Apply for Free AI Automation Support
Buried in repetitive tasks? Feel like AI could help with your work, but not sure how? We might be able to help!
We build AI-powered automations for animal advocacy nonprofits, at no cost to you, so you can get back to what matters.
Our AI Agent Service is in high demand. We review every request and prioritize builds based on impact, feasibility, and our current capacity. If we can't take on your project right away, we'll do our best to point you in the right direction.
Need urgent automation advice outside of this process? Contact us and we'll help however we can.
The application window for Q2 2026 work closed on March 9th.
Applications will open again from May 15–Jun 7 for work to be completed in Q3 (Jul–Sept). Mark your calendar to check back in, or sign up for our newsletter to be notified when applications open!
Have questions? Feel free to contact us!
How It Works
1. Submit your request.
Fill out our intake form with details about what you're looking to automate and what tools you're currently using.
2. We do a quick fit check.
We review your submission for feasibility, check if we've built something similar, and identify the best next step – whether that's a kickoff call or an exploratory session.
3. We hop on a call.
If you have a clear idea, we'll dive right into scoping. If you're not sure what's possible, we'll walk through your workflows together and find where automation can help most.
4. We document everything.
We create a shared spec doc outlining exactly what the agent will do, how it'll work, and what you'll need to provide. You'll then review it with your team.
5. We build your agent.
Using n8n or Make (powerful automation platforms), we build and test your agent, keeping you in the loop with regular check-ins and progress updates.
6. We demo, train, and hand off.
Before launch, we walk you through the finished agent on a call, show you how to make safe edits, and make sure your team feels confident maintaining it.
7. We monitor and support.
After launch, we stick around for a defined support window to troubleshoot, answer questions, and make adjustments. After that, you're set up to use your agent with confidence, but we're always just an email away.
What We Build
We build AI agents and automations that save your organization time and money. Common builds include:
Email sorting and auto-responders – Sort, tag, and draft replies to incoming messages.
Submission and application analyzers – Score, flag, and summarize large batches of form responses.
Web research summaries – Automatically pull and summarize relevant info on topics relevant to your work.
Content drafting and summarization – Generate drafts of newsletters, social posts, or reports.
Monitoring and alerts – Get notified when something important happens across your tools or online.
Don't see your use case? That's fine – apply anyway! We can figure out what's possible together.
FAQ
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If you meet these requirements, you're eligible to apply:
You're a nonprofit or not-for-profit organization. (If your official status isn't finalized yet, that's OK.)
Animals are at the core of your mission.
You're willing to set up and own your own accounts (n8n, AI API) or work with us to figure out the best setup.
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Yes, our service is 100% free. Vegan Hacktivists is a nonprofit, and we exist to serve the animal protection movement. We don't charge for our time or expertise.
That said, the tools your agent runs on (like n8n hosting and AI API usage) do have costs. These are typically modest (often under $50/month) and your organization is responsible for those. We'll help you set everything up and can advise on cost caps to keep things predictable.
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No problem! Many of the organizations we work with start by saying "I don't even know what's possible." That's exactly what our exploratory calls are for. We'll walk through your day-to-day workflows, find the bottlenecks, and identify the highest-impact place to start. You don't need a technical background, just a willingness to talk through how your work typically gets done.
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We primarily build agents on n8n, an open-source automation platform. n8n connects to hundreds of tools, including Gmail, Google Drive, Sheets, Slack, Airtable, CRMs, and more, and gives your organization full ownership and control over your workflows.
For the AI layer, we use models from providers like Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini), OpenAI (ChatGPT) or OpenRouter, depending on what's best for your use case.
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You do! We build in your n8n account, connect your tools, and hand everything off. The agent is yours to run, edit, and expand. We're firm believers in empowering organizations to be self-sufficient. The first agent we build together should teach you enough to start building your own, or at least maintain what we built.
In individual cases where complexity and cost warrant it, we may be able to run your agent on our accounts instead.
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Each project includes a defined support window (typically 8 weeks from launch) where we'll help with troubleshooting, questions, and minor adjustments. We also provide a self-serve runbook and intro resources so your team can handle common issues independently.
After the support window, you can always reach back out to us at hello@veganhacktivists.org to re-engage or get pointed to community resources. -
To keep things transparent, here's what falls outside our scope:
Automations involving high-risk domains (medical, legal, or financial liability) without specialist oversight.
24/7 technical support or permanent outsourced development.
Anything that conflicts with our mission and values.
We also can't guarantee that agents will work perfectly forever – platform updates and API changes happen. But we'll do our best to set you up to handle those changes yourself, or direct you to someone who can help.
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We take data handling seriously. Here's our approach:
We use only the minimum data needed and default to sanitized or anonymized examples for AI drafting and testing.
We never upload sensitive data (PII, donor lists, financial or legal data, credentials) to third-party AI tools without your explicit approval.
We use privacy-preserving settings wherever available.
We limit access to your data to need-to-know team members only.
We'll ask you to sign an NDA and Service Agreement before any work begins.
You stay in control of which services are connected, what permissions are granted, and you can revoke access at any time.
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Just fill out the intake form! But if you want to come extra prepared, it helps to think about:
What tasks eat up the most time on your team.
What tools you're already using (email, spreadsheets, CRMs, etc.).
Whether you have someone on your team who can manage account credentials, signing up for an n8n account, and getting an AI API account (we recommend OpenRouter).
Any sample data or documents that show how your current workflow works.
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Our capacity is limited, and we can't take on every project – but that doesn't mean your work isn't important. If we can't help you right now:
We'll let you know why and, where possible, suggest alternatives or lighter-touch advice.
You can always reapply when your needs change or our capacity opens up.
Feel free to email us anytime – we're happy to answer quick questions even outside of a formal engagement.
Ready to automate the busywork?
Every hour spent on repetitive tasks is an hour your team could spend on work that requires their unique expertise. Let's fix that.
Have questions first? Contact us – we're happy to help.