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Unlocking the Power of AI for Nonprofit Communications

Anysa Holder, Senior Advisor — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 18:17:07 +0000

You can’t go anywhere right now on Bill Gates Internet without seeing some form of discussion about Artificial Intelligence (AI), chatbots, or ChatGPT. AI is no longer a futuristic concept. Marketers everywhere are yelling from the mountain tops about how this is the future of marketing as we know it.

And things are moving so quickly with the AI landscape that this article no doubt will be outdated sooner than we previously would think.

With all these conversations about artificial intelligence, it might be overwhelming to consider where to begin or how to utilize it as social impact communicator. Or perhaps you have legal, ethical, or integrity concerns – all valid. But if you asked me, the often overworked and understaffed marketing team has just been given a gift.

Johnny 5 Has Come a Long Way

As an ’80s baby, it’s hard for me to avoid remembering movies like Short Circuit featuring robots (Johnny 5) with advanced artificial intelligence that were capable of independent thinking and decision-making. These classic science fiction movies have now become a reality with the development of sophisticated AI technologies that are being implemented in a variety of industries.

Okay, but what the heck is AI, you might ask. Far more complicated (and interesting) than a futuristic Spielberg movie starring a young Haley Joel Osmet, AI is a type of computer programming that allows machines to learn from their environment, respond to inputted commands, and make decisions on their own.

It’s typically programmed to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, like problem-solving and language understanding (Hello Siri and Alexa). AI systems can operate in various environments, such as robotics, virtual assistants, self-driving cars, and even social media. Let’s just say its uses are vast.

Right now, marketers are using it for everything from customer service chatbots to automating email marketing campaigns, analyzing data collected and more.

Did you know some platforms could even help you write code?

Revolutionizing Content Creation with Language Models

With the expansion of language models, also known as natural language processing (NLP) systems, there’s potential to revolutionize the way we marketers develop content. These systems work by understanding and generating human language. Language models like ChatGPT, Jasper, and the like, produce human-like text that is difficult to distinguish from that written by a human – so you can imagine the variety of uses a marketer could get out of these is immense.

Text-to-text platforms can be used for generating all types of text content while text-to-image platforms are being used to generate original images from descriptive text. And text-to-music platforms are being used to produce music from written scores.

What geeks me out most about all of this (and it should you as well) is that these technologies have the potential to be great timesavers for professionals like us. And time, we all know, is the thing most treasured by ever-busy nonprofit communicators.

So, let’s jump into a few ways I’ve been using the various systems or have seen others do so with success.

11 Ways a Nonprofit Marcomm Professional Can Use AI Language Systems:

Develop fresh or creative approaches and ideas.
Create engaging content tailored specifically towards a specific target audience.
Create and optimize social media posts.
Write video scripts.
Come up with subject lines.
Research.
Making complex content easier to understand.
Distilling talking points.
Developing interview prompts.
Drafting personalized donor letters.
Translating content into a different language for your different populations.

All that Glitters is not Gold

As with any new technology, there are things we need to be mindful of. Top of mind and discussion currently are accuracy, privacy, and bias.

Accuracy – The content results are only as good as the data inputted into them and sometimes the data is not as recent as it could be and can skew results. Fact-checking is your friend.
Biases – Sometimes these AI systems can reflect biases from the data that was used to create them. This is one of the many things developers are working on to fix, but something we, who are in the social services realm, have to especially be mindful of. Double check your output content any problematic language or perspectives.
Privacy – As with any new technology, there are privacy concerns when using AI for content creation. We as marketers must take extra precautions and implement the same security measures they would use for any other online activities. It’s important to be mindful of the data being shared and collected, and to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect things like donor or service recipient privacy. Be careful what information you are sharing. There are still a lot of unknowns.

Copy & Paste is NOT Your Friend

Authenticity: I can’t stress this part enough. Copy and paste is not your friend when developing content using these systems. Make sure the content you are creating is meaningful, thoughtful, and well-reviewed in its final form. That donor letter must be tailored to the specific audience and mission of your nonprofit, rather than being a generic output from a language model.

