Free AI tools for charities

According to the Charity Digital Skills Report, 76% of charities are using AI in their organisations. It’s becoming an everyday tool that can supercharge your creativity, save time and help you do more – with less. Whether you’re a one-person comms team or a national organisation, understanding how to use AI tools effectively can make a huge difference in your day-to-day work. 

This guide will explore the different types of AI tools out there, which ones are free (and useful) and how your charity could be using them.

Why does this matters for charities? 

Generative AI is changing how organisations create, communicate and campaign. For charities, especially those with limited time, money or expertise, these tools can offer a way to increase productivity. 

But, it’s important to think of AI as a kind of superhero sidekick: it won’t replace your voice or values, but what it can do is help you work faster and smarter. Whether you’re summarising a complex report or just streamlining paperwork, the right AI tools can make light work of tasks that might otherwise take hours. 

Types of tools 

AI tools can be grouped by the type of content they help you create or enhance, including: 

Text tools 

These are the most common and all-rounders of the AI world, helping you write, plan, research, translate and more. Known as Large Language Models (LLMs), they’re especially good at turning draft ideas into polished content or breaking down complex information into plain English. Many of these tools go beyond just working on text and can often produce images and other content. Popular free tools include: 

• ChatGPT: The most popular LLM
• Claude: Logical and structured writing
• Perplexity AI: Ideal for research with sources
• Gemini: Useful if you work in Google Docs
• DeepSeek: Premium-level free features

Image generators 

Creating eye-catching visuals is now faster and easier, even without a graphic designer on your team. You can create graphics, posters or infographics in minutes using tools such as: 

• Ideogram: Excellent for adding realistic text to images
• Canva: Has built-in AI tools
• Piclumen: Free and effective for simple images
• Playground AI: Handy for layout-based work (such as flyers)
• Sora: OpenAI’s option

Video generators 

Video content is more important than ever but creating it can be time-consuming and expensive. AI tools that allow you to generate your own videos include: 

• Runway ML: Turns images into short, animated clips
• Sora: OpenAI’s option also does video
• HeyGen: Adds lip-synced avatars in multiple languages
• Descript: Edit video using text commands
• Opus Clip: Splits long videos into bite-sized social clips

How to get good results 

Remember: AI tools are only as good as the instructions you give them. These instructions are called prompts, and knowing how to write a good prompt can make the difference between a bland result and something genuinely useful and engaging. 

Think of prompt-writing as a skill, much like briefing a colleague or writing a creative brief for a designer. Some top tips to remember are: 

• Be specific
• Be clear
• Give examples
• Give feedback
• Consider all your audiences

Considering the ethics 

As with any technology, using AI comes with ethical responsibilities. As a charity, you often rely on the trust of your community and operate with strong values. There it’s important to consider not just what AI can do, but how and why you’re using it – if at all. 

It important to consider: 

• People and jobs: AI shouldn’t be removing people from the process. Instead, use it to support your team’s creativity, not replace it, and be transparent when you do.
• Bias and accuracy: AI is trained on large datasets that can often include bias or outdated information. Always fact-check the results, and trust your gut when it comes to making edits.
• Environmental impacts: A single request to ChatGPT uses up to 10 times more electricity than a Google Search, according to the International Energy Agency. With this in mind, use AI tools mindfully and sparingly. For example, do you need to generate an AI image, or could you use stock photos?
• Brand identity: Your charity’s values, voice and brand should still shine through. Use AI to help shape content but always apply a human edit to make sure it feels authentic to your organisation.
• Confidentiality: Avoid inputting sensitive or personal information into AI tools, especially free online ones (internal tools like Copilot are safer for this). Anything shared may be stored or used to train future models.
• Create an AI policy: Establishing simple internal guidelines for how your charity will use AI puts everyone on the same page and allows for safer and more productive use of AI. 

AI tools won’t replace the human touch that makes your work meaningful, but they can help you work faster, communicate better and reach further. We recommended starting small, picking a free tool and experimenting carefully and with intention! 

This resource was inspired by Media Trust’s AI Essentials Bootcamp for Charities, in partnership with the Centre for Public Impact and Google AI Opportunity Fund: Europe.