Nonprofit AI Automation
User Guide
Everything you need to generate polished, mission-aligned content in seconds — no technical knowledge required.
1. Introduction
The BYC Nonprofit AI Automation app puts a full library of AI-powered writing tools in the hands of your entire team. Whether you're drafting a year-end donor appeal, preparing board meeting minutes, or writing a grant narrative, the app produces a polished first draft in seconds.
What the App Does
- 75 ready-to-use templates spanning Fundraising, Communications, Volunteer Management, Programs, Governance, HR & Operations, Finance, Strategy, and Operations
- 📦 Template Bundles — curated sets of related templates you can run as a guided workflow
- AI-generated drafts tailored to your organization's tone and audience
- 💾 Draft auto-saving so your form inputs are never lost between sessions
- Five-dimension tone controls — Warmth, Urgency, Formality, Storytelling, and Call to Action (Pro)
- Full generation history with status tracking, search, and one-click regeneration
- 📊 Analytics dashboard showing your team's usage patterns over time
- 📎 Snippets library to save and insert reusable text blocks into any template
- 🖨️ Print / PDF export for clean, formatted output from any generation
- Word document export for every generation (Pro)
- Favorites to pin your most-used templates
- 👥 Team Enrollment — Executive Directors get a shareable team code; staff join with the code at registration. The My Team page shows the full member roster and activity.
- 🔐 Admin Panel — system administrators can view all registered users, usage stats, plan status, and recent generations in one place
Free plan: 1 AI generation per week, access to free-tier templates. All productivity features (drafts, snippets, bundles, analytics, print) are available on all plans.
Pro plan: Unlimited generations, all 75 templates, tone controls, Word export, full history, and 3 team seats.
2. Getting Started
The app is a single HTML file — no installation or internet connection required. Double-click BYC Nonprofit AI Automation - Web App.html to open it in your browser. All data is stored privately on your own computer.
Creating Your Account
On the welcome screen, click the Create Account tab.
Provide your name, email address, and a password.
If your organization's Executive Director shared a BYC team code with you (e.g., BYC-K7M2), enter it in the Team Code field. This links your account to your organization's team and grants access to the 👥 My Team page. Leave it blank if you don't have one.
Name, sector, your role, city, state, org size, website, and — most importantly — your mission statement. The more you fill in, the better the AI output.
You'll land on your personalized dashboard. If you're an Executive Director, your team code is automatically generated during onboarding.
Everything is saved in your browser's local storage. It persists between sessions as long as you use the same browser on the same computer. Clearing browser site data will remove your account — export important generations before doing so.
Signing In
Already have an account? Click Sign In, enter your email and password, and click Sign In to go straight to your dashboard.
3. The Dashboard
The dashboard is your home base — an at-a-glance view of your activity and quick access to your most-used tools.
| Component | What it Does |
|---|---|
| Greeting & Plan Badge | Shows your name, organization, and plan. Free users see an Upgrade to Pro link. |
| Prompt of the Week | Free plan users see whether their one weekly generation is available. Resets every Monday. |
| Stat Cards | Total generations · Templates available · Favorites count · This week's usage. |
| Suggested for You | Up to four templates recommended based on your role. Click any to jump to its generate page. |
| Recent Generations | Your five most recent AI generations. Click View all for the full History page. |
| Favorites | Templates you've starred. Click any to jump straight to its generate page. |
| 📖 User Guide | Opens this guide in a new window for quick reference. |
Sign Out
Two ways to sign out of the app:
- Dashboard header button: Click the ↩ Sign Out button in the top-right of the dashboard, next to "✦ New Generation." This is the quickest way to switch accounts.
- Sidebar arrow: Click the ↩ Sign Out button at the bottom of the left navigation sidebar (below your name and organization).
Signing out does not delete any data — your account, history, and settings are all preserved for when you sign back in.
Navigation Sidebar
| Tab | What it Shows |
|---|---|
| ⊞ Dashboard | Your home page — stats, suggestions, and recent activity. |
| ✦ Templates | Browse and search all 75 templates, plus Template Bundles. |
| 🕐 History | Every generation you've ever created, with search and status tracking. |
| ⚙ Settings | Update your profile, organization details, plan, and Snippets library. |
| 📊 Analytics | Usage charts — weekly activity, top templates, department breakdown, and more. |
| 👥 My Team | Visible only to team leaders (Executive Directors). Shows your team code, member roster, department breakdown, and team activity stats. See Section 12. |
| 🔐 Admin | Visible only to the system administrator. Shows all registered users, their usage stats, and generation history. See Section 13. |
4. Templates
The Templates page is where you browse and launch all 75 AI content templates, organized by department and cadence. At the top of the page you'll also find Template Bundles — curated multi-template workflows for the most common nonprofit tasks.
