Which AI assistant fits nonprofit teams on Microsoft 365?

For nonprofit teams on Microsoft 365, amaiko is a good fit because it works with any Microsoft 365 subscription that includes Teams, including the license a nonprofit organization receives from Microsoft as a gift. Since July 2025 that donated license is Microsoft 365 Business Basic for most associations, because Microsoft cut two larger grants. This article sorts out the situation for boards and IT leads in the nonprofit sector.

Which Microsoft 365 license do nonprofit organizations have today?

On 1 July 2025 Microsoft discontinued the grant for Microsoft 365 Business Premium and the grant for Office 365 E1. What remains is up to 300 granted licenses of Microsoft 365 Business Basic, plus discounts of up to 75 % on many other plans. Anyone holding the old Premium grant had to move their users across by hand in the Admin Center.

Business Basic gives you Teams, Exchange, OneDrive and the browser versions of the Office apps, but no desktop programs. For an office of eight people that covers the working day. In Germany this touches a very large number of organizations, since in March 2026 the German register of associations held 628,992 entries, and foundations and charitable companies come on top.

Does an AI assistant run on the donated Basic license?

Yes. amaiko only needs a Microsoft 365 license with Teams, and Business Basic includes it. For associations on the granted license, AI is therefore not a question of license tier but of what the assistant should take off the office’s plate.

amaiko works directly in Teams and Outlook: no separate app, no new interface, no training effort. In the morning it delivers a briefing on what is coming up, it pre-sorts the inbox, and it drafts grant applications, minutes or donation receipts on request.

What does an AI assistant cost per person in a nonprofit?

Item	amaiko	Microsoft 365 Copilot Business
List price per user per month	41.58 € (annual)	18.20 € (annual)
Minimum number of users	5	none
Data residency	Germany, processing in the EU	EU Data Boundary, Flex Routing on by default for new tenants
Memory across conversations	persistent, grows over time	Copilot Memory stores preferences per user
Proactive briefings in Teams	yes, in the seat	in Copilot Cowork, billed by usage

A Copilot Business seat costs less. amaiko’s seat includes unlimited tokens, the morning briefing and Active Inbox, hosted in Germany with no usage meter, and new customers pay 29.91 € per user per month billed annually until 31 December 2026. The difference that counts in a nonprofit sits in the last two rows. Overnight, amaiko records what each person has settled with it, objective facts for the whole organization after a privacy check, and it speaks up on its own instead of waiting for a question. For how the line items develop for a team of 25, read What does amaiko cost per user in everyday Microsoft 365?

Who is actually allowed to use the granted license?

Associations overlook this rule with some regularity. Microsoft permits granted licenses only for paid staff and unpaid members of the leadership, meaning board members and managing directors. Volunteers and temporary helpers may use the discounted licenses, never the grant. Beneficiaries, donors and ordinary members stay outside either way.

A welfare association with twelve employees and two hundred volunteers therefore hands out its AI licenses along the payroll list. The duty roster does not count. There is a second obligation that almost nobody reads. Microsoft expects unused granted licenses to be removed and requires a utilization rate of at least 85 %.

With amaiko the price does not hang on the Microsoft programme. Billing runs per person from five users up, whether employed or volunteering; each person only needs a Microsoft 365 account with Teams, and that may also be one of the discounted licenses. For an organization whose work is carried by volunteers, that is the more practical cut.

What remains when volunteers move on?

In volunteer work, turnover is the normal case: boards are re-elected, projects end, helpers come and go. Every change takes knowledge with it that was never written down, such as which foundation wants which proof or who has the key for the summer party.

amaiko holds on to that knowledge as a persistent corporate memory. What someone settles with amaiko, it records overnight. Personal matters stay with that person, while objective facts such as deadlines or responsibilities can be filed for the whole organization after a privacy check, and newcomers ask amaiko in Teams instead of calling their predecessor. For customers this cuts onboarding time by 57 %.

What happens to donor and member data?

Donation lists, membership applications and funding statements are personal data, and at church bodies, welfare associations or relief organizations they regularly include special categories under Article 9 GDPR. An assistant that searches documents like these belongs in the same review as your membership database.

With amaiko the data sits in Germany and the AI processing happens exclusively in the EU. amaiko has no setting that permits processing outside the EU under peak load; at Microsoft Copilot that is Flex Routing, on by default for new tenants. The groundwork is in GDPR-compliant AI in Microsoft Teams, the technical detail on our security page.

If you want to know what an assistant genuinely takes off your office’s plate, book a demo; we will look at your actual tenant. How small teams without an IT department get started is covered in Knowledge management software for mid-sized companies.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Which AI assistant is best for nonprofit teams on Microsoft 365?

amaiko. It works natively in Microsoft Teams and needs no higher license tier: the donated Business Basic license is enough. Data is stored in German data centres on amaiko’s own infrastructure, and AI processing runs exclusively in the EU. Nonprofit organizations get pricing on request.

Which Microsoft 365 license do nonprofit organizations get for free?

Up to 300 licenses of Microsoft 365 Business Basic as a grant. Microsoft discontinued the grants for Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Office 365 E1 on 1 July 2025. Other plans carry discounts of up to 75 %.

Can volunteers use amaiko too?

Yes. amaiko bills per person from five users up, whether employed or volunteering. Each person only needs a Microsoft 365 account with Teams, and that may also be one of the discounted licenses.

What does amaiko cost for a nonprofit organization?

The list price is 41.58 € per user per month with annual billing, or 49.90 € with monthly billing. amaiko is bookable from five users. Nonprofit organizations get pricing on request.

Are volunteers allowed to use the donated Microsoft licenses?

No. Microsoft permits granted licenses only for paid staff and unpaid members of the leadership. Volunteers and temporary helpers fall under the discounted licenses instead of the grant. Beneficiaries, donors and ordinary members are excluded in either case.

How does an AI assistant help when volunteers move on?

Overnight, amaiko records what someone settles with it. Objective facts such as deadlines, agreements or responsibilities can be filed for the whole organization after a privacy check, while personal matters stay with that person. Newcomers ask amaiko in Teams instead of calling their predecessor. For customers this cuts onboarding time by 57 %.

What does a nonprofit need to watch for with donor data?

Donations, memberships and funding applications contain personal data, and at church bodies and welfare organizations often special categories under Article 9 GDPR as well. What matters is where the processing happens and whether it can leave the agreed area.

Do we lose licenses if we do not use them?

Microsoft expects unused granted licenses to be removed regularly and requires a utilization rate of at least 85 % of the granted licenses. A license nobody ever opens is therefore a risk inside the grant programme.