How can a small charity team use AI safely?

A small charity uses AI safely by agreeing three things before anyone starts: which tool staff and volunteers use, what never goes into it and who checks the output before it's used. With those rules in place, ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude save a stretched team time on funding bids, newsletters, minutes and admin. Trustees stay responsible for every decision, so a short written policy and practical training for the whole team, volunteers included, matter more than which tool you choose.

Are charities already using AI?

Yes, and in large numbers. The Charity Digital Skills Report 2026 puts it plainly: "Almost 8 out of 10 charities (79%) are using AI tools in some way". Policies are lagging well behind. Half of charities (51%) have no AI policy at all, and among small charities that climbs to 62%, against 21% of large ones.

That gap is where the risk sits for a small team. When nobody has agreed which tools to use, each person picks their own, and case notes or supporter details can end up in a free personal account with nobody knowing where that information has gone. That isn't carelessness. It's what happens when nobody has said what the safe way looks like.

Charities know this. The 2026 report lists data privacy, GDPR and security concerns as a barrier for 43% of charities, and names skills and technical expertise as the biggest barrier to AI progress, cited by 56%.

What does the Charity Commission expect from trustees?

The Charity Commission set out its position in a blog on charities and artificial intelligence in April 2024. Its message to boards is clear: trustees "remain responsible for decision making". The Commission warns that AI won't always get things right, that some AI tools handle data less securely than others and that charities shouldn't rely on AI advice without reasonable independent checks. It also encourages charities to consider whether an internal AI policy would help.

For a small charity, that means trustees don't need to become AI experts, but they do need to know where AI is being used, agree the rules and make sure someone checks what it produces. Decisions about who gets support, how money is spent and how a safeguarding concern is handled stay with people.

Where can AI help a small charity team?

On the writing and admin that eats into time meant for your cause.

Funding applications are a strong place to start. Give the tool your own facts: the project, the outcomes you've measured, the numbers you can evidence and any stories you have consent to share. Then ask for a first draft that answers the funder's questions in order. Someone who knows the project checks every figure and claim and rewrites it in your charity's voice. Check each funder's own guidance on AI too, because it's your application and your name on it.

Supporter communications follow. Newsletters, social posts, campaign updates and thank-you letters all start faster from an AI draft. The personal line about what a donor's gift made possible is the part a person adds.

Governance paperwork is another quick win. AI can turn rough notes into draft minutes, summarise a long report into a one-page briefing for trustees or produce a first draft of a volunteer handbook or policy. Whoever owns the document checks it before it's circulated.

AI also helps with plain English. Give it a dense leaflet, letter or web page and ask for a simpler version for the people you support, then have someone who knows them check it.

What should never go into an AI tool?

Treat what follows as general information rather than legal advice, and have your data protection lead or adviser sign off the final policy.

Charities hold sensitive information about the people they help, and a small team handles it every day. Keep the following out of any AI tool unless your charity has approved that tool for that data:

• Names, addresses and case notes about the people you support.
• Health information, safeguarding records and anything identifying a vulnerable person.
• Donor bank details and personal details from your supporter database.
• Confidential board papers and staff records.

Business plans of AI tools come with different data terms from free personal accounts, and our article on whether it's safe for staff to use ChatGPT and Copilot explains the difference. For a small charity, the practical rule is simple. Pick one approved tool, use it with a charity account, not a personal one, and give volunteers the same access and the same rules as staff, so nobody has a reason to reach for their own app.

What should a small charity's AI policy say?

Keep it short enough that every volunteer reads it. It needs to say which tool is approved and how people get access, what never goes into it, who checks outputs before they're published or sent, which decisions always stay with people and who to ask when someone isn't sure. Name a trustee or senior staff member as the owner, and review it once a year as the tools change.

Agree the policy alongside the training, so everyone understands what they're signing up to and the rules reflect how your charity really works.

How should a small charity train its team on AI?

Together. Staff, regular volunteers and at least one trustee in the same session hear the same rules and practise on the same tasks, and the trustee goes back to the board knowing exactly how AI is being used.

The exercises should be your charity's real work: last year's funding bid, this month's newsletter, the minutes from your last meeting, with names and personal details removed. Safe use runs through every exercise rather than sitting on a slide at the end.

That's how our AI training for charities runs, using Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude or any other AI tool your charity has chosen. Each private group takes up to 12 people, and we come to your premises anywhere in the UK, use a venue or run it online. Your charity pays one price for the group, not per head, and we confirm it before you book. If your team is new to AI or using it informally, AI for Business covers prompting, admin, content and responsible use, and finishes with an action plan for your first uses. People who attend our workshops rate them 5/5, and we've signed the Responsible AI Use Campaign's 10 principles, which cover human oversight, privacy and accuracy among others. Other options are on our AI training for staff page.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe for charity volunteers to use ChatGPT?

Yes, when they use the tool your charity has approved and follow the same rules as staff. Details about the people you support and your donors never go into a personal account.

Can we use AI to write funding applications?

Yes, for first drafts built from your own facts. Someone who knows the project checks every figure and claim before it's submitted, and you follow each funder's own guidance on AI.

Does a small charity need an AI policy?

Yes. The Charity Commission encourages charities to consider one, and a short policy gives staff and volunteers clear rules on tools, data and checking.

Do trustees need AI training?

Yes, enough to understand where AI is used and what the policy says, because trustees remain responsible for the charity's decisions.

Plan your charity's AI training

Tell us about your team, your volunteers and the tools you use, and we'll build a session on your real work. Call +44 1382 699595 or plan your charity's training.