Browsing and Filtering
- Use department filter buttons to narrow by area (Fundraising, Communications, etc.).
- Use cadence tabs — Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annual — to filter by frequency.
- Toggle Favorites Only to see only your starred templates.
- Use the Search box to find a template by name or keyword.
Template Library — 9 Departments, 75 Templates
📦 Template Bundles
Template Bundles are curated collections of related templates designed to be run together as a guided workflow. Instead of hunting for individual templates one at a time, a bundle walks you through an entire task — step by step — in a single session.
How to Use a Bundle
A modal opens showing every template in the bundle, in order, with step numbers.
The app takes you directly to the first template's generate page. A progress bar appears at the top showing "Step 1 of X."
Fill in the fields and generate as normal. After the output appears, a banner shows the next template in the bundle with a "Next →" button.
Click "Next →" to move to the next step, or click "✕ Exit" in the progress bar to leave the bundle at any time. When you complete the final template, a "🎉 Bundle complete!" message appears.
The Board Meeting Pack is ideal the week before each quarterly meeting — run all five templates in one session and have a complete board packet ready to review. The Year-End Campaign Pack covers your entire fundraising push from appeal letter to thank-you sequence.
5. Generating Content
Once you select a template, the Generate page walks you through filling in details and producing your AI draft.
Every template has inputs tailored to that document type — audience, campaign goal, program name, dollar amounts, dates, and more. Fields marked with * are required. The more detail you provide, the better the output.
Pro users can fine-tune five tone sliders before generating (see below).
The app produces a complete draft in seconds.
Copy to clipboard, print to PDF, export to Word (Pro), or adjust fields and generate again.
💾 Draft Auto-Saving
The app automatically saves your form inputs as you type — so if you close the tab, switch to another template, or step away, your work is never lost.
- A "💾 Draft saved" indicator flashes below the Generate button whenever a save occurs.
- When you return to a template that has a saved draft, a blue banner appears at the top of the form: "📝 Draft restored from X minutes ago."
- Click "Start fresh ✕" in the banner to clear the draft and begin with a blank form.
- Drafts are saved per-template, so you can have drafts in progress across multiple templates simultaneously.
Draft data is stored in browser local storage, so it persists when you close and reopen the app — as long as you use the same browser on the same computer.
Be specific — "Raised $47,000 for our after-school program" beats "raised money."
Include real names and numbers where you have them.
Paste in your organization's actual mission statement for consistent voice.
If the first draft isn't quite right, tweak a few fields and generate again — it's instant for Pro users.
Tone Controls (Pro)
| Dimension | Range | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Warmth | Clinical → Heartfelt | Higher for donor appeals; lower for formal governance docs |
| Urgency | Relaxed → Urgent | Higher for year-end campaigns and emergency appeals |
| Formality | Conversational → Formal | Higher for board reports and grant applications |
| Storytelling | Data-Focused → Story-Driven | Higher for impact reports and donor stories |
| Call to Action | Subtle → Direct | Higher for fundraising emails; lower for informational updates |
Using the Output
| Action | What it Does |
|---|---|
| 📋 Copy to Clipboard | Paste into your email client, word processor, or CMS |
| 🖨️ Print / PDF | Opens a clean print view with your org name, template title, content, and date — use your browser's "Save as PDF" option to create a file |
| 📄 Export to Word ★ Pro | Downloads a formatted .docx file ready to send or save |
| Generate Again | Change any field or tone setting and regenerate instantly |
| History | Every generation is automatically saved — nothing extra needed |
🖨️ Print / PDF Export
Every generated output can be exported as a clean, print-ready document directly from the app — no copy-pasting into another program needed.
Complete the form and click Generate. The output must be present for the print button to work.
The button appears in the action row next to Copy and Word. Your browser's print dialog opens.
To print: select your printer and click Print. To save as PDF: choose "Save as PDF" (or "Microsoft Print to PDF") as the destination, then click Save.
The print layout includes your organization's name, the template name, the full generated text, and a footer with the print date. Everything else (navigation, form, sidebar) is hidden in the print view.
AI-generated content is a first draft, not a finished product. Check all facts, dollar amounts, dates, and names before sending. For grant applications, verify compliance with the funder's specific requirements.
6. History
The History page records every generation you've created, newest first. Click any item to expand and view the full output. History now includes search, status tracking, and one-click regeneration.
