Custom Podcasts for Your Donors? Yes, NotebookLM Can! How You Can Leverage This Free AI Tool for Your Nonprofit

Introduction

When I was managing at Shopify, there was a running joke that I couldn't read (quick about me here)

Because I was skimming so fast I would miss important words. I swear I was way more careful about high stakes communication but for quick chats... there would be some bungles.

^^me not knowing how to read

I generally struggle to read, which is a problem if (like me) you're back in college with readings every week. Or maybe in your case, you're strapped for time, you're in the car a lot, or you have an extensive list of research papers and annual industry reports to get through.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to generate a podcast for the content you need to read? Well that is what I did for my first blog about AI assisted rebranding:

🔊 Fixing a Branding Crisis with AI + Takeaways for Nonprofits

You are an expert podcast writer creating an 8-minute episode in the style of Maya Shankar’s "A Slight Change of Plans."

Use only the content from the provided blog post. Do not reference outside sources or add unrelated commentary.

Your goal is to create a full podcast script that combines a short personal rebranding journey with key, actionable insights for nonprofits about using AI to bridge skill gaps.

### STRUCTURE (for ~8 minutes total):

#### Opening (1–1.5 min)
- Use Maya Shankar’s tone: warm, reflective, personal.
- Introduce the pivot from “Saymore AI” to “Bits as Bridges.”
- Touch on what it felt like to face a skill gap (branding) and how AI played a role in navigating it.

#### Core Segment – 4 Key Takeaways for Nonprofits (5–6 min)
Present the 4 insights from the blog as the core of the episode:
1. Use system prompts to close knowledge gaps  
2. Define what “good” looks like  
3. Switch between models when stuck  
4. Validate with real people  

For each point:
- Use a mini-story or reflective example from the blog.
- Frame each tip as something the host learned the hard way, sharing with empathy and humility.

#### Closing (1–1.5 min)
- Wrap with a soft, curious call-to-action inviting nonprofit leaders to think about their own skill gaps and how AI could support them.
- Keep it warm and human — not promotional — similar to Maya’s gentle invitations to reflect.
- End on the phrase: “This is Bits as Bridges.”

### STYLE GUIDELINES
- Voice: Maya Shankar–inspired — introspective, intelligent, empathetic  
- Tone: Conversational, curious, lightly humorous  
- Language: Accessible to nonprofit professionals, no jargon  
- Content: Only from the blog; do not generate or invent new content

How did I do this? This is through NotebookLM, a free product included in your gmail account.

Meet NotebookLM

NotebookLM is a Google product that allows you to create a searchable library for anything you want with linked citations.

In a "Notebook" you upload PDFs, website links, videos, Google docs, etc. You can chat with your library and ask it to find things you're looking for, and it returns results with links to your source material (which is really handy for fact checking).

Even better, you have the option to customize and turn this library into something that best suits your needs with the option to pin notes, create reports, and more.

‼️ Beware, you should not be uploading sensitive data: Like any AI product, generally you shouldn't upload information like names, emails, phone numbers, trade secrets, etc. to NotebookLM.  You don't know every line of Google's privacy policy and how they're using what you upload.  

Make a custom podcast

Here's the process for how I turned my blog into a podcast. 

Retrieve the content you need to turn into a podcast - this could be a chapter, website, research paper, etc.

Get a prompt using your content - go to Prompt Engineer GPT or a model of your choice, paste in the content, give it constraints (for example I typically ask it to only include content from the sources), and ask for a podcast prompt in a style you like. 

Iterate on the prompt so it meets your criteria - the blog I linked has my process for prompt iterations.

Create a Notebook and add your content:

Click the pencil icon for "Audio Overview":

Drop in your prompt, choose the style of podcast, and click "Generate" - this will take about five to ten minutes depending on the length of the content.

Finally, listen to your podcast 😎 - see if it matches what you were looking for, if it's not, iterate on your prompt and try again.

‼️ AI makes mistakes, for college course readings I typically skim the written source like I’m "fact checking" the podcast. 

How would you leverage this for a nonprofit?

Get your required reading through audio podcasts - reports, research papers all on the go because like an upstanding citizen you don't read and drive.

Generate short, verbal updates in different languages using the podcast feature for donors - of course you'll need a human to spot check but maybe your donors would like audio updates too.

Create onboarding material with audio guide - create a Notebook  and give access to new volunteers or staff so they can Q&A basic options. You can pin FAQs, create flashcards for anything that requires memorizing etc. Operationalizing gets workers onboarded faster and saves you time.

A policy guide with regulations to assist field work staff - upload necessary laws and codes for a field work person to Q&A, the citations are key because it gives them the ability to manually check its work + saves time searching and ensures AI isn't hallucinating.                     

Pull together statistics for grant writing narratives - upload anonymized data for your mission, query it, and build out your story for your next grant proposal

.... and many more I could be missing !

Let's Talk About Where AI Could Help

I'm interviewing nonprofit leaders about where AI might reduce operational drag in their organizations and help them reach new communities.

This isn't a pitch, just an exploratory conversation. 

If you have skill gaps (expertise you need but can't afford to hire) and you're willing to discuss your specific challenges for 30 minutes, I'd love to chat.