When it comes to ChatGPT, how you ask your question is almost as important as what you’re asking.
We’ll get right to the point: ChatGPT is a powerful tool and, like any tool, learning how to use it properly will help you and your nonprofit get the most out of it. From making sure you know what you want to ask to asking for your answers in tabular format (really, you can ask ChatGPT), there really is a lot you can do—or, ask ChatGPT to do—for you.
The basics of ChatGPT for nonprofits.
Asking a question on ChatGPT isn’t quite as simple as Google, but it’s close.
First, you’ll need to create an account. This is definitely a hurdle, but the positives outweigh the negatives here. The biggest plus: you’ll be able to access a history of all your questions and conversations with ChatGPT.
After you create your account, you can just start asking. We’ve created five steps to help you formulate your questions for ChatGPT.
- Know what you want to ask. You can ask ChatGPT for information, to solve a problem, or to write you an email. Try not to ask open-ended questions. This can lead to irrelevant, confusing or hilarious responses. And ALWAYS fact check the answers ChatGPT comes up with.
- Keep it short and sweet. The more fluff you add, the harder it will be for ChatGPT to pick up on what you’re asking. So, try not to use unnecessary words or information. It’s not going to be easy. ChatGPT can come across as very human like, but remember: ChatGPT is a robot, so there's no need to be polite.
- “Write a social post about nonprofit xyz’s fundraising campaign” is more efficient than “Can you please write me a social post about nonprofit xyz’s fundraising campaign”.
- To get good output, you will need to ask ChatGPT to revise. So don’t be shy. Ask ChatGPT to make it shorter, add a date, verify it’s information is accurate.
- Provide enough information so that ChatGPT understands the context of the conversation.
- Be clear about the information you want from ChatGPT.
Tips for nonprofits to get better answers.
Aside from the expected (write content, answer philosophical questions, impersonate famous people, and create top 10 lists) ChatGPT really can do a lot—you just have to ask. Here are a few surprising and helpful things ChatGPT can do for you and your nonprofit.
Copy and paste everything.
When it comes to saving time and getting the most out of ChatGPT, copy and paste is your new best friend. Paste text into ChatGPT and copy it’s answers. It might sound obvious, but it’ll save you a lot of time.
Ask ChatGPT to summarize.
Whether you need to summarize a paper, an article, a resume, or a blog article—even one you’ve written—ChatGPT can really work wonders here. Ask ChatGPT to “Summarize:” and then paste in the text. Just be sure to read it over and remember you can always ask it to rework it, make it shorter, snappier or even include a specific piece of information.
ChatGPT can translate for your nonprofit.
No really, it can. We still suggests looking it over or getting the work looked at by an actual human, but, just like Google Translate, it works wonders in a pinch.
Set limits on ChatGPT's answers.
Do you need ChatGPT to summarize a piece of work in 160 characters? Just ask. Do you need it to write a email about online ticket sales for your nonprofit and include a specific date, time, location, price, etc.? It can do that to.
Get your nonprofit fundraising ideas in table form.
This one is very useful. You can ask ChatGPT to output a list of peer-to-peer fundraising event ideas in a table compatible with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Keep your donors in mind.
If you want to use ChatGPT to help you find appropriate event venues in your city, come up with a list of peer-to-peer campaign ideas for a specific cause, or write a social post targeted towards woman aged 35 and up who live in California, you can.
Provide ChatGPT with past fundraising data or campaign themes to help it out.
You can give ChatGPT examples to imitate, work from, or exclude. For example, you could input a list of event themes you like and tell ChatGPT to come up with a list of ideas for your nonprofit event.
Give ChatGPT information and it will surprise you.
If you know the date and size of your event, ask ChatGPT for venues in your area that could work. If you need meal ideas for a volunteer lunch, input all the dietary information you have and ask it for a menu. The options here a endless. You can even tell it what you’ve got in your fridge and ask it for a recipe. (Less useful for your nonprofit, great for combating that weeknight meal planning stress.)
ChatGPT can give advice.
It’s true. If you want advice on how to apply for a city permit for your event (maybe you need to close some roads in town for your charity run), ChatGPT can help. Just use common sense and when in doubt, a little fact-checking goes a long way.
ChatGPT loves explaining anything and everything.
Need to know how to apply for charity statues? ChatGPT can help. Want to know how to print name tags at home? What goes into a volunteer binder? What is overhead and why is it so important to nonprofits? Go ahead and ask ChatGPT.
Because not everything has to be about work…
ChatGPT can find recipes for just about meal you’re craving and, because it really can do it all, it can also make you a fitness plan. (You’ll have to tell it your weight and personal goals though.) Oh, and ChatGBT can make art to. Kind of.