Personality: In addition to authenticity, it’s going to become ever more significant to infuse your content with personality and tone. This will help your org stand out uniquely and connect with your audience on a deeper level. Not to mention, people are undoubtedly going to become sharper at spotting robotic soul-less sounding content.

Creativity: now that everyone is going to have access to these tools, you can bet that there’s going to be a significant jump in the quantity of content out there (As if we didn’t already have attention span issues lol). So, what is going to really make your stand out in the sea of countless others? This is where creativity comes in. Starting now, it’s more important than ever to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas for your content. Use these tools as a jumping off point and then let your imagination really take over.

Use these language processing systems as a tool to assist you in your work but not a substitute for it. AI systems can help streamline the content creation process, but that they cannot replace human creativity and expertise… at least not yet, anyway.

Pro-Tips

Work on your prompts. The more detailed you are with the prompt commands you provide the better your outputs will be. Remember to focus on providing details and specifics that align with your audience or your nonprofit’s mission and goals.
Play and test. Things are moving rapidly in this AI world. Now is the perfect time for nonprofit marketers to dive into the world of AI and start experimenting with different content creation strategies. By playing and testing with AI language models, you can gain a better understanding of their capabilities and limitations, and even begin to explore how these technologies can be used in other areas of your marketing efforts.

AI-driven content generation systems can be a cost-effective and time-saving solution for nonprofits looking to create fresh ideas and content. They are like having an excellent communications assistant at our disposal. And I am so certain, this is just the beginning.

I have no doubt that we are just scratching the surface of what AI can do for nonprofit marketers. By embracing this technology and using it responsibly, we can elevate our communications and outreach efforts to new heights. Let’s continue to learn, grow, and innovate with AI, and shine a light on the positive work we are doing in the world.

P.S could you spot which part of this content was proofread and rewritten by an AI system?

Tell us in the comments how you’ve been using these new AI platforms in your work.

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Need to Vent About a Situation You’ve Had at Work?

Kristina Leroux, COO and Community Engagement Manager — Tue, 24 May 2022 15:22:12 +0000

Every month in our Community, we do a Community Spotlight where we focus on one area in to build up resources. This month we have been focusing on self-care and boundaries and it has been a roller coaster!

This is what we have done so far:

Paid Time Off. We shared why it’s important to take your vacation days and encouraged you to participate in a fun Community Challenge.
Boundaries. We discussed the different types of boundaries and how you enforce them.
Mental Health Days. What are they? Do you need one? What would you do on your mental health day?

To wrap things up for this month, we are giving you the opportunity to share (anonymously, if you want) the worst situations you have been put in at an organization.

Bosses calling you on Saturday. Being asked to volunteer at your own nonprofit. Condescending board members. Blurred boundaries.

If you are already a member of our Community, then you can go straight to the post now to participate.

If you are not a member, you just need a FREE membership to our Learning Center. Signing up is completely FREE.

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What Do You Want to Read About in 2020?

Kristina Leroux, COO and Community Engagement Manager — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 20:42:05 +0000

Last week, we revealed our Top Ten Blog Posts of 2019. Annual reports, social media, and email did well as usual.

Now, we want to know what we should focus on in 2020?

We will, of course, monitor emerging trends and best practices and report those to you, but what are you particularly interested in reading more about?

Share in the comments below or send me an email to kristina@nonprofitmarketingguide.com.

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What Do You Need to “Love” Your Job?

Kristina Leroux, COO and Community Engagement Manager — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 18:50:19 +0000

Our #NPCOMMLIFE blog series is aimed at helping you by sharing tips and insights on how to create boundaries, take care of yourself, and avoid stress at work.

Here are some examples:

What Else Do You Need?

What else do you want us to focus on? Is there a particular area you struggle with? Whether it’s dealing with other departments, dealing with difficult bosses, or better handling your to-do list, we want to help.

You can share your dilemmas, ideas, or insights in the comments below or you can email privately kristina [@] nonprofitmarketingguide.com.

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Save $200 During Our Summer All-Access Pass Sale

Kristina Leroux, COO and Community Engagement Manager — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 16:31:53 +0000

You can get our Annual All-Access Pass for only $499.

Sale ends July 3rd, 2019.

