02 October, 2025 • Reading time: 5 minutes What nonprofits need to know about AI search AI search is moving fast and is easier to measure than traditional communications work, providing clearer data on impact and return on investment. Now is the moment for nonprofits to get ahead. AI SEO The rise of AI-powered search tools is reshaping how people discover organisations and causes, and nonprofits, with their deep expertise in storytelling and community relationships, are well positioned to help their missions become more visible in this new search landscape. Understanding both the challenges and practical opportunities that come with the rise of AI in search is crucial for nonprofits keen to expand their reach and impact. The changing nature of cause discovery Supporters and potential donors now discover nonprofits and causes through a wider range of channels, from Instagram and Reddit and classic search engines like Google. What’s new is the prominent role of AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI search features. Increasingly, people are relying on these tools not only for facts, but for recommendations about charities to support and causes to champion, often as part of interactive conversations. The influence that nonprofit professionals already exert through earned media, reputation management, and community building is central to how these AI models make recommendations and surface organisations in their answers. How AI search tools work AI tools don’t operate in the same way as Google’s traditional search. While Google’s algorithms lean heavily on website content, AI models pull information from across the internet: news coverage, blogs, forums, and social media chatter all feed into the answers an AI model provides. Structured, authoritative, and up-to-date information is especially valued. Studies show that a high proportion of AI-generated search results cite earned media and editorial pieces when making recommendations about charitable organisations. Nonprofit communications work is therefore directly shaping organisational visibility in AI search, often more than teams might realise. The research backing Recent research has analysed how ChatGPT responds to questions about leading charitable organisations, focusing on four core reputation traits: trustworthiness, impact, transparency, and value for money. The research found that 61% of all cited sources in those responses were editorial coverage, with trust and value for money relying most heavily on third-party articles. Meanwhile, organisation-owned content was the second most referenced source, particularly for traits such as impact and transparency. Why nonprofits are well positioned Nonprofits already excel in crafting compelling narratives, securing media coverage, and building trust within their communities. These are the very elements AI models reward when recommending organisations. However, there’s still a technical gap. Nonprofit content often isn’t optimised for AI discoverability. Most organisations haven’t ventured into the territory of web development and technical SEO, which is becoming increasingly necessary if nonprofits are to appear in AI-generated results. Bridging the gap: technical optimisation The solution involves merging nonprofit storytelling authority with technical SEO expertise, a practice sometimes called generative engine optimisation. The practical approach focuses on making website content as accessible as possible for AI ‘robots’, the crawlers that check live sites for fresh information. Fast-loading websites, use of clear coding, schema markup (structured data that helps AI interpret context), and well-organised content with proper headings and standalone sections are vital. Neither compelling storytelling nor SEO alone is sufficient. Nonprofit content needs technical optimisation to ensure it’s found by AI tools, while SEO needs credible, authentic storytelling to avoid being ignored. Practical steps for nonprofits To meet this new challenge, organisations should consider three routes: build technical skills in-house partner with an established SEO agency work with technical specialists such as Empower Agency The most important thing is to ensure that communications teams can offer a full approach spanning earned media, technical site optimisation, and structured digital content. Empower Agency is already partnering with nonprofits to provide workshops, training, and visibility reports analysing how organisations appear across both traditional and AI search engines. Responding to industry developments Recent changes mean platforms like Instagram are now indexable by search engines, which further expands the sources from which AI models can draw. Whenever possible, nonprofits should not only create high-quality owned content, but also ensure it is structured in a way that AI tools can access and use. Schema markup is recommended for press releases and articles, with news article schema being one option for nonprofit communications. Making the business case for investment A recurring challenge for nonprofits is securing investment in AI search when budgets are tight. The approach is to start by benchmarking: use Google Analytics and other tools to track what proportion of website traffic comes from AI platforms. Many organisations underestimate this percentage, sometimes by a large margin. Empower Agency offers visibility audits for partners, making it easy to show real data to boards and guide smarter strategic investment. Research shows that nonprofits investing in digital optimisation see significantly higher engagement rates. How nonprofits can get ahead with AI search AI search is moving fast and is easier to measure than traditional communications work, providing clearer data on impact and return on investment. Now is the moment for nonprofits to get ahead. Organisations should seize available resources—workshops, help desks, and audits—and begin integrating technical optimisation into their communications strategy. The sense of urgency is clear: nonprofits can and should take the lead in shaping the future of organisational visibility in a world increasingly powered by artificial intelligence. For those wanting to explore further, resources including primers on generative engine optimisation and curated training materials are available from technical specialists in the field. Additional insights on AI’s impact on nonprofits can help you prepare for the evolving AI search landscape.
