costume skills? 🐾 Enter our virtual pet costume contest and join us in supporting animal welfare! Your participation will make a difference in the lives of animals in need. 🐶💕 Sign up today!"
End-of-Year Email Appeal
Um, those were adorable. But we need something with fewer emojis and hashtags for our year-end email appeal.
The prompt: I have a nonprofit called Pawsitively Purrfect, and our mission is to spread joy and laughter through the power of pets to promote animal welfare and rescue. I need you to craft a short but sweet year-end-appeal email that tells a relatable, engaging, and witty story. Please don't include any references to 2021.
Notion AI:
Dear [Donor's Name],
Once upon a time, there was a group of furry friends who wanted nothing more than to spread joy and happiness to everyone they met. They knew that with a little bit of love, a wag of the tail, or a simple purr, they could make even the toughest days a little brighter.
That's why they joined forces with Pawsitively Purrfect, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting animal welfare and rescue through the power of pets. With your support, we've been able to create a fur-tastic world where every pet is loved, cared for, and treated like a member of the family.
As the year comes to a close, we're reaching out to you with an urgent request. Our furry friends have faced unprecedented challenges this year, from overflowing shelters to families struggling to afford pet care. That's why we're asking for your help to ensure that we can continue to provide vital resources and support to pets in need.
Your donation, no matter how big or small, will make a paw-sitive impact on the lives of countless animals and their families. And as a thank-you for your support, we're excited to announce that we have some exciting new initiatives in the works for the coming year, including a mobile pet adoption unit and a program to provide free pet care to families in need.
So, as you're making your year-end charitable donations, we hope you'll consider supporting Pawsitively Purrfect and our furry friends. Your donation will not only make a difference in the lives of animals, but it will also bring joy and happiness to your own life.
From all of us at Pawsitively Purrfect, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. Thank you for being a part of our paw-some community.
Pawsitively yours,
[Your Name]
PS: Don't forget to enter your furry friend in our virtual pet costume contest! Not only will they look adorable in their Halloween best, but you'll also be supporting animal welfare and rescue. Enter now at [insert link].
ChatGPT:
Certainly! Here's an example of a short, engaging, and witty year-end appeal email that you could use:
Subject: Help us make tails wag in the new year!
Dear [First Name],
As we look ahead to a new year, we're reminded of the joy and happiness that our furry friends bring into our lives. At Pawsitively Purrfect, our mission is to spread that joy and laughter to as many people and animals as possible.
Throughout the year, we've rescued and cared for countless animals in need, and we've seen firsthand the positive impact that pets can have on our well-being. But we couldn't do it without the support of animal lovers like you.
As we wrap up the year, we're asking for your help to continue our mission in the new year. Whether you can make a one-time donation or become a monthly donor, your contribution will help us provide food, shelter, and medical care to animals in need, and promote animal welfare and rescue in our community.
So, as you prepare to celebrate the new year, we hope you'll consider making a donation to Pawsitively Purrfect. Together, we can make tails wag and spread joy to even more pets and people in the coming year.
Thank you for your support, and we wish you and your furry friends a happy and healthy new year!
Warmly,
[Your Name]
Pawsitively Purrfect
Long-Form Content Ideas
Honestly, we’re pretty impressed that Ava remembered our virtual pet photo contest. Given that they know us so well, maybe they can help come up with some blog post ideas, too.
The prompt: I want to create more long-form blog content for my nonprofit, Pawsitively Purrfect. Our mission is to spread joy and laughter through the power of pets to promote animal welfare and rescue. Please give me 5 blog content ideas we could write about that would engage our donors.
Notion AI:
- The Power of Pets: How Animals Can Help Improve Mental Health
- This blog post could explore the various ways that pets can improve mental health, from reducing stress and anxiety to providing companionship and a sense of purpose. You could also share stories from people who have benefited from the emotional support of their pets.
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Animal Welfare and Rescue
- This blog post could examine the effects that the pandemic has had on animal shelters, rescue organizations, and pet owners. You could discuss the challenges that these groups have faced and highlight ways that people can support animal welfare and rescue during these difficult times.
- The Benefits of Pet Adoption: Why Adopting a Pet is the Best Decision You'll Ever Make
- This blog post could make the case for pet adoption, highlighting the benefits of adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue organization. You could share stories of successful adoptions and provide tips for people who are considering adding a furry friend to their family.
- How to Help Stray and Feral Cats in Your Community
- This blog post could focus on the issue of stray and feral cats and provide practical tips for people who want to help. You could discuss ways to safely trap and neuter cats, as well as how to provide food, water, and shelter for outdoor cats.
- The Healing Power of Animal-Assisted Therapy
- This blog post could explore the ways that animals are used in therapy to help people recover from physical, emotional, and mental health issues. You could share stories of successful animal-assisted therapy programs and provide information on how people can get involved or support these initiatives.
