For Nonprofit Executive Directors ·
What you'll accomplish
You've probably rewritten a job description from scratch more than once because the old one is buried in an email thread from two years ago. A ChatGPT Project fixes that by holding your job descriptions, handbook, and review templates in one place, so new HR documents build on what already exists instead of starting cold every time.
What you'll need
Collect your current job descriptions (as many as you have on file), your employee handbook, and any performance review or check-in templates. Templates and policy language only, no completed reviews or actual salary figures for named employees.
What you should see: A folder with your handbook, a handful of job descriptions, and any review templates.
Go to chatgpt.com and sign in. Find Projects in the sidebar and start a new one. Name it something like "HR Document Library."
What you should see: A new project space with a spot to add project instructions and a file upload area.
Add instructions that describe how the Project should behave:
This project holds our nonprofit's HR templates: job descriptions, handbook language, and review templates. I am the executive director at a small nonprofit with no dedicated HR staff. When I ask for a new job description or a policy update, match the tone, structure, and format of what's already uploaded, and flag anywhere a new draft would need legal review before I use it.
What you should see: Your instructions saved and applied to every new chat you start in this Project.
Add your handbook first, then your existing job descriptions and review templates. On the free plan, ChatGPT limits how many files you can upload in a day, so if you have a large handbook plus many job descriptions, spread the upload across two or three days rather than trying to add everything at once.
What you should see: Your files listed in the Project's file section, ready to be referenced in any chat inside it.
Troubleshooting: If an upload fails or the daily limit is reached, wait and add the rest the next day. The Project keeps whatever you already uploaded.
Start a new chat inside the Project (not a regular ChatGPT chat outside it) and ask for something that should draw on your uploaded files.
Example prompt to copy-paste:
Using our existing job description format, draft a job description for a Development Associate: part-time, reports to me, responsible for donor database upkeep and event support. Match the structure and tone of our current job descriptions.
What you should see: A draft that follows the section order and tone of your actual job descriptions instead of a generic template pulled from nowhere.
Read the draft against your actual handbook and any state or local requirements you're aware of for job postings (equal opportunity language, salary range disclosure where required). ChatGPT does not know your state's current posting requirements with certainty, so check current rules on your state labor department's site before publishing.
Troubleshooting: If the draft language conflicts with something in your handbook, point that out directly: "This contradicts our PTO policy in the handbook, revise it to match." It will fix the next draft using your correction.
When you adopt a new job description or update the handbook, add the updated version back into the Project and remove or note that the old one is outdated, so future drafts pull from what's actually current.
What you should see: A growing library where each new document makes the next draft more consistent with what you already have.
New job description from scratch:
Draft a job description for [role], reporting to [role/title], covering these responsibilities: [list]. Match the structure of our existing job descriptions on file.
Handbook policy update:
Using our existing handbook language as a model, draft a [remote work / paid time off / expense reimbursement] policy section for [full-time / part-time] staff.
Review template starter:
Draft a simple annual review template for [role type], with sections for goals set last year, accomplishments, growth areas, and goals for next year. Match the tone of our existing review templates.
Interview question set:
Based on this job description, draft 8 interview questions that test for the core responsibilities listed, plus 2 questions about fit with a small nonprofit environment.