We know many nonprofits are on a summer fiscal year, and you might need to use this year’s money in the next few days.

Or . . . you might have a new budget starting on July 1.

Or . . . you may just know a good deal when you see one.

Either way, this sale is for you!

Now through July 3, 2019 , you can save $200 off our Annual All-Access Pass . No coupon code to enter. Your savings will show up at checkout.

Learn more about the All-Access Pass and save $200

What you get with the All-Access Pass:

Attend all of our live training webinars in the Training Webinar Series
Watch recorded webinars from the past three months in the Webinar Archive
Enroll in exclusive Online Courses
Access resources in the Pass Library
Receive support and advice from experts and peers in our Private Facebook Group

Learn more about the All-Access Pass and save $200

Upcoming Live Webinars:

Trend Alert: Host an Online Press Conference with Antionette Kerr
Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Communications Work with Kivi Leroux Miller
NEW! Internal Communications: Informing and Engaging Your Staff and Board with Kivi Leroux Miller
Beyond Opens and Clicks: Maintaining a Healthy, Engaged Email List with Kivi Leroux Miller
NEW! Newsjacking: Your Best Bet for Gaining a TON of Media Coverage with Antionette Kerr
Marketing Bequests: The Art of Asking for That Final Gift with Tom Ahern
NEW! Video Strategy: Getting the Most from Your Live and Recorded Videos with Kivi Leroux Miller
NEW! High-Performing Communications Teams: Taking Your Team to the Next Level with Kivi Leroux Miller
Creating a Nonprofit Annual Report People Will Actually Read

Learn more about the All-Access Pass and save $200

How to Get Your Pass:

Click any of the links in this blog post including this one
Find the Get Your All-Access Pass Now button and click it
Create the password you’ll use to access all of your Pass Holder Benefits.
Select your payment method and enter your payment info
Check your email for a Welcome Email from me
Start using your All-Access Pass immediately!

Learn more about the All-Access Pass and save $200

Questions?

Email me kristina@nonprofitmarketingguide.com and I will be happy to help!

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The Magic Number for Comms Team Size?

Kivi Leroux Miller, Founder and CEO — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:38:53 +0000

Based on the research for the annual Nonprofit Communications Trends Reports (get the 2019 report here), communications team effectiveness increases dramatically once you hit three FTE (full-time equivalents).

To learn more about how big your team should be, check out this quick video and our 2019 Trends Report.

Can’t see the video player? Watch it here on Facebook.

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We’re Looking for a Graphic Designer

Kivi Leroux Miller, Founder and CEO — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 20:17:20 +0000

We want to add a new member to the Nonprofit Marketing Guide crew. Please share this with your freelance graphic designer friends!

Nonprofit Marketing Guide LLC is seeking a graphic designer for a variety of projects, including

Graphics for email promotions, landing pages, and online advertising
Iconography for sections of our website and various training frameworks
Graphics and themes for PowerPoint decks
Design and layout of e-books

Our preferences are to work with a designer who is . . .

A solo entrepreneur or very small team with several years of experience.
A full-time professional. We will consider a part-time designer as long as you are regularly available to work with us during Central/Eastern Time business hours. We anticipate a good number of conversations, especially early on, until you get a sense for what we are after. We don’t want to have to wait days and weeks at a time to talk to you.
Able to take limited creative direction and run with it, creating multiple looks for us to choose from. We know how to use Photoshop. If we knew exactly what we wanted, we wouldn’t need you – we would make it ourselves. We are hiring for your creativity as much as for your software skills!
Collaborative by nature and responsive to feedback without taking it personally.
Capable of helping us create a more dynamic, original, and professional look for Nonprofit Marketing Guide over time.

We prefer to structure the contract as a retainer agreement for $1,000 per month for three months, with an option to adjust and renew quarterly.

To respond to this request for proposals, email both kivi@nonprofitmarketingguide.com and kris@nonprofitmarketingguide.com no later than Friday, February 1 the following:

Give us a sense for how much work you could produce for $1,000 per month. We know “it depends,” but outline a few possible scenarios based on what we have described above.
Show us the diversity of your work.
Describe a successful relationship with a past or current client. What did you both do well to make the relationship work?
Describe a less-than-successful relationship with a past client. What went wrong?