ChatGPT:
Certainly! Here are five blog content ideas for your nonprofit, Pawsitively Purrfect:
- The Healing Power of Pets: In this blog post, you can talk about the therapeutic benefits of having a pet. Discuss how pets can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and how they can provide comfort and support during difficult times.
- A Day in the Life of a Shelter Pet: This blog post could feature an interview or story from a shelter pet, highlighting their experiences and what it's like to live in a shelter. This post could also include tips for adopting a shelter pet and the benefits of adopting a pet.
- The Importance of Spaying and Neutering Pets: This blog post could focus on the importance of spaying and neutering pets to help control the animal population and reduce the number of animals that end up in shelters. You could also include information on low-cost spay and neuter programs in your area.
- How to Keep Your Pet Safe During the Holidays: This blog post could provide tips and advice on how to keep pets safe during the holiday season. Topics could include holiday decorations, toxic foods, and ways to reduce stress for pets during the busy holiday season.
- How Animal Rescue Organizations are Making a Difference: In this blog post, you could feature an interview with a representative from a local animal rescue organization, discussing their efforts to help animals in need and promote animal welfare. This post could also include ways for readers to get involved with the organization or other animal rescue efforts in their area.
Turn that idea into a blog
Thanks for the ideas, AI friends! Now, let’s turn the idea of how pets can improve your mental health into an actual blog post. Since this is a bit more complex, we’ll give AI plenty of direction.
The prompt: Please create a long-form blog post for my nonprofit, Pawsitively Purrfect. The blog post's title is, The Power of Pets: How Animals Can Help Improve Mental Health. I want to explore how pets can improve mental health, from reducing stress and anxiety to providing companionship and a sense of purpose. You could also share stories from people who have benefited from the emotional support of their pets.
I would like to break the blog into different sections:
Section 1: Intro on the topicSection 2: Explain how pets improve mental healthSection 3: Share a story of how someone has benefited from the emotional support of their petsSection 4: Talk about our mission with a closing CTA
[Editor’s Note: We think the “personal stories” are made up? Kinda scary, no?]
Notion AI:
The Power of Pets: How Animals Can Help Improve Mental Health
Pets have a paw-some ability to bring joy, comfort, and companionship into our lives. But did you know that they can also have a significant impact on our mental health? From reducing stress and anxiety to providing a sense of purpose and belonging, pets have been shown to improve our overall well-being in countless ways.
In this blog post, we'll explore the power of pets and how they can help improve mental health. We'll share stories of people who have benefited from the emotional support of their pets, and we'll explain how you can get involved in promoting animal welfare and rescue.
How Pets Improve Mental Health
There are many ways that pets can help improve mental health, both in the short and long term. Here are just a few examples:
Reducing Stress and Anxiety
Studies have shown that spending time with animals can help reduce stress and anxiety. Petting a dog or cat can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and the act of caring for a pet can provide a sense of calm and routine in your daily life.
Providing Companionship and Social Support
Pets can also provide companionship and social support, which is especially important for people who live alone or have limited social connections. Dogs, in particular, are great at promoting social interaction and can help their owners connect with others in their community.
Boosting Mood and Energy
Pets can also boost our mood and energy levels, which can be especially helpful for people who struggle with depression or other mood disorders. The simple act of playing with a dog or taking a walk with your pet can increase the production of feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine.
Providing a Sense of Purpose and Responsibility
Finally, pets can provide a sense of purpose and responsibility, which is especially important for people who may feel isolated or disconnected from the world around them. Caring for a pet can give you a sense of purpose and meaning, and can help you feel more connected to the world around you.
Stories of Pet-Induced Healing
The power of pets to improve mental health is perhaps best illustrated by the countless stories of people who have been helped by their furry friends. Here are just a few examples:
John's Story
John had struggled with depression for years and often felt disconnected from the world around him. But when he adopted a dog named Max, everything changed. Max provided John with a sense of purpose and responsibility, and John found himself looking forward to their daily walks and playtime. Over time, John's mood improved, and he felt more connected to the world around him.
Maria's Story
Maria had always been an anxious person and often found it difficult to manage her symptoms. But when she adopted a cat named Luna, everything changed. Luna provided Maria with a sense of calm and routine, and Maria found that her anxiety symptoms decreased significantly. She also found herself feeling more connected to her community, as Luna was a great conversation starter with her neighbors.
Tom's Story
Tom had been struggling with PTSD for years and often felt isolated and disconnected from his family and friends. But when he started volunteering at a local animal shelter, he found a sense of purpose and belonging that he hadn't felt in years. The act of caring for the animals and helping them find new homes gave him a sense of fulfillment and joy, and he felt more connected to his community as a result.
