Using Claude at a Nonprofit
One hour. Four habits.
Today: four habits
- Ask well
- Check before using
- Protect clients
- Know when not to use it
Quick quiz
No names. Not graded. 3 minutes.
We'll take it again at the end.
What Claude is
- It writes by predicting likely words
- That's why it sounds fluent
- And why it can sound sure when it's wrong
What Claude doesn't know
- This month's rules (it learned from text up to a date)
- Your organization
- Your clients, and it shouldn't
What it's good at
- First drafts
- Rewording, plainer language
- Summaries of long documents
- Ideas
Not a source of facts.
Exercise 1: Ask well
Handout 1 · pairs · 12 minutes
Round 1: a short request. Round 2: a better one. Then compare.
A good request says
- Who it's for
- How long
- What facts to use: "only the numbers in this report"
Then you still check every number.
Exercise 2: Check before using
Handout 2 · pairs · 12 minutes
What's the SNAP income limit for a family of four?
Checking means
- Find the official source
- Check what dates it's for
- When good sources disagree: don't guess. Apply anyway, and call the agency or 211
Exercise 3: Protect clients
Handout 3 · pairs · 10 minutes
Don't paste the emails into Claude.
Ask without private details
- Describe the problem, not the person
- Use "Client A" if you need a name
- Read it again before you press Enter
- Add real details later, in your own systems
Exercise 4: When not to use it
Handout 4 · groups of 3 or 4 · 9 minutes
Good use · Use with a check · Don't use
Where the line is
- Drafts and ideas: yes, and you check them
- Decisions about a person: people
- Safety, health, the law: trained people
- Someone in crisis: a person, right away (in the US, 988)
Before you go
- Quiz again (3 minutes)
- Take the one-page takeaway
- Feedback form, no names
Thank you.