For UK charities · Free · Pro bono
Your trustees are asking about AI. The Fundraising Regulator's 2025 guidance now requires charities to have an AI policy before using AI tools in fundraising. The Charity Governance Code was updated in 2025 to state that trustees must oversee AI as a strategic risk.
Which tool should I take? This assessment is for charities: it covers the six areas trustees are asked about and ends with a written summary for your board. If you are not a charity, the AI readiness assessment is the one to start with: eleven questions with an instant score on people, process and principles.
79% of UK charities are now using AI tools (Charity Digital Skills Report 2026), but half have no AI policy governing that use. If your organisation is somewhere in that gap, you are not alone. But your board needs to know where you stand.
A three-step process that produces a short written document you can present to your trustees. No cost, no obligation.
Step one
You complete an online assessment covering six areas: ten questions, around ten minutes. Factual questions about your organisation's position, not opinions about how you feel about AI. Your headline band is instant and free.
Step two
We review your responses and run a 30-minute call to fill gaps the form cannot capture and ask follow-up questions about your specific situation.
Step three
We produce a short two-to-three page document presenting your charity's AI position in a format your trustees can read and act on. Delivered within two working days.
Four sections, each written in plain language for a trustee audience. The summary is not a sales document. It is a governance document written for your board.
A summary of your charity's position across the six assessment areas, benchmarked against sector data from the Charity Digital Skills Report 2026.
A brief outline of the governance expectations: the Fundraising Regulator's 2025 AI guidance, the Charity Governance Code 2025 provisions on AI and digital oversight, and any UK GDPR obligations relevant to how staff are handling data in AI tools.
Two to three specific recommendations ranked by urgency. Things your organisation can act on whether or not you work with Insightful AI. If a free template will do the job, the summary will say so and point you to it.
Where training or advisory support would make a difference, the summary names the specific Insightful AI courses or services that apply. Where it would not, it says that too.
Drawn from the Charity Digital Skills Report, the Fundraising Regulator's 2025 AI guidance, the Charity Governance Code 2025, the Charity Digital Code of Practice, and the NCVO Digital Maturity Matrix. Not categories we invented: the areas sector governance bodies now expect charities to have considered.
Whether your charity has a written AI policy, when it was last reviewed, and whether it covers generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini.
Whether staff are entering donor data, beneficiary records or other personal data into AI tools, and whether those tools are enterprise or consumer versions.
Whether your charity is aware of staff using AI tools that have not been formally approved. 79% of charities use AI tools, but half have no AI policy at all (Charity Digital Skills Report 2026).
Whether your charity is aware of the Fundraising Regulator's 2025 AI guidance and whether the board has discussed the Charity Governance Code 2025 provisions on AI and digital governance.
Whether any AI training has been delivered, whether staff feel confident using AI tools responsibly, and whether there is a named person responsible for AI. 56% of charities cite limited skills as the single biggest barrier to AI adoption, up from 43% the year before (Charity Digital Skills Report 2026).
Whether trustees have discussed AI at a board meeting, whether any trustees have digital or AI skills, and whether the board has set a position on AI risk appetite. Only 12% of charities believe their board has strong AI skills, and 46% have no trustee with relevant digital expertise (Charity Digital Skills Report 2026).
| Right for you if | Not right for you if |
|---|---|
Your charity has more than 10 staff | You are a sole-person charity with no staff using AI tools |
You know staff are using AI tools but have no policy | You already have a reviewed, up-to-date AI policy that addresses generative AI |
Your trustees have asked about AI and you did not have a good answer | Your board has already set a clear position on AI risk and governance |
You are aware of the Fundraising Regulator's 2025 guidance but unsure what it means for you | You have already completed a formal AI assessment with another provider |
You need something in writing to put in front of your board | You are looking for a full consultancy engagement |
Looking for a full consultancy engagement instead? See our AI ethics and governance service.
Insightful AI is a specialist AI consultancy based in the North West of England, working with charities, SMEs and public sector organisations across the United Kingdom. Our team holds the Chief AI Officer role at Cheshire Community Foundation and has delivered AI training and advisory work for the National Emergencies Trust.
Our Responsible AI for Charities training programme was built specifically for the charity sector. You can read more about our team on the About page.
The written summary is yours to keep and present to your trustees whether or not you ever work with us.
Whether you're just getting started or looking to scale, we'll help you find the right path, responsibly.