Top 10 AI Tools for Nonprofits

AI is transforming how nonprofits operate – from nonprofit strategic planning to fundraising and communications. Organizations of any size can now leverage technology and specifically AI-enabled tools to save time and amplify their impact. In this post, we highlight ten affordable (or free) AI-powered nonprofit tools that boost efficiency, improve donor engagement, and help organizations become more sustainable. These tools span strategic planning, fundraising, grant writing, marketing, and operations. Read on to discover the top 10 nonprofit tools and how they can help your organization – including our strategic planning solution built just for small nonprofits.

1. PlanPerfect – Strategic Planning Software for Nonprofits

PlanPerfect is an expert-powered, AI-assisted nonprofit strategic planning software – is designed specifically for small and midsize nonprofits. It guides your team through developing, reviewing, and tracking your strategic plan with clear goals and objectives. This means even organizations with limited staff or planning experience can create a robust strategic plan and easily update it as circumstances change. PlanPerfect’s platform streamlines the planning process (e.g. via guided chat and stakeholder input tools) so you can focus on your mission instead of getting lost in spreadsheets and Google Docs.

How it Helps: By simplifying strategic plan creation and progress tracking, PlanPerfect ensures your nonprofit stays aligned with its goals. It helps you set measurable objectives, get board and stakeholder buy-in faster, and adjust your strategy in real time as your nonprofit grows or challenges arise. In short, it brings strategic planning best practices (and expert guidance) to organizations that may not have strategic planners on staff – helping you “plan smart” and lead with impact.

Pricing: PlanPerfect is built to be an affordable nonprofit software solution. It offers a core plan with all essential features, and a premium plan that includes one-on-one expert coaching for organizations needing extra guidance. Special discounted pricing is available for small nonprofits (under $1M annual revenue), new startup nonprofits, and even students working on nonprofit projects. (Visit the PlanPerfect website for details and to request a demo.)

2. Grantable – AI Grant Writing Assistant

Grantable is an AI-powered grant writing tool that helps nonprofits draft grant proposals faster and with less effort. It uses generative AI to turn your inputs (grant requirements, organizational info, etc.) into well-structured proposal text. Grantable has been adopted by thousands of mission-driven teams to win more grant funding with less hassle, acting like a virtual writing assistant for your grant writers. Instead of starting from scratch on every application, you can use Grantable to generate first drafts, find relevant past proposals, and ensure you hit all the key points. This not only saves time but can also improve the quality of your proposals by leveraging AI’s knowledge of successful grant language.

How it Helps: For small nonprofits, dedicating hours to grant writing is challenging. Grantable lightens that load – users report being able to complete proposals up to 5 times faster using the tool. You can quickly produce a solid draft and then refine it to add your nonprofit’s personal touch. By streamlining the research and writing process, Grantable allows your team to submit more grant applications and increase your chances of securing funding. It’s like having an experienced grant writer on call 24/7, which is especially valuable for organizations with limited staff or grant writing experience.

Pricing: Grantable is very accessible for grassroots organizations. It offers a free plan (for writing up to one grant per month with limited AI uses) and affordable paid plans. The starter plan is around $20 per month and lets you work on 1–3 grants monthly with a generous AI usage allowance. Higher tiers (around $74/month for Pro) support more users and unlimited AI help, but many small nonprofits find the free or starter plan sufficient for their needs. (Learn more on the Grantable website and even try the free plan to see how it can speed up your grant applications.)

3. Donorbox’s Jay AI – Fundraising & Donor Management Assistant

Jay AI by Donorbox is an AI fundraising assistant integrated into the Donorbox platform (a popular fundraising and donor management system for nonprofits). Jay AI acts like a smart helper that connects with your donor and donation data to provide insights and content suggestions for better fundraising. For example, it can pull detailed donation reports and visualize trends, help segment your donor list for targeted outreach, and even generate fundraising copy (emails, social media posts, thank-you letters, or even grant narratives) tailored to your campaign. It can also assist with creating fundraising strategies based on your data, and in Donorbox’s CRM it can summarize and prioritize donor emails so you respond more effectively. Essentially, Jay AI adds an intelligence layer on top of your donor database to help you fundraise smarter, not harder.