Our Mission
At Pawsitively Purrfect, we believe in the power of pets to improve mental health and well-being. That's why we're dedicated to promoting animal welfare and rescue, while also providing a platform for pet lovers to share their stories, photos, and videos.
We believe that every pet deserves to be loved, cared for, and treated like a member of the family. And with your support, we can continue to spread joy and happiness through the power of pets.
So if you're passionate about animal welfare and want to make a difference in the lives of pets and their families, we invite you to join us. Whether you're looking to adopt a furry friend, volunteer at a local shelter, or simply share your love of pets with others, there are countless ways to get involved and make a paw-sitive impact.
Let's work together to create a fur-tastic world where every pet is loved, cared for, and treated like the royalty they are.
Conclusion
Pets have an incredible ability to improve our mental health and well-being in countless ways. Whether you're struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or simply feeling disconnected from the world around you, a furry friend could be just what you need to feel better.
At Pawsitively Purrfect, we're dedicated to promoting animal welfare and rescue, while also spreading joy and happiness through the power of pets. We believe that every pet deserves to be loved, cared for, and treated like a member of the family, and we invite you to join us in creating a fur-tastic world where every pet can thrive.
So if you're looking for a paw-some way to improve your mental health and make a difference in the world, consider adopting a pet, volunteering at a local shelter, or supporting animal welfare and rescue initiatives in your community. Together, we can make the world a better place, one paw at a time.
ChatGPT:
Certainly! Here's a long-form blog post for your nonprofit, Pawsitively Purrfect:
Title: The Power of Pets: How Animals Can Help Improve Mental Health
Section 1: Introduction
Many pet owners can attest to the joy and companionship that their furry friends bring to their lives. But did you know that pets can also have a positive impact on mental health? From reducing stress and anxiety to providing companionship and a sense of purpose, the benefits of pet ownership are numerous. In this blog post, we'll explore how pets can improve mental health and share stories from people who have benefited from the emotional support of their pets.
Section 2: How pets improve mental health
Pets have been shown to have a positive impact on mental health in a number of ways. For example, studies have found that petting a dog or cat can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress levels. This is thought to be due to the release of oxytocin, a hormone that is associated with bonding and relaxation.
Pets can also provide a sense of companionship and social support, which can be especially important for people who live alone or have limited social connections. A pet can be a loyal companion who is always there to listen and offer comfort. In fact, research has shown that pet owners are often more empathetic and socially connected than non-pet owners.
Finally, pets can provide a sense of purpose and responsibility, which can be especially beneficial for people with depression or other mental health conditions. Caring for a pet can give people a sense of accomplishment and help them stay focused on something other than their own negative thoughts.
Section 3: Personal story
To illustrate the power of pets, we spoke with Jane, a Pawsitively Purrfect supporter who has benefited greatly from the emotional support of her pets. Jane suffers from anxiety and depression and has found that her pets have been a constant source of comfort and companionship.
"I don't know where I would be without my cats," Jane says. "When I'm feeling down or anxious, they always seem to know and will come sit with me. Just having them there helps me feel less alone."
Jane also credits her pets with helping her get through some of the toughest times in her life. "When my dad passed away, my cats were there for me," she says. "They didn't judge me or tell me to get over it. They just sat with me and let me cry. I don't know how I would have gotten through that time without them."
Section 4: Our Mission and Closing CTA
At Pawsitively Purrfect, our mission is to spread joy and laughter through the power of pets to promote animal welfare and rescue. We believe that animals have a paw-some ability to bring people together and brighten up even the toughest days. By promoting pet ownership and animal welfare, we hope to help more people experience the many benefits of pet ownership, including improved mental health.
If you're interested in learning more about our organization or supporting our mission, please visit our website and consider making a donation or volunteering your time. Together, we can create a fur-tastic world where every pet is loved, cared for, and treated like a member of the family.
Sneaky tips to get the content you’re looking for from your AI colleague
And there you have it: prompts that get results—even if you should never use a made-up story in a blog post (though we’ll admit that Jane sounds like a pretty swell lady). Finally, here are a few more tips on getting the very best from Notion, ChatGPT, or any other AI creator.
- Be very specific about what you’re looking for or the AI will default to generic text. We like to phrase our prompts almost like role-play.
- Ask for the tone you’re looking for. For example, you can ask it to rewrite a summary you provide into social copy “with a tone that is funny, witty, and relatable.”
- Try creating a persona for the AI. For instance, tell it to pretend it’s a social media manager writing copy for ABC in a tone of XYZ. Some of the copy it spits out will be awful, but some of it will be borderline genius.
- Generate the response several times. Each time, the AI will come up with something new, and hopefully, one of them will hit home.
- Work with the best parts. Now, it’s up to you, human nonprofiteer. Take what the AI created and spice it up, or just use it as inspiration!
