How I Use AI in My Daily Operations (Without Losing My Mind)
A real-world look at how AI supports the hard, messy, human work of nonprofit operations.
Let’s start with a confession: I don’t have time to tinker with shiny new tools just for the sake of it. I don’t get excited about beta features or chatbots that “might” do something useful if I give them 20 hours of my life. I’m running a growing business, helping lead a nonprofit, and building systems that have to work for real teams — not just in theory, but in the daily whirlwind of emails, hiring decisions, budget pressures, and operations fires.
And yet… I use AI every single day.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because I think it’s going to replace my team.
But because it quietly solves real problems — the ones that used to eat up my time, my energy, and (let’s be honest) my weekends.
This isn’t a guide to the “best AI tools for nonprofits” — that’s Googleable.
This is a real-world peek at how AI shows up in the nitty-gritty of my daily work: the inbox messes, the spreadsheet monsters, and the hiring headaches. And how, when used right, it gives me just enough breathing room to lead better, not faster.
📬 Inbox: From Soul-Sucking to Sort-Of Bearable
I used to dread opening my inbox. Every morning felt like stepping into a battlefield of 82 unread messages — flagged items, grant reminders, awkward follow-ups I forgot to send. I’d scroll past the same unread thread five times before answering it… out of guilt.
Email isn’t hard. It’s just endless.
Some days, the biggest win is responding to something before it becomes a crisis — or remembering that I meant to reply to someone three days ago but life (and three budget versions) happened.
Here’s how I actually use AI to help with inbox overload:
When I need to respond but don’t have the energy to write from scratch, I’ll feed AI the basic context — what I want to say, the tone I want to use — and let it give me a draft to react to. It’s a starting point, not the final word.
For those emails that require a tricky balance — setting boundaries, pushing back, or saying no without burning bridges — I’ll ask AI to write it in multiple tones. Then I edit the one that hits closest to what I’d say.
And when I feel completely stalled? I’ll ask it: “What’s a clear, direct response I can send that keeps this moving forward?” That alone has saved me hours.
I still read, decide, and hit send — but I don’t always have to start with a blank screen.
📊 Budgeting: AI, Please Take the First Swing
I used to dread opening my inbox. Every morning felt like stepping into a battlefield of 82 unread messages — flagged items, grant reminders, awkward follow-ups I forgot to send. I’d scroll past the same unread thread five times before answering it… out of guilt.
Email isn’t hard. It’s just endless.
Some days, the biggest win is responding to something before it becomes a crisis — or remembering that I meant to reply to someone three days ago but life (and three budget versions) happened.
Here’s how I actually use AI to help with inbox overload:
When I need to respond but don’t have the energy to write from scratch, I’ll feed AI the basic context — what I want to say, the tone I want to use — and let it give me a draft to react to. It’s a starting point, not the final word.
For those emails that require a tricky balance — setting boundaries, pushing back, or saying no without burning bridges — I’ll ask AI to write it in multiple tones. Then I edit the one that hits closest to what I’d say.
And when I feel completely stalled? I’ll ask it: “What’s a clear, direct response I can send that keeps this moving forward?” That alone has saved me hours.
I still read, decide, and hit send — but I don’t always have to start with a blank screen.
👩🏽💻 Hiring: AI as My Drafting Buddy (Not My Decision-Maker)
Hiring used to mean staring at a blank Word doc thinking, “How do I say we need a unicorn… but also be realistic?”
Now, I start with AI:
I feed in the problems we’re trying to solve, the tone of our org, and a past job post that almost worked.
AI gives me 2–3 drafts: short and punchy, detailed and formal, or warm and values-driven.
I merge them and finally have something that doesn’t sound like it came off a job board in 2009.
I also use AI to build the hiring rubric: “What should I be evaluating if I want someone who’s resourceful, detail-oriented, and doesn’t ghost after week three?” Boom — structured interview questions and a scorecard.
Important: I still hire. I still lead the team.
But AI helps me start stronger and move faster — without sacrificing clarity.
⚠️ What I Don’t Use AI For — and Why That’s the Point
Let’s get this straight:
AI doesn’t know my mission.
It can’t feel when something’s off with a team member.
It won’t catch a funder’s tone shift from “excited” to “hesitant.”
It won’t build trust or alignment.
But it can buy me time.
Time to think. To lead. To stay aligned with what matters.
That — more than any flashy tool — is the real win.
✨ Final Thought
If you’re feeling guilty for not using AI more… or overwhelmed by the idea that you’re “behind the curve” — pause.
The point isn’t to master every tool.
The point is to find what works for you — in your actual work life, with your actual bandwidth.
I didn’t add AI to my workflow to impress anyone.
I added it because I was drowning.
Now? I’ve got enough margin to breathe. To plan. To lead.
That’s the win.
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