Google AI Mode: A Guide for Charities and Nonprofits

Google has launched AI Mode, a significant evolution of its search experience powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.0. While currently rolling out to US users, this development represents a fundamental shift in how supporters, beneficiaries, and stakeholders will discover your organisation.

For charities and nonprofits, this means traditional approaches to digital outreach – SEO for awareness campaigns, content marketing for donor education, and organic discovery of services – are all shifting. Recent studies show that Google’s AI

Overviews have led to dramatic reductions in website clicks, with organic click-through rates declining by more than 50% when AI summaries are present, and some publishers seeing massive reductions in traffic from search results.

As these AI-powered features become more prominent, direct traffic to your charity’s website will likely decrease even further.

The early reactions can feel overwhelming, and we understand the concern. Change in the digital landscape can feel particularly challenging when you’re already working with limited resources.

But here’s the reassuring truth: the fundamental principles of effective charity communication haven’t changed.

You still need to understand your supporters, beneficiaries, and communities, and respond to their needs with empathy and clarity. What’s evolving is how we reach and serve them digitally.

Here are the AI-driven trends affecting the charity sector and how your organisation can adapt thoughtfully.

How will people discover charity services and support opportunities differently?

Where supporters once searched “homeless shelters near me” or “how to donate to cancer research” and scanned through multiple websites, they’ll now receive personalised, immediate answers shaped by their location, previous giving history, and expressed interests. A person seeking mental health support will receive curated resources based on their specific circumstances.

Someone who regularly engages with environmental causes will see climate organisations prioritised, as we’ve seen with Empower client Now For Nature when searching for a related keyword:

This personalisation could increase visibility for charities that supporters already engage with, but it may become harder for smaller organisations or new causes to break through and gain discovery.

Google search processes approximately 373 times more queries than ChatGPT, handling over 5 trillion searches in 2024 compared to ChatGPT’s estimated 37.5 million search-like prompts per day.

However, ChatGPT’s demographics show interesting patterns: users are primarily younger, with 57% under age 34, and slightly male-skewed at 55%.

This AI Mode rollout will introduce all generations – including older supporters who form the backbone of many charity donor bases – to personalised, immediate answers, which could shift how different age groups expect to interact with charitable causes.

Will detailed charity information and storytelling still matter?

Many charities rely on comprehensive website content to educate supporters about complex issues, share impact stories, and provide detailed service information.

Will people still read through your annual reports, browse your service pages, or engage with long-form content about the causes you champion?

The shift toward bite-sized, curated responses may affect how thoroughly people engage with charity content.

However, this could also create opportunities. While everyone rushes to create short-form, AI-optimised content, supporters may actually crave authentic, human stories more than ever.

In a flood of automated content, genuine beneficiary testimonials, volunteer stories, and impact videos may become even more powerful at breaking through.

What actions should charities take now?

Rather than panic, charities need to observe, learn, and adapt thoughtfully within their resource constraints.

Since AI Mode is rolling out in the US first, UK and international charities have time to prepare and respond strategically.

Audit your digital presence

• Start by auditing your current digital presence using free tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to check your website’s technical health.
• Ensure your charity’s basic information including contact details, services, and locations is accurate across Google My Business and other directories.
• Most importantly, verify that your key pages load quickly and work well on mobile devices, as these technical fundamentals will become even more critical.

Understand your supporters

• Focus on understanding your key supporter segments by identifying the main questions that donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, and corporate partners ask about your cause.
• Rewrite your most important web pages to directly answer these common questions, using clear headings that match how people actually search. For example, use “How to volunteer with homeless charities” rather than simply “Volunteer opportunities.”

Prioritise authentic, human content over generic messaging

• Genuine beneficiary stories, volunteer testimonials, and simple video content showing real impact will become more valuable as AI-generated content floods digital spaces.
• Your charity’s unique voice and mission should shine through all your communications.

Strengthen your supporter data

• Integrating your donor management platform with website analytics where possible.
• Track which content leads to donations, volunteer sign-ups, or service enquiries to better understand what information supporters need at different stages of their journey with your organisation.

How can charities better understand their supporters?

Understanding your audiences has never been more crucial. Do you know what motivates different supporter segments? What questions do first-time donors have versus long-term supporters? What barriers prevent people from accessing your services?

Many charities have valuable supporter data scattered across different systems – donor databases, volunteer management platforms, website analytics, and social media insights. Investing in better data integration, even through simple tools like connecting your email platform with your website, can provide a clearer picture of supporter behaviour and needs.

Consider conducting simple supporter surveys or focus groups to understand how your different audiences prefer to discover and engage with your cause. This insight will be invaluable as AI systems become better at serving personalised content.

The path forward for charities

The digital landscape is changing, but your mission remains constant. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to truly know your supporters, beneficiaries, and communities – their needs, motivations, and values. The key is to anticipate these needs, meet people where they are digitally, and maintain the human heart of your charity’s work.

Success in this new environment will come to charities that create content designed for human needs, structured for AI systems to understand, and valuable enough to inspire real engagement and support. It’s no longer just about being found online – it’s about being chosen and trusted by both technology and people.

The charities that thrive will be those that use these technological changes to better serve their communities while staying true to their mission and values.