How it Helps: Small nonprofits often lack dedicated data analysts or copywriters – Jay AI helps fill those gaps. It can quickly highlight which donors are likely to give again soon, suggest the best communication channels for certain donor segments, and save staff time by drafting campaign messages. By leveraging your own donor data and AI, you can personalize outreach at scale and build stronger donor relationships. This leads to more efficient fundraising campaigns and potentially higher donations, all with less manual work. Jay AI helps nonprofits make data-driven decisions and communicate more effectively, which ultimately boosts fundraising results and donor satisfaction.

Pricing: Jay AI is included with Donorbox’s paid plans (Pro and Premium) and with their upcoming expanded CRM. Donorbox’s base platform is free to start (they charge a small platform fee per donation), but to access Jay AI’s advanced features, organizations typically subscribe to the Pro plan (around $50/month, which also lowers your donation fees) or higher. The good news is that this investment brings not just the AI tool but a full suite of fundraising features (events, peer-to-peer, etc., in addition to the AI capabilities). For nonprofits already using Donorbox, Jay AI is a convenient add-on; for others, it may be worth upgrading to unlock AI-driven fundraising assistance. (You can learn more about Donorbox and Jay AI on the Donorbox website, and see if the Pro plan makes sense for your organization’s needs.)

4. Canva – AI-Powered Design for Nonprofits

Canva is a well-known graphic design platform, and it has integrated plenty of AI features (under the umbrella of Canva’s Magic Studio) to make design easier for everyone. With Canva, nonprofit teams can create professional-quality graphics, social media images, flyers, infographics, and more without needing expert design skills. Its AI can automatically suggest layouts and design elements based on your content, and even generate images or presentations from plain text prompts. For example, Canva’s AI can take a block of text and turn it into a sleek infographic or transform your ideas into visual designs instantly. This helps nonprofits quickly produce eye-catching marketing materials to engage supporters.

How it Helps: Visual content is critical for marketing and fundraising, but many small nonprofits can’t afford a graphic designer. Canva serves as an “AI design assistant”, empowering any staff or volunteer to create polished visuals that elevate your brand. You can easily whip up social media posts to promote a fundraiser, design an annual report, or make event posters, all within minutes. The AI features save time by giving you a starting design (no more staring at a blank canvas) and ensuring your graphics look professional. Consistent, high-quality visuals help your nonprofit appear more credible and can boost engagement from your community – leading to more awareness and donations.

Pricing: Canva offers a free plan that already provides tons of templates and basic AI tools. Even better, through Canva for Nonprofits, eligible nonprofits get free access to Canva Pro, the fully featured premium version. This means your organization can use advanced features (like millions of stock photos, brand kits, etc.) at no cost. The free Pro benefit can extend to up to 50 people on your team, which is fantastic for collaboration. (To get started, sign up for Canva for Nonprofits and once approved, you’ll unlock all the premium design tools for free.)

5. Grammarly – Writing Assistant for Clear Communications

Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps ensure your emails, grant proposals, and social posts are clear, correct, and effective. For any piece of text, Grammarly will check grammar and spelling, suggest better wording, and even analyze the tone of your message. This is invaluable for nonprofits that rely on persuasive communication – you want your donor thank-you letters to sound appreciative (not too stiff or too casual), and your grant applications to be polished and error-free. Grammarly’s AI goes beyond standard spell-check: it provides real-time suggestions as you write, catching mistakes and offering improvements in sentence structure and word choice. It can also help you maintain a consistent professional tone or even make your writing more engaging for storytelling.

How it Helps: Strong writing can make a big difference in how your nonprofit is perceived. With Grammarly, even a small team can produce communications that rival those of larger organizations with editors. It’s like having a proofreader looking over your shoulder at all times. This saves time (no more frantic self-edits or asking colleagues to double-check every important email) and reduces the risk of embarrassing typos or unclear messaging. By ensuring your outreach materials are well-written and compelling, Grammarly helps you better connect with donors, grantmakers, and the public – ultimately supporting your fundraising and advocacy goals. Consistently clear communication also builds trust and professionalism, which are key to sustainability for nonprofits.

Pricing: Grammarly offers a free basic version that checks spelling and grammar – a great starting point for any nonprofit. The free tier can be used indefinitely across your browser and devices. For more advanced features (like style improvements, tone adjustments, and GrammarlyGO which can suggest/rewrite whole sentences with AI), you’d need a premium plan. Grammarly Premium is a subscription (often around $12/month per user when billed annually), and it can be a worthy investment if you do a lot of writing. If premium is out of budget, the free version still provides significant value by catching errors and helping writers learn to improve. (You can download the free Grammarly extension from the Grammarly site and upgrade if needed.)

