Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, but it can be hard to know where it actually fits for a community venue. We've done the research and found a few ways AI can help further the mission of community centres, saving staff time and freeing them from repetitive admin, without letting go of human creativity.
Some people worry they don't have the technical skills to use AI, or that it's too expensive. Others worry it will take their jobs, that it isn't secure with data, or that it will replace human creativity. These are reasonable concerns, and worth holding onto even as you experiment with the tools below.
AI has actually been around a long time, and plenty of the apps and sites community venues already use day to day are built on it.
AI is best used as a co-pilot, not a replacement. It can help you:
AI is still developing, which means you need to stay in the driver's seat. When using it:
ChatGPT answers questions through text, like a faster, more personalised version of a Google search.
Ask it for ideas on:
1. Fundraising activities and events
2. Social media posts
3. Programming
4. Grammar and spelling. Grammarly is a free tool that helps with spelling and grammar in apps like Microsoft Word and Google Docs, useful if English isn't your first language or writing isn't your strong suit.
5. Summarising longer text. ChatPDF lets you upload a document, like an annual report, and ask it to summarise the content or find specific information.
6. Writing a social media summary for a link. Inksprout turns a blog post or article into a social-media-friendly summary, and can even generate a short video version for platforms like Instagram.
7. Improving promotional text. ChatGPT can shorten, tighten, or change the tone of text you've already written, generate email subject lines, or translate promotional copy into another language.
8. Emails. If you have Grammarly installed, ask it to draft an email using the details you give it, then edit from there.
9. Formal letters. ChatGPT can draft a polite letter, particularly useful for tricky correspondence, and you can ask it to revise the tone or length.
10. Email newsletters. Copy your recent social media posts into ChatGPT and ask it to turn them into an email newsletter summary.
11. Google's "Help me write" tool can help format documents like annual reports or terms and conditions, giving you headings and prompts to build from.
12. Google Sheets' "Help me organise" tool can help build budgets, plans, and staff rosters the same prompt-based way.
13. Canva's Magic Design tool can generate a starting point for presentations, ready to edit.
14. Otter.ai can transcribe meetings for free, with the option to add notes, comments, or images in real time.
15. ChatGPT can generate a meeting minutes template to work from before the meeting even starts.
15. Google Photos uses AI to search your photo library by keyword, so searching "toys" will surface every photo containing toys, and can also find tagged people.
16. Bing's AI Image Creator can generate an image for a social post or brochure from a text prompt.
17. Supermeme.ai generates memes from text, useful for engaging your community on social media.
18. Use ChatGPT or the tools above to improve your space descriptions and your rules or terms and conditions.
19. SpacetoCo's AI booking assistant, Luna, can help draft replies to messages and space reviews.
20. Pair SpacetoCo's reports feature with ChatGPT, for example, send yourself a report of upcoming events at your venue, then ask ChatGPT to turn that data into an engaging "what's on" post or email.
These AI hacks can shave off boring admin time and free your staff up for the more meaningful work that's too often bottom of the to-do list. If you're looking to save even more time, SpacetoCo's online booking platform for community venues might help too.
How to use AI to save time at community centre
What is the easiest way for a community centre to start using AI?
Free tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly are a good starting point, useful for generating ideas, drafting emails, and improving the grammar and tone of existing text.
Can AI help write meeting minutes for a community venue?
Yes. Otter.ai can transcribe meetings for free, and ChatGPT can generate a meeting minutes template to use as a starting point before a meeting begins.
Is it safe to use AI tools with community venue data?
Use AI tools as a co-pilot rather than a source of truth: check the information they give you, be aware of possible bias, and avoid sharing private or sensitive information, since it could be used elsewhere.
Does SpacetoCo have its own AI tool?
Yes. SpacetoCo's AI booking assistant, Luna, can help draft replies to guest messages and space reviews. Read more about Luna here!
Can AI help a community centre manage its bookings admin?
AI tools like ChatGPT can help with the communication side of admin, such as drafting emails and newsletters. For managing the bookings themselves, dedicated software like SpacetoCo handles that more directly.