AI for Nonprofits

Chapter 7Prompt Engineering: Asking AI the Right Questions

Based on insights from an interview with George Weiner.

In the digital age, nonprofits must harness the power of AI to stay relevant and effective. That means learning how to “speak computer” in this new age, so you can feed your AI tool instructions. Prompt engineering is the process of crafting clear and specific instructions or questions to guide an AI system to produce the most accurate and useful responses. If you're serious about mastering, or even just using AI, it is one of the most foundational skills you need to develop. In fact, prompt engineering is the backbone of effective AI use, since without asking the right questions, the answers you receive will be incomplete or irrelevant.

This chapter can help. In the pages that follow, we will guide you through the dos and don'ts you need to learn to master this craft, helping you leverage AI to achieve your mission more efficiently. Whether you're crafting donor appeals, generating reports, or engaging with your community, mastering prompt engineering will unlock AI's full potential for your organization.

Critical Skills and Competencies

Crawl-Walk-Run Approach

Prompt engineering starts with understanding basic principles, akin to learning the grammar of a new language. You must provide clear, concise, and context-rich instructions to your AI tool; the more specific you are, the better the outcome. Think of it as giving directions to a visitor in your city, ...