6. ChatGPT – AI Content Generation

ChatGPT (by OpenAI) is a famous AI chatbot that nonprofits are leveraging in creative ways. Essentially, ChatGPT can understand natural language prompts and generate human-like text in response. This means you can ask it to draft a piece of content – for instance, “write a first draft of a two-page grant proposal for a community garden project” or “suggest 5 social media captions for a #GivingTuesday campaign.” Within seconds, ChatGPT will produce text that you can then refine and use. Nonprofits use ChatGPT to draft donor thank-you letters, newsletter articles, campaign slogans, volunteer recruitment ads – the possibilities are endless. It’s also great for brainstorming ideas (e.g., event themes or fundraising ideas) and for researching information quickly. Think of ChatGPT as an on-demand assistant that can produce content on almost any topic. As a word of caution, while helpful for an initial draft, the tool is not trained specifically on nonprofit data and therefore can provide false information. Be sure to review the output with the context of your organization and needs to ensure you use the tool effectively.

How it Helps: For time-strapped teams, AI like ChatGPT can dramatically reduce the time spent on writing and research. Instead of spending hours drafting a letter or researching statistics, you can get a quick first draft or summary from ChatGPT and then tweak it to fit your voice and needs. This “draft acceleration” is especially useful for repetitive but important tasks, like customizing outreach emails or generating multiple versions of an appeal. By handling the heavy lifting of content creation, ChatGPT frees up your staff to focus on strategy, relationship-building, and other high-value work. It can also spark creativity – if you’re stuck on how to frame a message, ChatGPT’s suggestions might inspire the perfect approach. Many nonprofits report using ChatGPT to save time on grant writing and content creation, thereby improving their productivity and success rates.

Pricing: One major benefit of ChatGPT is that it’s free to use the basic version. Anyone can create an account and start chatting with the AI at no cost. There is also a ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20/month) which gives faster responses and access to the most advanced model (useful if you need higher-quality outputs or during peak usage times). For most nonprofits, the free version suffices to get value. Keep in mind, ChatGPT’s knowledge is vast but not infallible – it might not know the latest news or could occasionally produce incorrect facts (especially on very recent and domain-specific topics). So, it’s wise to double-check important information that the AI provides. Overall, given the cost (free or low-cost), ChatGPT is a game-changer for nonprofits needing to produce content or ideas quickly. (You can try it out at chat.openai.com with some prompts related to your nonprofit’s work.)

7. Zapier – Automation for Routine Tasks

Zapier is not nonprofit-specific, but it’s an incredibly useful automation tool that can glue together all the apps your organization uses. Zapier’s AI-driven platform allows you to create “Zaps” – automated workflows that trigger based on certain events. For example, when someone fills out a Google Form to sign up as a volunteer, Zapier can automatically add their info to your CRM and send them a welcome email without anyone on your team lifting a finger. Or after a donor makes a PayPal donation, Zapier could update a spreadsheet and notify your Slack channel. Zapier essentially automates repetitive tasks, saving your team from manual data entry and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. It connects with 5,000+ apps (donor databases, email marketing tools, social media, spreadsheets, etc.) so the possibilities are endless. Nonprofits have used Zapier for things like automating donor acknowledgments, syncing event sign-ups to calendars, and much more.

How it Helps: Small nonprofits often rely on a patchwork of free or cheap tools – which is fine, except these tools may not talk to each other. Zapier solves that by acting as the middleman, so your systems stay up-to-date automatically. This reduces manual work (freeing up staff/volunteer time) and reduces errors from copying data between systems. Ultimately, Zapier lets you operate more efficiently and scale your operations without needing a big IT department. By automating routine workflows, your nonprofit can focus more on mission-critical work (like meeting with donors or serving clients) and less on administrative busywork. As an added bonus, prompt thank-you emails or timely follow-ups (handled via Zaps) improve your professionalism and donor stewardship, potentially increasing donor retention.

Pricing: Zapier has a free plan that allows for a few simple Zaps (up to 100 tasks/month) – often enough for testing the waters or handling a couple of basic automations for a small organization. Paid plans start at around $20/month for more tasks and multi-step automations. For nonprofits, Zapier doesn’t have a specific nonprofit discount publicly, but their base pricing is tiered by usage, so you only pay more if you automate a lot. Many grassroots nonprofits find they can stick to the free plan or the first paid tier and get significant value. (Explore the Zapier website for templates of common nonprofit automations and see what could work for you.)