The rise of AI-powered search tools is reshaping how people discover organisations and causes, and nonprofits, with their deep expertise in storytelling and community relationships, are well positioned to help their missions become more visible in this new search landscape. Understanding both the challenges and practical opportunities that come with the rise of AI in search is crucial for nonprofits keen to expand their reach and impact. The changing nature of cause discovery Supporters and potential donors now discover nonprofits and causes through a wider range of channels, from Instagram and Reddit and classic search engines like Google. What’s new is the prominent role of AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI search features. Increasingly, people are relying on these tools not only for facts, but for recommendations about charities to support and causes to champion, often as part of interactive conversations. The influence that nonprofit professionals already exert through earned media, reputation management, and community building is central to how these AI models make recommendations and surface organisations in their answers. How AI search tools work AI tools don’t operate in the same way as Google’s traditional search. While Google’s algorithms lean heavily on website content, AI models pull information from across the internet: news coverage, blogs, forums, and social media chatter all feed into the answers an AI model provides. Structured, authoritative, and up-to-date information is especially valued. Studies show that a high proportion of AI-generated search results cite earned media and editorial pieces when making recommendations about charitable organisations. Nonprofit communications work is therefore directly shaping organisational visibility in AI search, often more than teams might realise. The research backing Recent research has analysed how ChatGPT responds to questions about leading charitable organisations, focusing on four core reputation traits: trustworthiness, impact, transparency, and value for money. The research found that 61% of all cited sources in those responses were editorial coverage, with trust and value for money relying most heavily on third-party articles. Meanwhile, organisation-owned content was the second most referenced source, particularly for traits such as impact and transparency. Why nonprofits are well positioned Nonprofits already excel in crafting compelling narratives, securing media coverage, and building trust within their communities. These are the very elements AI models reward when recommending organisations. However, there’s still a technical gap. Nonprofit content often isn’t optimised for AI discoverability. Most organisations haven’t ventured into the territory of web development and technical SEO, which is becoming increasingly necessary if nonprofits are to appear in AI-generated results. Bridging the gap: technical optimisation The solution involves merging nonprofit storytelling authority with technical SEO expertise, a practice sometimes called generative engine optimisation. The practical approach focuses on making website content as accessible as possible for AI ‘robots’, the crawlers that check live sites for fresh information. Fast-loading websites, use of clear coding, schema markup (structured data that helps AI interpret context), and well-organised content with proper headings and standalone sections are vital. Neither compelling storytelling nor SEO alone is sufficient. Nonprofit content needs technical optimisation to ensure it’s found by AI tools, while SEO needs credible, authentic storytelling to avoid being ignored. Practical steps for nonprofits To meet this new challenge, organisations should consider three routes: build technical skills in-house partner with an established SEO agency work with technical specialists such as Empower Agency The most important thing is to ensure that communications teams can offer a full approach spanning earned media, technical site optimisation, and structured digital content. Empower Agency is already partnering with nonprofits to provide workshops, training, and visibility reports analysing how organisations appear across both traditional and AI search engines. Responding to industry developments Recent changes mean platforms like Instagram are now indexable by search engines, which further expands the sources from which AI models can draw. Whenever possible, nonprofits should not only create high-quality owned content, but also ensure it is structured in a way that AI tools can access and use. Schema markup is recommended for press releases and articles, with news article schema being one option for nonprofit communications. Making the business case for investment A recurring challenge for nonprofits is securing investment in AI search when budgets are tight. The approach is to start by benchmarking: use Google Analytics and other tools to track what proportion of website traffic comes from AI platforms. Many organisations underestimate this percentage, sometimes by a large margin. Empower Agency offers visibility audits for partners, making it easy to show real data to boards and guide smarter strategic investment. Research shows that nonprofits investing in digital optimisation see significantly higher engagement rates. How nonprofits can get ahead with AI search AI search is moving fast and is easier to measure than traditional communications work, providing clearer data on impact and return on investment. Now is the moment for nonprofits to get ahead. Organisations should seize available resources—workshops, help desks, and audits—and begin integrating technical optimisation into their communications strategy. The sense of urgency is clear: nonprofits can and should take the lead in shaping the future of organisational visibility in a world increasingly powered by artificial intelligence. For those wanting to explore further, resources including primers on generative engine optimisation and curated training materials are available from technical specialists in the field. Additional insights on AI’s impact on nonprofits can help you prepare for the evolving AI search landscape.
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