AI use cases for charities

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often talked about in sweeping terms – technology that will “transform” the way we work – without always offering clear or practical guidance. For the charity sector, this gap is particularly pressing. According to the 2025 Charity Digital Skills Report, 69% of charities say they want more guidance on what responsible AI adoption looks like. More than a third are looking for free resources to help them get started, while three in five want training for leaders and trustees. 

These are precisely the challenges Microsoft Elevate aims to address. As charities move beyond simply understanding what AI is and begin to see it in action, Microsoft Elevate has developed a range of free resources to support responsible, practical adoption. One of these is the e-book AI Use Cases for Nonprofit Leaders, which explores how AI is evolving – and how it can be applied in tangible ways to support charitable work. 

Below, we highlight a selection of AI use cases from the e-book to show how charities are already using the technology in meaningful, mission-led ways. 

Download the full e-book here 

Practical ways AI can support the charity sector 

The e-book splits AI capabilities into four core categories that are particularly relevant for charities: vision, speech, language, and decision-making. Together, these form the foundation for many of today’s most practical and impactful AI applications. 

Vision: AI vision capabilities include image analysis, facial recognition, and optical character recognition (OCR), which can convert images of text – such as scanned documents or PDFs – into searchable, editable files. For charities, these tools can support accessibility through features like image recognition and automatic captioning, or simplify content creation by making it easier to find and reuse relevant visual elements.  

Speech: Speech-based AI includes familiar tools such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech, but it can also go further – recognising intent from tone, automating video captioning, and generating audio content. These capabilities can help charities make services more inclusive and reduce the time staff spend on manual transcription or content preparation.  

Language: Language-based AI can analyse large volumes of text to identify sentiment, extract key phrases, and surface themes. This is particularly useful for tools such as chatbots, which can help signpost people to relevant information quickly, or for analysing feedback from constituents to better understand needs and concerns.  

Decision-making: AI can also support better decision-making by analysing data to uncover patterns, anomalies, or risks that may otherwise go unnoticed. The e-book highlights uses such as automated content moderation across text, image, and video, as well as analytics that help leaders take more informed, timely action.  

AI in action: real-world charity examples 

Alongside these capability areas, the e-book features real-world examples of AI already being used within the charity sector. 

One example is Age UK, which uses Azure AI Services to support its Telephone Friendship Service. AI is used to transcribe phone calls between volunteers and older service users, making it quicker and easier to review conversations for safety. This, in turn, frees up staff time to assess more pairings and expand the reach of the service—helping more people stay connected and supported.  

Building trust through responsible AI 

The e-book also places strong emphasis on the responsible use of AI and the role trust plays in successful adoption. Trust, Microsoft Elevate notes, is essential if organisations are to realise the full benefits of AI. This includes confidence that AI systems are developed ethically, as well as assurance that the data powering them is secure.