8. HubSpot CRM – Donor & Contact Management with AI Features

HubSpot CRM is a popular customer relationship management system that nonprofits can use to manage donors, volunteers, and marketing campaigns. The core CRM is free and includes a database for contacts, email marketing tools, forms, and basic automation. What makes HubSpot stand out is its user-friendly interface and the integration of AI-powered marketing features (especially in its paid tiers). For example, HubSpot has an AI content assistant that can help draft marketing emails or blog posts, SEO tools to optimize your website content, and predictive lead scoring to identify your most engaged supporters. Nonprofits can use HubSpot to track donor interactions, segment their mailing lists, schedule social media posts, and much more – essentially a one-stop platform for donor management and engagement.

How it Helps: With HubSpot, small nonprofits get a professional-grade tool to stay on top of relationships. Instead of juggling spreadsheets or separate email tools, your team can have all supporter data in one place and automate routine touches (like welcome emails or event reminders). The AI enhancements mean you can work smarter: for instance, quickly personalize email content or get suggestions on the best time to send a newsletter. HubSpot’s analytics also help you make data-driven decisions – you can see which emails get opened or which social media posts drive engagement, then let the AI suggest improvements. By simplifying donor tracking and marketing, HubSpot allows nonprofits to cultivate donors more systematically, improving retention and donations. It’s like adding a marketing staff member (or several) who works around the clock. As one nonprofit advisor noted, using HubSpot to manage donor contacts and personalize updates can significantly boost donor retention.

Pricing: HubSpot’s CRM is free to use for unlimited users and up to 1 million contacts, which is fantastic for budget-conscious organizations. Many nonprofits can start on the free CRM and get plenty of value. HubSpot also offers a 40% nonprofit discount on its paid plans (Marketing, Sales, or Service hubs) for those who need more advanced features down the line. For example, if you want advanced automation or AI content optimization, you might upgrade to a paid Marketing Hub plan – with the discount, a Professional plan that might normally be $800/month could be $480/month. That’s still a significant cost, so small nonprofits should evaluate carefully. Thankfully, the free tools are robust, and you can pick and choose small upgrades (like paying for additional marketing emails) à la carte. (Check out HubSpot for Nonprofits to learn about their nonprofit program and access resources specific to nonprofit use.)

9. Buffer – Social Media Scheduling with AI Assistant

Buffer is a social media management tool that many nonprofits use to schedule posts across Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, and more. Recently, Buffer introduced an AI Assistant that helps you create and repurpose social media content. This AI can suggest post ideas based on trending topics, rewrite a draft to better fit a given platform, or even turn a long article (like a blog post or report) into a series of bite-sized social posts. For a busy nonprofit, coming up with fresh and engaging social media content consistently can be tough – Buffer’s AI aims to make that easier. You can input a prompt or some existing text, and the AI will generate a suggested post with your desired tone or keywords. It’s like having a virtual social media intern brainstorming content with you. Buffer also provides analytics on engagement and has features like a content calendar, but the standout here is how the built-in AI can accelerate your social media workflow.

How it Helps: Nonprofits need a social media presence to reach donors and spread their message, but maintaining those accounts can be time-consuming. Buffer allows you to plan and schedule posts in advance, so you can batch your social work instead of posting manually every day. The new AI Assistant further reduces the workload by generating post content, helping you keep your social feeds active even when you’re short on time or ideas. For example, if you have a fundraising event coming up, you can ask the AI for 5 different post ideas promoting the event – then just tweak and schedule them for the next week. This ensures you’re consistently engaging your audience, which can lead to better fundraising results and community growth. The AI is also handy for repurposing content: take a success story from your newsletter and have Buffer reformat it into a Twitter thread and an Instagram caption. Overall, Buffer with AI helps small teams maximize their social impact without hiring dedicated social media staff.

Pricing: Buffer stands out for its generosity to small users – it has a free plan that lets you connect up to 3 social accounts and schedule up to 10 posts per account at a time. Importantly, Buffer’s AI Assistant is available even on the free plan (with a reasonable limit of AI-generated posts per month). This means a tiny nonprofit can use Buffer + AI at no cost to manage a basic social presence. Paid Buffer plans start at $6/month (Essentials) for higher limits, and scale up if you manage many accounts or need team collaboration features. But many grassroots organizations find the free tier sufficient. (You can sign up for the Buffer free plan and try out the AI Assistant in the post composer to see how it can simplify your social media marketing.)