Search & Filter
A search bar at the top of the History page lets you instantly filter your generations by template name, content keywords, or status. Type any word and the list narrows in real time — useful for finding a specific donor letter, program report, or board resolution from months ago.
Status Tags
Every history item has a status badge that tracks where that piece of content stands in your workflow. You can update the status directly from within the history item — no need to open a separate page.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Just generated — not yet reviewed or approved. Default status for all new generations. |
| Approved | Reviewed and ready to send or publish. |
| Sent | Delivered to its intended audience (emailed, posted, submitted). |
| Archived | No longer active — kept for reference but no longer in use. |
To change a status, expand a history item and use the dropdown selector. The badge updates instantly and the change is saved automatically.
Regenerate from History
Every history item has a "🔄 Regenerate with same fields" button. Clicking it pre-fills the original template form with the exact same inputs used to generate that piece of content. From there you can make adjustments and generate a fresh version — ideal for updating a seasonal appeal or refreshing a newsletter from a prior month.
History persists between sessions in your browser's local storage. If you clear your browser data or switch computers, history won't carry over. Pro users: export important generations to Word files and save them to your shared drive.
7. Settings
Access Settings from the left sidebar to update your profile, organization information, and manage your Snippets library.
Profile
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Appears in the dashboard greeting |
| Email Address | Used for account identification |
| Password | Change your login password at any time |
| Role | Updates the Suggested for You templates on the dashboard |
Organization
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Organization Name | Shown in the sidebar and used as context in templates |
| Sector | Your nonprofit's primary focus area |
| City / State | Location context for locally-focused content |
| Organization Size | Helps the AI calibrate scale |
| Website | Can be referenced in generated content |
| Mission Statement | The single most important field — paste your actual mission statement here for consistent, accurate AI output across every template |
📎 Snippets Library
Snippets are reusable text blocks you save once and insert into any template field with a single click. They're perfect for boilerplate language you use repeatedly — your mission statement, a program description, a standard impact statement, or your call-to-action sign-off.
Creating a Snippet
Click ⚙ Settings in the sidebar and scroll to the Snippets section.
An add form appears with a Label field and a Text area.
The label is what you'll see in the insert menu (e.g., "Mission Statement," "Program Description"). The text is what gets inserted.
Your snippet is saved and immediately available in all template fields.
Using a Snippet in a Template
On any template's generate page, most text fields show a "📎 Insert snippet" button below them. Click it to open a dropdown of your saved snippets — click any snippet to insert its text into that field. You can still edit the text after inserting it.
Save text you type over and over: your mission statement, your primary program's description, your standard donor thank-you language, your organization's boilerplate for grant applications, or your ED's email sign-off. Snippets work in any text field across all 75 templates.
8. Analytics
The Analytics page (📊 in the sidebar) gives you a visual overview of how your team is using the app — which templates get used most, how activity trends over time, and how your content moves through your workflow.
What You'll See
| Chart / Card | What it Shows |
|---|---|
| Total Generations | All-time count of AI outputs created |
| This Month | Generations created in the last 30 days |
| This Week | Generations created in the last 7 days |
| Favorited Templates | Number of templates you've starred |
| Weekly Activity Chart | Bar chart showing generation volume for each of the last 8 weeks — useful for spotting busy periods and usage trends |
| Status Breakdown | Distribution of your history items by status (Draft / Approved / Sent / Archived) |
| Top Templates | Your five most-used templates, ranked by generation count |
| By Department | Breakdown of generations by department (Fundraising, Governance, etc.) |
| By Cadence | Breakdown by template frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annual) |
All charts are built from your generation history — the more you use the app, the more useful the analytics become. If you're just getting started, generate a few pieces of content and come back to see your data populate.
9. Free vs. Pro
How to Upgrade
Click Upgrade to Pro in the dashboard banner, click any Pro-locked template, or go to Settings. Contact Build Your Club to complete your upgrade.
10. Tips & Best Practices
Building Good Prompts
- Fill in every field, even optional ones — each detail improves the output.
- Use numbers. "Served 412 students in 14 schools" beats "served many students."
- Name the audience explicitly. "Major donors who gave $1,000+ last year" yields better appeals than "donors."
- Paste in language you love. If you have a powerful sentence from a previous letter, include it in the relevant field — or save it as a Snippet.
Making the Most of New Features
- Snippets first. Before you start generating, go to Settings and save your mission statement, primary program description, and standard donor language as snippets. You'll save time on every template going forward.
