A generic AI acceptable use policy leaves a nonprofit exposed on the issues that matter most: donor and beneficiary data, funder AI-disclosure expectations, fairness in beneficiary decisions, volunteer use, and board oversight. This editable template is written specifically for nonprofits. It gives you a full, plain-language AI use policy with [bracketed] blanks you fill in for your organization — approved tools, oversight roles, and dates — so you can adopt real AI governance in an afternoon and defend it to a funder, a donor, or the people you serve.
Who needs this
Any nonprofit — all-volunteer to large — that lets staff or volunteers use AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini on organization work. Especially organizations that handle donor and beneficiary data, apply for grants from funders who ask about AI use, or make eligibility and benefits decisions about the people they serve.
What's inside
- A complete, ready-to-adopt AI use policy with fill-in-the-blank fields for your organization
- A donor, beneficiary, and confidential-data section that keeps sensitive information out of unapproved and public AI tools
- A grant-writing and funder-disclosure section that operationalizes each funder's AI terms
- A prohibited-uses list covering unreviewed work, misleading fundraising, and undocumented beneficiary decisions
- A human-review and accuracy section addressing invented statistics, quotes, and sources
- A fairness-and-bias section for AI that touches eligibility, benefits, and priority decisions about beneficiaries
- A volunteer-and-staff section, security and incident reporting, board oversight, a customization guide, and a signature acknowledgment block
Preview
Nonprofit AI Use Policy
Effective date: [DATE] · Version 1.0 · Owner: [POLICY OWNER / ROLE]
1. Purpose & Scope
This policy governs the use of AI tools in all work performed at [ORGANIZATION NAME].
2. Approved Tools & Approval Process
Only AI tools the organization has vetted may be used on organization work.
The full template continues with 11 sections. Grab the editable Word file using the form, then customize the bracketed [PLACEHOLDERS] for your business.
How to use it
- Fill in every [bracketed] field — organization name, approved AI tools, policy owner, and effective date.
- Match the funder-disclosure section to your real grants by pulling the AI or data terms from each grant agreement.
- Have your executive director or board approve the final version, then collect signed acknowledgments from all staff and volunteers.
- Review it against your funders' requirements and your data privacy obligations, and have a qualified advisor check your final version before adopting it.
Frequently asked questions
- Yes. The full policy and the editable download are free. Fill in the [bracketed] fields with your organization name, approved tools, and oversight roles, then have your ED or board approve it. It is a starting point, so have a qualified advisor review your final version.
- Because a generic policy skips the issues that create the most risk for a nonprofit: donor and beneficiary data, funder AI-disclosure expectations, fairness in beneficiary decisions, volunteer use, and board oversight. This template is built around those nonprofit-specific concerns.
- Yes. Section 3 keeps donor records, beneficiary case notes, and other confidential information out of any non-approved or public AI tool, because entering it can break donor trust and violate a privacy law. Section 9 adds security controls and an incident-reporting process for when that data is exposed.
- Increasingly, yes. Some funders now ask whether AI helped write an application, and some grant agreements include AI or data terms. Section 4 makes checking each funder's guidelines a required step, tells you to disclose AI use where required, and requires a human to verify every AI-assisted application for accuracy before submission.
- The person or group responsible for organizational risk — your executive director, your board, or a board technology committee. Because the board carries ultimate responsibility for a nonprofit, leadership should approve the policy, review it at least annually, and collect signed acknowledgments from all staff and volunteers.
This template is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Adopting it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws, funder requirements, and data privacy obligations vary and change. Before adopting this policy, consult a qualified advisor and review each funder's grant terms and your data privacy obligations.