10. Lumen5 – AI Video Creator for Storytelling

Lumen5 is an online video creation tool that uses AI to help turn your written content into engaging videos. Video is a powerful medium for nonprofits to tell stories and inspire action, but producing videos traditionally requires skills in video editing. Lumen5 breaks down that barrier. With Lumen5, you can start by copy-pasting an article, blog post, or script. The platform’s AI will automatically suggest scenes, images, and even background music to match your text, effectively creating a storyboard for you. It uses natural language processing to highlight key sentences and places them on slides, paired with relevant stock visuals (which you can adjust or replace using their vast media library). Within minutes, you have a polished video slideshow that you can fine-tune with your branding. Nonprofits use Lumen5 to create impact stories, promotional videos for campaigns, educational snippets, or recap videos of their projects – all without needing a video editor.

How it Helps: Storytelling is at the heart of nonprofit communications. Lumen5 enables you to tell your story through video even if you have zero video production experience. This can dramatically increase your outreach, as videos tend to get more engagement on social media and can be very persuasive in fundraising. For example, you could turn a success story blog post into a short video with photos and captions that tug at heartstrings, then share it on Facebook to drive donations. The AI handles the heavy lifting of picking out text and matching visuals, saving you hours of editing work. You can also use Lumen5 to repurpose existing content – turn last year’s annual report into a quick highlight reel, or make a video invitation for an upcoming event based on your event flyer text. By lowering the cost and skill required to produce videos, Lumen5 helps small nonprofits use video marketing to boost their impact and reach new audiences.

Pricing: Lumen5 offers a free plan that allows you to create videos with Lumen5 branding (watermark) – great for internal use or testing purposes. The free tier often lets you create a limited number of videos per month (e.g. up to 5). For unbranded videos and more advanced features (HD quality, more templates, etc.), paid plans start around $19 to $47 per month as of 2025. Lumen5 also has higher-tier plans for agencies or unlimited use. For many small nonprofits, the free plan may be enough to create occasional social videos. If video becomes a core part of your strategy, upgrading to a basic paid plan is relatively affordable compared to hiring a videographer. (Visit Lumen5’s website to see examples of videos created with their tool and to sign up for a free account.)

Conclusion: Embrace AI for Efficiency and Impact

AI is no longer a luxury reserved for big organizations – it’s a game-changer for nonprofits of all sizes. From streamlining internal workflows to enhancing fundraising and communications, the ten tools above show how AI can help your nonprofit do more with less. Importantly, these solutions are either free or budget-friendly, so you can experiment with AI without straining your finances. By adopting even one or two of these tools, you might free up hours of staff time, improve engagement with donors, and make smarter decisions guided by data. In fact, research indicates that nonprofits see efficiency gains as the core value of AI – it’s about augmenting your work, not replacing it.

For small to midsized nonprofits, leveraging AI can be the great equalizer – allowing you to punch above your weight and remain sustainable in the long run. Whether it’s automating thank-you emails, generating a quick video, or creating and tracking your strategic plan, these tools enable your team to focus more on mission and relationships.

As you consider your nonprofit’s strategy for the coming year, don’t overlook nonprofit strategic planning software and AI-driven tools that can align your team and amplify your impact. A solution like PlanPerfect is worth exploring to build a strong foundation for your organization’s future. With an AI-assisted strategic plan in place, you can set clear goals and adapt quickly – ensuring that all the other tech tools and efforts are guided by a smart roadmap.

Next Steps: Take inventory of where your organization could use a productivity boost or expertise gap filler – there’s likely an AI tool above that fits the need. Start small, try out a free plan or demo, and get comfortable with how AI works. Over time, you’ll develop a tech-enhanced workflow that saves time and drives greater impact. And if strategic planning is on your horizon (as it should be for every nonprofit aiming to grow), consider giving PlanPerfect a try to craft and execute your plan with confidence. Embracing these innovations will not only make your nonprofit more efficient and effective – it will also position you to better fulfill your mission in the dynamic years ahead. Here’s to working smarter and achieving more impact with the help of these affordable AI tools!