Practical ways Copilot is saving charities time

How the charity sector uses artificial intelligence (AI) is still being determined. The 2025 Charity Digital Skills Report found that the most common uses were creating documents and reports, completing administrative tasks, and developing content. But the full capabilities of AI agents are yet unexplored.

Charities are still very much in the learning stage with AI, meaning that the current focus is on coming together to share lessons, opportunities, and challenges associated with emerging technology. With a third of charities saying they don’t know how to get started with AI, guidance from organisations using it in a similar position is welcome and demonstrates how it can be used practically to support charity work. 

To that end, in this article, we explore how The Salvation Army UK and Ireland are using Microsoft 365 Copilot to support its staff with informed decision-making, quicker data analysis, and the alleviation of administrative burdens.  

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How Microsoft 365 Copilot helped The Salvation Army UK and Ireland 

Empowering data-driven decisions 

 The charity sector has historically faced challenges in using data effectively, with many organisations struggling to analyse it in meaningful ways. Too often, charities are unable to make full use of the data they already hold. Information is scattered, difficult to access, and provides only an incomplete picture of how a charity is operating. As recently as 2025, a quarter of charities said they were poor at using data for decision-making, while 45% wanted more support with using AI tools to analyse data. 

In The Salvation Army UK and Ireland’s case, its teams were struggling, grappling with writing reports, capturing case notes, and searching multiple systems to find the forms and policies they needed.  But the charity saw an opportunity with AI.  

“We’re all dealing with information overload,” explains Miguel Fiallos, Chief Information Officer at The Salvation Army UK and Ireland. “AI could help us make sense of the data we’re holding—and put it to use in ways that help us help more people.” 

Microsoft 365 Copilot, working within an organisation’s Microsoft ecosystem, can analyse vast swathes of data quickly and offer relevant insights that inform what steps need to be taken next. But first that data needs to be pulled together in one unified place. The Salvation Army UK and Ireland started by migrating data from outdated network drives into a cloud-based environment built on Microsoft’s tools. 

“The migration laid the groundwork for centralised access to documents and more seamless collaboration across teams,” says Chetan Mehta, Enterprise Business Partner at The Salvation Army UK and Ireland. Now working with Microsoft 365, it was easier for The Salvation Army UK and Ireland to work more efficiently and crucially, with a fuller, interconnected overview of the charity’s work.  

From Shadow AI to strategic adoption 

“Shadow AI” refers to the use of AI tools by employees outside formal organisational policies or oversight. It often emerges when staff recognise opportunities to reduce administrative burden or improve efficiency before their organisation has established a clear approach to AI adoption. 

Left unmanaged, shadow AI introduces risk. Staff may unknowingly use tools in ways that compromise data security or introduce misinformation, limiting an organisation’s visibility into how technology is being used and making it harder to govern effectively. 

This was a challenge The Salvation Army UK and Ireland faced, as teams continued to search for ways to alleviate administrative pressure. A security audit revealed that nearly 200 shadow AI tools were in use to help staff keep pace in difficult times. 

“Do you just start blocking everything?” asks Lev Malinin, Head of Enterprise Systems, Data and AI at The Salvation Army UK and Ireland. “Or do you enable it?” Clearly, the appetite for AI tools was already there, and the charity chose to respond by strengthening governance rather than restricting use. 

“With Copilot, we could regain control, eliminate complexity, and finally make our vast knowledge base more accessible and secure,” adds Malinin. The Salvation Army UK and Ireland was able to reduce risk while building an infrastructure to support long-term growth and efficiency through automation. 

Building AI literacy  

Embracing AI is no simple task. The Salvation Army UK and Ireland, despite its staff’s gravitation towards AI tools individually, contended with the same concerns over AI use as any organisation, including around job losses and privacy. To build confidence and trust, the charity began with a small pilot group of 150 early adopters, offering training, “promptathons” (through which they could experiment), and one-on-one guidance. The goal was to help workers discover how AI could be helpful and create a supportive environment for them to explore. 

“We’ve had people who’ve gone away and used it, and when it works, they say, ‘Wow, this is amazing. This is going to be a game changer for me’,” reports Mehta. The charity saw that slow, managed start begin to trickle throughout the rest of the organisation as even the most hesitant employees requested access. To read more about The Salvation Army UK and Ireland’s AI journey, you can read the full case study here.  

For charities beginning their own AI learning journey, Microsoft offers a range of resources and training opportunities through the Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers programme. These include practical playbooks, demonstrations, and guided learning designed to help organisations build skills and explore AI adoption in a supported way.

Microsoft Elevate is committed to delivering affordable and innovative cloud solutions to help nonprofits tackle the world’s biggest challenges.  

• To access grants and discounts across Microsoft’s cloud products, visit aka.ms/Nonprofits
• To participate in Microsoft’s comprehensive training programs and accelerate your AI skills, visit aka.ms/NonprofitSkilling
• Continue your AI learning journey. Download the full toolkit for free playbooks, demos, and training opportunities: aka.ms/EMEA-Toolkit