- Use bundles for big seasons. Launch the Year-End Campaign Pack in October, the Board Meeting Pack the week before each quarterly meeting, and the Grant Writing Pack at the start of each grant cycle.
- Track status in History. As you move content through review → approval → sending, update the status badge so you always know what's been sent and what's still in draft.
- Check Analytics monthly. The Status Breakdown chart is a useful signal — if you have many "Draft" items but few "Sent" ones, content may be getting stuck in review.
- Print to PDF for board packets. Generate each board document, then use Print / PDF to save each as a PDF file. Combine them in your PDF viewer for a complete board packet.
Workflow by Cadence
| Cadence | Recommended Approach |
|---|---|
| Daily / Weekly | Social posts, volunteer reminders, and thank-you notes — generate the day you need them. Use the Donor Thank-You Pack for end-of-week stewardship batches. |
| Monthly | Launch the Monthly Comms Pack at the start of each month to batch your newsletter, social calendar, program report, and donor update in one session. |
| Quarterly | Run the Board Meeting Pack about one week before each quarter closes. All five board documents are ready before you even schedule the meeting. |
| Annual | Start year-end templates in October — use the Year-End Campaign Pack to cover your entire fundraising push, from appeal letter to donor thank-you sequences. |
Team Use (Pro)
- Divide templates by role: development staff handle fundraising; program staff handle program reports; the ED handles governance and strategy.
- Use Export to Word to share drafts with colleagues via email or shared drive before finalizing.
- Use status tags (Draft → Approved → Sent) as a lightweight approval workflow across your team.
The single highest-leverage action: paste your full mission statement into Settings and save it as a Snippet. It's woven into every generation, ensuring a consistent voice across all content. Insert it via Snippet whenever it appears as an optional field. Update both places any time your mission language evolves.
11. Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 75 templates showing | Some templates are Pro-only. Free plan shows the free-tier subset. If on Pro and still seeing fewer, try signing out and back in. |
| Generate button does nothing | Make sure all required fields (*) are filled in and you haven't used your weekly free generation. |
| Draft not restoring | Drafts are stored in browser local storage. If you cleared browser data or are using a different browser or computer, the draft won't be available. |
| Snippet not appearing in a field | The "📎 Insert snippet" button only appears on text-type fields, not dropdowns or selects. If you have no snippets saved yet, the button doesn't appear. |
| Bundle progress bar missing | You must launch the bundle via the "🚀 Launch Bundle" button in the bundle modal. Navigating directly to a template from the library won't activate bundle mode. |
| Print layout looks wrong | Make sure content has been generated first — the Print button only works when output is present. Try Chrome or Edge for the best print-to-PDF results. |
| Analytics shows no data | Analytics is built from your generation history. Generate some content first, then return to the Analytics page to see data. |
| History is empty after reopening | History lives in browser local storage. If you cleared browser data or switched computers, it won't appear. |
| App looks unstyled or broken | Open in a modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari). Internet Explorer is not supported. |
| Can't export to Word | Word export is a Pro feature. Upgrade to unlock it. |
| Forgot password | There's no password recovery in the local app. Create a new account, or ask your administrator to reset local storage. |
| My Team not in the sidebar | The 👥 My Team tab only appears for Executive Directors. Make sure your role is set to Executive Director in Settings → Profile → Role. If you just changed your role, sign out and back in for the sidebar to refresh. |
| Team code not generated | Team codes are created during onboarding when you select the Executive Director role. If you didn't select ED during onboarding, update your role in Settings → Profile and save — a team will be created automatically. Then click My Team in the sidebar to see your code. |
| Team code rejected at registration | The code must match exactly (e.g., BYC-K7M2). Check that there are no extra spaces and that the ED's account already exists in the app. Codes are only valid after the ED has completed onboarding. |
| New member not appearing in My Team roster | The member must have registered using the team code. If they created their account without it, they cannot be added retroactively — ask them to create a new account and enter the code during registration. |
| Admin tab not visible | The 🔐 Admin tab only appears when signed in with the administrator account. Regular and ED accounts do not see it regardless of plan or settings. |
Getting Help
- Contact Build Your Club at buildyourclub.org for support.
- For template suggestions or feature requests, reach out via the support email on the website.
12. Team Enrollment
The Team Enrollment feature lets Executive Directors bring their entire staff onto the same BYC account cluster. Once a team is set up, the ED can see who's on the team, track their activity, and view department-level usage — all from the 👥 My Team page.
Team Enrollment and the My Team dashboard are included with Pro. Free plan users can join a team with a code but won't unlock Pro template access unless upgraded individually.
