AI 56: How a Multiverse learner used AI to enhance a charity’s fundraising efforts

Until recently, Gemma spent a large part of her day sorting through goods from corporate donations and listing them on eBay. As an eBay Administrator for Age UK, Gemma plays a key role in raising funds for the charity’s work including services like its Telephone Friendship Service, free and confidential Advice Line and The Silver Line Helpline.

“We work with companies like Amazon that donate large quantities of items,” Gemma explains. “It can be anything, from skincare products to furniture.” All profits go directly back to Age UK’s important work.

But keeping up with demand was a grind. Between researching unfamiliar products, crafting accurate descriptions, and finding the right keywords to drive visibility, listing 25-30 items could take up to two and a half hours per day on average - taking away from her other duties managing the donations warehouse.

The variety of donations made things even trickier. “I’m not an expert on many of the items listed, so I would often have to frantically Google to make sure descriptions are accurate,” Gemma says. Specialist items were a particular challenge: “If it’s something like a car part, that takes a lot more time - I’ve got to make sure it’s the right thing.”

So Gemma decided to build a smarter way of working, leveraging her new AI skills. Using Microsoft Copilot to craft her prompts, she set up a ChatGPT Enterprise tool and fed it eBay’s best practice and tone of voice guidelines, giving every listing the best possible chance of a sale. “Copilot helped me write the prompt,” she explains, “and then I went through about three or four iterations before I got to the one I use now.”

The workflow is now remarkably simple. Gemma submits an item’s barcode to the tool, and within seconds ChatGPT pulls product information from across the internet and generates a polished title, description, and recommended price. It doesn’t matter how obscure the product is - the output is consistently accurate, and Gemma only needs a quick check before each listing goes live. “The stuff that I won’t know about, the internet will,” she jokes. “So it’s definitely made it easier.”

The impact has been significant. Time spent researching and writing each listing has dropped from 10-15 minutes to around five - and that freed-up time goes straight back into managing the warehouse. The team has also been able to add five more listings per day, boosting their inventory and the charity’s prominence on the platform. “The more things you have listed, the more sales you get,” Gemma notes. “Essentially, it bumps you up in visibility on eBay.”

Better listings have also reduced the number of customer questions Gemma has to field. When product descriptions are clear and detailed, buyers already have the information they need - another small win that adds up over the course of a busy day.

For Gemma, the bottom line is straightforward. AI-optimised listings are driving more revenue for Age UK, and giving her valuable time back for other work. “In the long run,” she concludes, “it is going to make more money for our department, the charity, and ultimately help the people we support.”