5 Exciting Ways AI Podcasts Can Revolutionize Nonprofit Storytelling
Small shifts to amplify your organization's voice
TL;DR: AI-generated podcasts could transform how nonprofits communicate complex information. From board reports to donor updates, this post explores five practical ways organizations can leverage tools like NotebookLM’s podcast feature to enhance engagement, improve understanding, and drive action. Discover how this technology can make your data sing – and speak – to key stakeholders.
In a previous post, I shared my journey of discovery with NotebookLM's AI podcast feature. Now, let's dive a bit more into the details and use-cases of how this technology could reshape nonprofit communication. As someone who's spent years wrestling with how to make evaluation data both accessible and actionable, I'm excited about the possibilities. But don't worry – I’ll also discuss the challenges (as we need to keep doing with AI!).
Read on for five use-cases and five micro-moves you can try this week to experiment.
Board Reports That Actually Get Read (or rather, Heard)
Picture this: It's board meeting season. You've spent weeks compiling a comprehensive report, complete with charts, graphs, and carefully crafted narratives. Hours of labor across many individuals probably detract in some key ways from your day-to-day organizational functioning. You send it out, and then... crickets. Sound familiar?
Enter the AI-generated podcast report. Instead of a 30-page PDF, imagine sending your board members a 10-15-minute audio file they can listen to during their commute or while soaking up the sun on a walk. The conversational format makes complex data digestible, and the key points are reinforced through dialogue, with meaningful examples that help make the numbers memorable.
Of course this doesn't necessarily replace your written report. Instead, it serves as an engaging introduction, priming board members to dive deeper into the full document with greater understanding and interest. It can make the report seem less daunting, or allow them to follow up on what really got their attention in the audio format.
Micro-Move: For your next board or stakeholder meeting, create an AI podcast summary of a report. Send both and ask for feedback on which format they found more engaging and informative.
Donor Updates That Inspire Action
Your mailbox and inbox are probably making you fully aware that it’s end-of-year donation season. Donors are the lifeblood of many nonprofits, but keeping them engaged amidst the myriad messages coming in can be challenging. Traditional impact reports often struggle to convey the human side of your work. AI-generated podcasts offer one possible solution.
Imagine combining quantitative data with qualitative stories in a format that feels like a radio documentary. That’s exactly what NotebookLM does. The AI hosts can weave together statistics, beneficiary quotes, and program descriptions into a compelling narrative that showcases your impact. All with the push of a button. Yes, the functionality to edit and tweak leaves a bit to be desired, but give the cost and efficiency it is really hard to top.
The result? A donor update that not only informs but also emotionally connects and inspires continued support. Appealing to the head and the heart (and ears, in this case).
Micro-Move: Take your last donor report and convert it into an AI podcast. Share it with a small group of loyal donors and gather their reactions. Does it make them feel more connected to your work? In what ways? What does this make them want to hear more of or understand more deeply?
Staff Training That Sticks
Remember that AI literacy training I mentioned in the last post? The success of the AI-generated podcast in communicating the results got me thinking about its potential for staff training itself. Audio storytelling doesn’t just have to be for external audiences — it can support your internal storytelling efforts, too.
Complex organizational policies, new initiatives, or even onboarding materials could be transformed into engaging audio content. Employees could listen during their lunch break or while multitasking, reinforcing key points through repetition and dialogue.
The conversational nature of the podcast format also lends itself well to addressing common questions or concerns, making the content feel more relevant and applicable to daily work.
Micro-Move: Identify a recent policy change or new procedure in your organization. Use NotebookLM to create a brief explainer podcast and share it with your team alongside the written documentation.
Tackling Complex Systems Change Through Stories
One of the biggest challenges in nonprofit work is communicating complex, systemic issues. How do you explain the intricate web of factors contributing to poverty, climate change, or social injustice in a way that doesn't oversimplify but also doesn't overwhelm?
I think AI-generated podcasts have real value to add here. The dialogue format allows for natural segues between interconnected topics, and the hosts can ask clarifying questions that mimic the thought process of someone learning about the issue for the first time. Think of how satisfying it is when you’re listening to an interview and the interviewer asks the very question you’re wondering about next. I had so many of those moments the first time I engaged with a NotebookLM podcast.
This approach could be particularly powerful for educating policymakers, journalists, or potential partners about the nuanced work your organization does in a simple and efficient manner.
Micro-Move: Take a complex systems map or theory of change document and upload it into NotebookLM. See how the AI translates the interconnected elements into a conversational explanation. Where does it excel? Where does it fall short? What ideas does it spark for you?
Making Evaluation Findings Accessible (and Actionable)
As a long-time social impact evaluator, this might be the use case that gets me most excited. How often have you produced a comprehensive evaluation report only to have it gather dust on someone's desk (or in their email inbox)? It’s a special kind of professional sorrow, let me tell you.
AI-generated podcasts can transform dense evaluation findings into a format that invites engagement. Imagine a series of short episodes, each focusing on a key finding or recommendation. The dialogue between hosts can explore implications, suggest next steps, and even anticipate and address potential objections or curiosities.
This format not only makes the data more accessible but can also nudges listeners towards action. It's easier to dismiss a written recommendation than one you hear discussed and debated in a conversational context. And sometimes, when you hear some possible next steps as part of a natural conversation, it feels that much more doable to remember and potentially implement.
Micro-Move: Take a recent evaluation report and create an AI podcast series – one episode per major finding or recommendation. Share it with your team or stakeholders and track how it influences discussions and decision-making compared to the written report alone.
Navigating the Challenges
While the potential is exciting, we can't ignore the hurdles. AI is advancing so quickly that we have to keep these challenges in mind while also recognizing that many of them will be addressed through future iterations and new challenges will arise. As I mentioned in my previous post, issues of accuracy, customization, and representation need addressing. Here are a few additional considerations as we explore these use cases:
1. Data Privacy: Be cautious about what information you input into AI tools, especially when dealing with sensitive donor or beneficiary data. Focusing your experiments on publicly available or external-facing reports is a good way to stay safe(r).
2. Overreliance on Technology: AI-generated content should complement, not replace, human-crafted communication and in-person interactions. Be sure to listen to the output and make sure it hasn’t made any mistakes. Moreover, make sure it’s emphasizing what you’d like to emphasize.
3. Accessibility Concerns: While audio content can be more accessible for some, it may present barriers for others. Always provide alternative formats. It’s very easy to transcribe the NotebookLM audio file in a tool such as Otter, which can improve accessibility.
4. Quality Control: Establish a review process to ensure AI-generated content aligns with your organization's voice and values. As tools evolve, you’ll be able to build in brand voice and styles so that there is a more consistent experience.
The Future of Nonprofit Communication
The potential for AI to revolutionize nonprofit communication is both exciting and daunting. Tools like NotebookLM's podcast feature challenge us to rethink how we share our stories, engage our stakeholders, and, ultimately, drive change.
While a number of functions are exploring how AI can serve their communication goals — marketing, donor engagement, impact storytelling, and customer service — it is equally powerful to consider how our communication efforts might transform and improve across the functions of our mission-driven organizations. The real magic happens when we combine these AI capabilities with our deep understanding of our work, our stakeholders, and the change we're trying to create in the world.
I'm eager to hear your thoughts. Have you experimented with AI in your nonprofit communication? What other use cases can you envision? What concerns do you have? Feel free to DM or comment below.
In our next and final post of this series, we'll zoom out and explore the broader implications of AI-powered storytelling for the nonprofit sector. Stay tuned!