Your Team Code
Every Executive Director automatically receives a unique team code when they complete onboarding and select the Executive Director role. The code is in the format BYC-XXXX (e.g., BYC-K7M2) and is generated from your email address, so it's always the same — you don't need to write it down.
To find your team code at any time:
The My Team page appears. Your team code is displayed prominently in a card at the top of the page.
The code is copied to your clipboard. Share it with any staff member who needs access — via email, Slack, or any messaging tool.
The team code is derived from your email address, so it's always the same. You can share it as many times as you need. There's no expiration date.
Joining a Team (Staff Members)
When a staff member creates a new account, they enter the team code during registration to be linked to your organization.
Ask your Executive Director for your organization's BYC team code (format: BYC-XXXX).
On the welcome screen, choose the Create Account tab.
The field appears between the password field and the Create Account button. Enter the code exactly as provided (e.g., BYC-K7M2). If the code doesn't match any existing team, an error message will appear — double-check the code with your ED.
Finish filling in your name, role, and org details. Click Create Account. You'll be linked to the team immediately and your name will appear in the ED's My Team roster.
The Team Code field is only available during account creation. If you already have an account and need to join a team, ask your administrator to assist — there is no self-service team-join option after registration.
👥 My Team Page (Executive Directors)
The My Team page is visible only to accounts with the Executive Director role. It gives a real-time view of your entire team's enrollment and activity.
| Section | What it Shows |
|---|---|
| Team Code Card | Your unique BYC-XXXX code with a one-click copy button. Share this with staff to invite them to the team. |
| Summary Stats | Total team members, combined generations this month, total all-time generations across the team, and number of departments represented. |
| Member Roster | A table listing every enrolled member with their name, role, department, number of generations this month, and total generations all-time. |
| Department Breakdown | Visual badges showing how many team members are in each department (Fundraising, Programs, Communications, etc.). |
If a staff member hasn't appeared in the roster yet, they likely haven't created their account or forgot to enter the team code. Share the code again and have them register. The roster updates in real time as new members join.
13. Admin Panel
The Admin Panel is a system-level overview available exclusively to the Build Your Club administrator account. It provides a complete view of every registered user across all organizations — their profile, usage statistics, team membership, and generation history.
The Admin Panel tab (🔐 Admin) is visible in the sidebar only when signed in with the administrator account. Regular users and Executive Directors do not see this tab.
Accessing the Admin Panel
The sign-in screen has an Administrator Access link below the Sign In button. Use it to sign in with just a password — no email needed. The password is stored only on the current browser.
A small panel opens below the Sign In button.
You'll see a "First-time setup" prompt. Enter a password (6+ characters) and confirm it. Click Create Admin Password. Subsequent sign-ins use just that single password.
The Admin Panel loads immediately with a full summary of all registered users.
The admin password is per-browser. On a new machine you'll go through first-time setup again. Click ← Back to regular sign-in at the bottom of the admin panel to return to the normal email/password form.
Summary Stats Strip
At the top of the Admin Panel, six summary cards give an instant snapshot of platform activity:
| Card | What it Shows |
|---|---|
| Total Users | All registered accounts across every organization |
| Pro Accounts | Number of users on the Pro plan |
| Total Generations | Combined all-time AI generation count across all users |
| Active This Month | Users who generated content in the last 30 days |
| Team Leaders | Number of Executive Director accounts with an active team |
| Team Members | Number of staff accounts enrolled in a team |
User Cards & Search
Below the summary strip, every registered user is listed as a card, sorted by most recent activity. Each card shows the user's name, email, role, organization, last active date, and their generation counts (this month and all-time). Status badges indicate plan type (Pro), role (ED), and team affiliation (Team).
Searching Users
A search bar at the top of the user list lets you filter by name, email, organization, or role in real time. Type any keyword and the list narrows instantly — useful for finding a specific user or seeing all members of a particular organization.
Expanded User Detail
Click any user card to expand it and see a full profile detail view:
| Section | What it Shows |
|---|---|
| Profile Grid | Full name, email, organization, sector, city/state, org size, website, mission statement, and account creation date |
| Plan & Team | Free vs. Pro status; team role (leader / member) and team code if enrolled |
| Recent Generations | The user's 5 most recent AI generations, showing template name, date, and status badge (Draft / Approved / Sent / Archived) |
The Admin Panel is a monitoring tool — you can view all user data but cannot edit accounts, reset passworrds, or modify other users' content directly. To make changes, the user must sign in to their own account.