AI chatbot for nonprofits.
A small nonprofit team answers the same messages again and again: is my gift tax-deductible, where's my receipt, can our office volunteer as a group, and do I need ID for the food pantry. A chatbot trained on your website answers donors, volunteers and the people you serve at any hour, so staff time goes to programs instead of the inbox.
14 days free, then a free plan or from $8 a month. No card required.
Visitor: Do I need to bring ID to get groceries?
Chatbot: No ID is needed. The pantry is open to anyone living in Lake or Porter County, Tuesdays 4 to 7 pm and Saturdays 9 am to noon. On your first visit we'll only ask for your name and how many people are in your household.
Get food page
Visitor: Is a donation tax-deductible? I'd like to give $250.
Chatbot: Riverbend is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and every online gift gets an emailed receipt. Whether you can deduct it depends on your own tax situation, so please check with a tax advisor. You can give on our Donate page, or mail a check to the address listed there.
Donate page
Visitor: I gave in March but never got a receipt.
Chatbot: I'm sorry about that. I can't look up gifts here, so I'll pass this to our development team. Leave your name, email, and the approximate date and amount, and they'll resend your receipt, usually within two business days.
Human handoff
Powered by ChatBento
12 questions customers ask nonprofits
The questions nonprofits hear most. Copy them as a Q&A template, add your answers, and the chatbot answers them in your words.
- 1Can I set up a monthly gift, and how do I change the amount or card later?
- 2I never got my donation receipt. Can you resend it for my taxes?
- 3Is my donation tax-deductible? What's your EIN?
- 4Does my employer's matching gift program work with you?
- 5Do you accept gifts of stock or grants from a donor-advised fund?
- 6Can our company team volunteer together on a Saturday?
- 7What's the minimum age to volunteer, and is there a background check?
- 8Who is eligible for the food pantry, and do I need to bring ID?
- 9Can I drop off clothes and household items? What don't you accept?
- 10How much of my donation goes to programs?
- 11Is the gala sold out? Can my company sponsor a table?
- 12Can I give in memory of someone and have their family notified?
Set it up in four steps
- 1
Point it at your website
Enter your site's address and ChatBento reads your pages. For nonprofits, make sure these are on the site or added as docs:
- Donate page: ways to give, monthly giving, stock and donor-advised fund gifts, mailing address for checks
- About page with your registered status, plus your annual report or where funds go
- Program pages: who is eligible, hours, locations and what to bring
- Volunteer page: roles, age limits, background checks and group sign-ups
- Event pages: dates, tickets and sponsorship levels
- Q&As for receipts, matching gifts and which in-kind donations you accept
- 2
Answer the 12 questions
Copy the questions above, paste them into ChatBento as Q&As and write your answers. These are what visitors ask first, so a clear answer here covers most chats.
- 3
Set the greeting and handoff
Add the email that receives handoffs and a greeting that sets expectations, for example: “Hi! I can help with giving, volunteering, our programs and upcoming events.”
- 4
Paste one line on your WordPress site
Many nonprofits run on WordPress, often with a donation plugin, and the chatbot goes in as one script tag alongside it. The install guide shows where the snippet goes.
Install on WordPress
What it answers, and what it hands to you
Hand these to a person
The chatbot collects the visitor's name and email or phone, then sends you the whole conversation.
- Missing receipts, changes to recurring gifts and refunds of a specific donation
- Major gifts, bequests and corporate sponsorships
- Anyone in crisis or danger: the chatbot gives emergency and crisis line numbers and passes the conversation to staff
- Clients' questions about their own case, services or eligibility
- Media inquiries and partnership proposals
Your registered status, never tax advice
The chatbot can state your registered status, such as a 501(c)(3) public charity in the US or a registered charity elsewhere, exactly as your About or Donate page says it, and explain how receipts are sent. Whether a gift is deductible, and by how much, depends on the donor's own situation and country, so it points donors to a tax advisor instead of saying "yes, it's deductible". Card details belong in your donation form, never in chat, and people you serve should be asked not to type personal circumstances into the chat.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. ChatBento answers only from the content you give it, and says so when it doesn't know.
Which plan fits nonprofits
Typical volume: 100 to 600 AI replies a month. A local nonprofit with 2,000 to 8,000 site visits a month, higher around campaigns and year-end giving, where 2 to 3% of visitors open the chat and ask two or three questions each.
Start on the Free plan (50 messages a month) to try it, then move up when the chat gets busy.
Nonprofits questions. Answered.
Can the chatbot take donations?
No. It doesn't process payments or connect to your donation platform. It answers questions about giving and links to your donation form, which is where card details belong.
Can it look up a donor's giving history?
No, it can't see your donor database. For receipts or changes to a recurring gift, it collects the donor's name, email and gift details and passes them to staff.
Is it suitable for people looking for help, not just donors?
Yes, for practical questions like hours, eligibility and what to bring, answered from your program pages. Set it to give emergency numbers and hand off anyone in crisis, and to avoid collecting personal circumstances in chat.
Can volunteers sign up through it?
It explains roles, requirements and dates, then links to your volunteer sign-up form or collects a name and email for your coordinator. It doesn't write into volunteer management software.
How much does an AI chatbot for nonprofits cost?
ChatBento has a Free plan with 50 AI messages a month, then Hobby at $8/month (2,000 messages), Standard at $30/month (10,000 messages), Pro at $100/month (40,000 messages). At typical volume for nonprofits, 100 to 600 AI replies a month, Hobby at $8/month covers it. Every account starts with a 14-day free trial, no card required.
Related industries
- AI chatbot for churches“What time are services this Sunday, and how long do they last?”
- AI chatbot for schools“When is the application deadline for next fall, and do you take applications after it?”
- AI chatbot for daycares and childcare centers“Do you have any infant openings, and how long is the waitlist?”
Use cases for nonprofits
- FAQ automationTurn a static FAQ page into answers visitors can ask for. An AI chatbot uses your FAQ and Q&As to give exact answers to common questions, worded however visitors ask them.
- Lead captureTurn website questions into leads. An AI chatbot answers from your content, then collects a name, email and note when a visitor wants follow-up, and emails you the lead with the full conversation.
Terms to know
Answer visitors while you're closed. Free to start, then from $8 a month.
14-day free trial. No card required.