After February 1st, we will begin contacting designers for further information and will request references at that time.

Questions? Email Kivi at the address above.

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Less Stress This Year-End Season? Yes, Please! #NPCOMMLife

Kristina Leroux, COO and Community Engagement Manager — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 03:05:40 +0000

This time of year is extra busy – understatement of the week, right?

You not only have to deal with the regular stress of the holidays, but also the added strain of year-end campaigns at your organization.

Even if you have nothing to do with fundraising at your organization, I thought we could all benefit from some tips on how to relieve some of that extra stress that crops up during this time of year.

I compiled a list of articles below, but here are a few tips that seemed to show up in most often, and while you have probably heard them all before, it’s worth being reminded to:

Move around

Get enough sleep

Stay organized/have a to-do list

Treat yourself

Take a moment and breathe

And for more tips on how you can better handle the end of the year, read the articles below.

For Work:

9 Ways to Relieve Workplace Holiday Stress from Adam Heitzman

6 Ways to Relieve Holiday Stress + Burnout by Erin Strybis

How to Help Employees Deal with Holiday Stress and Distractions by Patrick Ball

Coping with Holiday Stress at Work from the American Management Association

How to Handle Holiday Stress at Work by Robin Madell

For Home:

5 Self-Care Tips to Relieve Holiday Stress by Katie Sandler

7 Tips to Relieve Holiday Stress by Connie Bennett

Stress, Depression and the Holidays: Tips for Coping by the Mayo Clinic Staff

15 Ways to Manage Stress, According to Scientists from Lydia Ramsey and Jessica Orwig

31 Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas from the Women’s Day Staff

‘Tis The Season to Be Triggered: 3 Things You Can Do to Develop Resilience by Maria Baratta

8 Tips to Beat Holiday Stress by Gretchen Rubin

I definitely need to do better on the “be satisfied with good enough” when it comes to home life and eating better during the workday.

What tips will you focus on this year or which ones that work for you? Share in the comments below…

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What Really Scares You This Halloween?

Kristina Leroux, COO and Community Engagement Manager — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:51:06 +0000

I just finished binging The Haunting of Hill House last weekend and, man, did it get to me!

When I was growing up, Jason, Freddie, and Michael Myers ruled the horror screens. And they scared me to death. I still get creeped out if someone makes that “chhh chhh chhh ha ha ha” sound from Friday the 13th. And I blame Nightmare on Elm Street for my night-owl tendencies to this very day. I refused to go to sleep for fear Freddie Krueger would come strolling down my hallway scraping that glove along the walls til he got to my door.

But now that I’m all grown up and in the “Real World” I know what is really frightening. While Hill House definitely had a high creep factor, I wouldn’t say it was “scary” in the way that your typical horror movies are scary. Instead of blood and gore, it touches on themes of grief, failure, anger, depression, anxiety, and loss.

And that is what scares me now. The chances of a 6’6″ dude in a mask with a butcher knife breaking into my house bent on avenging the death of his mom are pretty slim. But my anxiety keeping me from doing my job, losing someone I love, or making the wrong decision as a parent could happen at any moment.

So how do we deal with these very real fears? Before I could just turn off the TV or close the book. But now, I have a great support system of friends, family and loved ones to help me chase away my demons. I also have a professional therapist I can count on for what we call “tune ups” when the world gets too overwhelming.

What about you? What really scares you and how do you handle it?

Share in the comments and let’s chase these “bent-neck ladies” away together!

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BEYOND CUTE: Why Nonprofits Should Try Emoji In Their Digital Marketing

Kerri Karvetski — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 23:24:02 +0000

Emoji! These little symbols are exploding in number and placement in our digital lives. Wired called them “the first language born of the digital world.”

In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries named emoji as its “Word” of the Year, when they moved beyond millennial messaging and exploded into the global mainstream.

Today, emoji have made their way into almost all forms of digital communication, and beyond. There was The Emoji Movie, countless examples of people trying to imitate emoji, and earlier this year, ESPN Brazil, in partnership with Samsung, turned its SportsCenter hosts into emoji.

