Target Audience
Non-profit staff working in operations, communications, fundraising, administration, and programme delivery who want to move beyond curiosity about AI and start using it confidently in their day-to-day work. Suitable for those with little or no prior experience of AI tools, as well as those who have experimented casually but want structure, technique, and sector-specific use cases. No technical background is required.
Outline
1. Setting the Scene
- Where the non-profit sector sits in the Irish AI adoption picture
- Current data on adoption rates, productivity gains, and the widening gap between organisations using AI strategically and those that aren't
- What AI realistically can and cannot do for a non-profit
- Highest-value opportunities: grant writing, communications, reporting, donor engagement, and internal administration
2. Understanding the Tools
- Working overview of the main large language models: ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude
- What each tool is good at and where they differ
- Practical view on free versus paid tiers to inform organisational spending decisions
- Short demonstration of how an LLM generates a response and why prompting matters
3. Writing Prompts That Work
- The core skill of the session: moving from vague requests to structured prompts
- A clear prompting framework covering role, task, context, format, tone, and constraints
- Worked examples drawn from realistic non-profit tasks — drafting a funder update, summarising a board paper, turning meeting notes into an action list, rewriting a newsletter intro for different audiences
- Live hands-on exercise in attendees' chosen AI tool
4. Practical Applications for Non-Profit Work
- Drafting and refining grant application content
- Accelerating social media and newsletter production
- Using AI to interrogate long documents (policy papers, funder guidelines, legislation) without reading them in full
- Each use case demonstrated live with time for attendees to try it themselves
5. Custom Assistants and Next Steps
- Introduction to Custom GPTs and similar features
- How a non-profit can create a reusable assistant trained on its own tone of voice, funder language, or service information
- Practical tips on building an AI habit and avoiding common pitfalls
- Resources for continued learning
Methodology
Delivered via Zoom.
Instructor
Seán Fahey
Motivated, passionate and creative with a sharp eye for what makes brands 'pop' in Ireland today. Seán has a long history in journalism and PR, having served as The Irish Daily Star's Digital Content Editor (spearheading buzz.ie) and more recently, Head of Digital Communications at Gibney Communications, managing the accounts of some of Ireland's largest companies in the retail, construction and technology sectors.
With a wide-varying experience in the communications and media field, Seán brings a complete offering to his clients, no matter what their need, offering unique solutions and the kind of top-tier results that they require.
Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will:
• Understand the current AI landscape and which tools are best suited to different non-profit tasks.
• Be able to write structured, effective prompts that produce usable first drafts rather than generic output.
• Have applied AI to at least three realistic non-profit workflows during the session itself.
• Know how to evaluate and refine AI output critically rather than accepting it at face value.
• Leave with a clear view of where to start applying AI in their own role the following working day.
Carmichael’s Autumn Winter 2026 Scheduled Training Programme is kindly sponsored by BoardEffect.
BoardEffect is part of Diligent, the leader in modern governance. BoardEffect delivers an agile board management solution optimised for governance leaders of nonprofits, higher education institutions, community healthcare organisations, and credit unions with the right tools, analytics, and insights to drive more efficient, transparent, and secure governance.
Fees
| €80 | Nonprofit Organisation |
| €70 | Carmichael Resident Organisation |
| €90 | Statutory Organisation |
| €90 | Corporate Organisation |
Testimonials
Practical demonstration of features.
Information on different AI softwares and their best feature for type of work.
Very practical advice.