- Check out these subreddits on prompting AI to get the results you want:
Here’s what Notion suggests
Here are some tips for generating great content from AI:
- Be specific about what you're looking for and provide a clear tone and style. Phrasing it as role play can help.
- Generate multiple responses and take the parts that spark creativity.
- Evaluate each AI writing tool's capabilities and limitations to determine which one is the best fit for your specific needs.
- Use AI writers for tasks that are time-consuming or repetitive, such as generating fundraising materials and reports.
- Use AI writers to reach new audiences and engage with supporters in new and innovative ways.
- Remember that AI writing tools are not a replacement for human writers, but rather a tool to help them do their jobs more efficiently.
Um, Notion clearly saw our tips above and regurgitated them in their voice. Which… is essentially what AI content generators do, and one of the major negatives to be aware of. No content online is safe from AI, but content professionals (👋) know that content spinners, plagiarism, and copycats have always been bad actors in our space—AI-generated copy is just the newest form of a problem we've been fighting since forever.
You do you, AI, but know that we have a strict honor code—and loads of our own creativity—here at Funraise.
This is what ChatGPT recommended:
As an AI language model, I can understand a wide range of prompts and questions. However, there are some ways in which users can prompt me better to get more accurate and relevant responses:
- Be specific: Provide as much context as possible when asking a question. This helps me understand the exact information you're looking for and provide a more accurate response.
- Use clear language: Avoid using slang, jargon, or complex terminology that might confuse me. Instead, use clear and concise language that is easy for me to understand.
- Ask open-ended questions: Instead of asking yes or no questions, ask open-ended questions that encourage me to provide more detailed responses.
- Use proper grammar and punctuation: Using proper grammar and punctuation can help me understand the question more easily and provide a more accurate response.
- Provide examples: If you're asking a question that involves a specific concept or scenario, providing examples can help me understand the question better and provide a more accurate response.
Overall, the more specific and clear the user's prompt is, the more accurate and relevant my response will be.
Key takeaways: Using AI prompts for nonprofit content
Whether you think AI content creators are a gift to mankind, a sign of the apocalypse, or the death knell for creativity, you can’t deny their usefulness. To wrap everything up, here’s your cheat sheet for when to turn to AI writers and when you need that human touch.
When to let robots write
- Page headers, metadata, and keywords. When it comes to SEO and keywords, AI knows what it’s doing.
- Social copy. You’ll need a social expert to ensure your posts include the necessary information, but AI can rework posts for different channels and come up with clever hashtags. It still can’t create TikTok videos at 1:00 AM, though.
- Generating ideas. When you have writer’s block, AI comes in handy. It can list ideas all day long, filling up that content calendar and, hopefully, helping you come up with even-more-creative ideas.
- Summarizing information. Whether it’s creating a meeting brief from notes or summarizing a lengthy blog post, AI can scan and sum up text in no time flat.
- Editing and proofreading. We already use Grammarly, and AI editors are only going to improve from there. You can share your editorial guidelines with AI to ensure everything you write is consistent and on-brand. You’ll still want a final set of human eyes, of course, but AI can do the heavy lifting.
- Ensuring accessibility. AI can generate captions, translate text into different languages, generate alt-text, write audio descriptions of visual content, and more.
- Marketing and campaign content. AI knows what people click on, which makes it very good at crafting copy for landing pages and marketing outreach. When it comes to CTAs, subject lines, short-form content, and headlines, AI knows what’s up.
When to stick to humans
- When you need accuracy. The internet is full of lies, and AI can’t yet check for accuracy. It may sound ironic, but when it comes to telling the truth, you need a human.
- Content strategy. Branding, messaging architecture, and voice/tone guidelines are deeply personal and wholly unique to each organization. Input should come from actual people, and that means using a human content strategist to get to the heart of the matter.
- Anything around complex or emotional issues. Remember when Vanderbilt University used ChatGPT to write their statement on a recent school shooting? Don’t be like that. Human empathy is still our key differentiator. When you’re faced with crafting content about a political, emotional, complicated, or controversial issue, leave it to an actual person.
- Complex long-form content. While AI can definitely speed up the article- or blog-writing process, if you’re writing anything beyond an SEO-driven “Top 10 Dogs That Look Like Llamas” listicle, you’ll want a person behind it. SEO is great, but what keeps people reading is content that shares something new, something insightful, something, well, human.
- Thought leadership. AI pulls information from all over to craft original content, but it doesn’t actually have original thoughts. If you’re looking for thought leadership, it’s still the domain of thinking, breathing human beings.
With big thanks to our creative team for discussing this at lonnng length, for contributing in truly collaborative ways, for recognizing the need for identification and attribution in AI usage, and for committing to working (or not) with AI as ethically as possible.