There’s even a World Emoji Day – July 17. Here’s how a few nonprofits cleverly celebrated:

Happy #WorldEmojiDay! Even though there’s no library emoji (yet), we’re still celebrating. How would you express the idea of a library using only emoji? #LibrariesTransform pic.twitter.com/6XvdXXmmqj

— American Library Association (@ALALibrary) July 17, 2018

#ForEveryChild, ?.#WorldEmojiDay pic.twitter.com/wKOFTAM7wz

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) July 17, 2018

Here are some of the species we’re fighting to save from extinction:

??????????????

Without the Endangered Species Act, these species will be in deep ???#esaworks #WorldEmojiDay

— Center for Bio Div (@CenterForBioDiv) July 17, 2018

A #HabitatforHumanity emoji story:
?????????????????#WorldEmojiDay! ??

— Habitat for Humanity (@Habitat_org) July 17, 2018

But these tiny, emotive characters are more than fun and cute. They can be effective marketing tools for nonprofits.

The Potential Energy of Emoji is Enormous

Emoji can get more emails opened, make messages more memorable, and boost engagement. They save space, convey emotion and, for now, stand out in crowded inboxes and feeds.

Here’s some stats of emoji’s potential in digital marketing:

EMAIL: When used appropriately, emoji can help trigger higher response rates than traditional email
TWITTER: Emojis in a tweet can increase engagement by 25.4 percent
FACEBOOK: Emojis in a Facebook post can increase the number of likes by 57 percent and the number of comments and shares by 33 percent
INSTAGRAM: Use of Emojis can lead to 47.7 percent more interactions on Instagram
APPS: Push notifications with emojis saw 85 percent greater open rates on average, compared to those sent without emojis
TEXT: Text messages with emojis have a higher response rate
MEMORY: Participants who were sent messages with emojis scored higher on memory than those who were sent messages without emojis
SATISFACTION: Participants who chatted online with an expert who used emojis rated the expert as both friendlier and more competent

OK, that’s the potential.

Reality Check

Now let’s talk reality. Like any tactic or tool, emoji are not marketing fairy dust. As of June 2018, there are 2,823 standard emoji to choose from (with more coming every year), and not all of them are going to work for your people.

You still have to know your audience and use the tool wisely.

Before we dive into tips, you should know:

Top Emoji on Apple iOS (in the U.S. among English speakers):

On Twitter (August snapshot via Emojitracker.com):

Tips For Using Emoji In Your Nonprofit Marketing

Find Emoji on Emojipedia

This is my go-to resource for finding and copying emoji for digital communications on my laptop. For mobile, if an emoji keyboard isn’t standard, you may have to install an app, depending on your device.

Make Sure It Works

Not all emoji show up properly in email clients. Test to make sure your emoji display properly in email.

Know Your Tone

Just because an emoji is popular, doesn’t mean it’s right for your cause. You still need to be relevant to your audience, and your audience has to understand what the emoji means.

Emoji can be emotional, or simply informational. They can be culturally diverse, with different skin tones, hair colors (and no hair) and genders. Spend some time researching options. You can search a particular emoji on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see how others have used it. (Scroll through your own inbox, too. What stands out?)

(HINT: Find the emoji you want on emojipedia.com, and scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page for quick search links for that particular emoji on popular social networks.)

Don’t Go Overboard

Begin conservatively and measure your reaction. Emoji aren’t something you want in every subject line or you’ll risk emoji burnout. And you shouldn’t force 10 emoji in your message just to appeal to millennials. A/B test if you can.

Words Still Matter

Sometimes emoji don’t display, so, especially in email, you still need words to convey your message.

Keep Reading

A Practical Guide to Using Emojis in Email – Email on Acid

These Emojis Can Increase Click-Through Rates, According to New Data – Hubspot

The Emoji Report – Brandwatch

What We Can Learn From Our Most Frequently Used Emojis – Contently

Does Using Emojis on Instagram Lead to More Engagement? – Agorapulse

The Wired Guide to Emoji – Wired

Using Emoji and Symbols in Your Email Subject Lines – Campaign Monitor

Have you experimented with emoji in your marketing? How did it go? Share your experience in the Comments section. Thank you!

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