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DeepSeekNon-profit & fundraising

DeepSeek for non-profit & fundraising

Open-weight (MIT) Chinese language model with a 1M context window and a built-in reasoning mode, at very low API costs.

Not specifically recommended

DeepSeek isn't on our list for non-profit & fundraising. It's usable for general work, but first look at the options we recommend for non-profit & fundraising.

GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: EU hosting possible, no training on your data for business use, and self-hosting available. Caution applies to a model with a documented problem, such as an investigation by a regulator. How we measure
GDPR: Caution
QualityQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of about 20 points is noticeable, a few points is noise. How we measure
1475Elo, independent
Editorial scoreOur own assessment on 10 of suitability for professional work, price and privacy. This is a judgement, not a measurement; that is why it always sits alongside the Elo. How we measure
7,4
Entry price
Free
Full GDPR check

What DeepSeek does in non-profit & fundraising

Core tasks in non-profit & fundraising
  • Grant and fundraising work: writing applications and matching funders
  • Donor management, segmentation and personalised follow-up
  • Creating campaign copy, newsletters and social media content
  • Drafting impact reports and annual reports
Where DeepSeek is strong
  • Very low API costs
  • Open weights (MIT), self-hostable
  • Strong at reasoning, maths and code
  • Large context window (1M tokens)

DeepSeek has a concrete GDPR concern. The DeepSeek service stores personal data in China and was blocked by the Italian regulator in January 2025. Advised against for regulated sectors, unless you host the model yourself within the EU. Weigh this heavily before deploying it in non-profit & fundraising.

Confidentiality and GDPR

GDPR: Caution

Donor data is personal data under the GDPR; use only systems with a data processing agreement and preferably EU hosting. Automated donor profiling (wealth screening) can be sensitive: be transparent in your privacy policy. AI-written grant applications require human checking for accuracy and alignment with the organisation's identity.

The DeepSeek service stores data in China and uses it for training by default (with an opt-out). Only an EU self-hosted variant of the open weights is defensible for sensitive data.

Rule of thumb Use the business variant with a data processing agreement, and keep a human in the loop for decisions that matter.
Caution the DeepSeek service stores personal data in China and was blocked in January 2025 by the Italian regulator. Advised against for regulated sectors, unless you host the model yourself within the EU.

Prices

Chat / appFreeOn chat.deepseek.com
Self-hostingFreeOpen weights, your own compute costs
API (V4.1-Flash)$0.15 / 1M in$0.60 / 1M out (off-peak rate); peak hours (Mon–Fri 01–04 and 06–10 UTC) at double the price; cache-hit input $0.003 per 1M
API (V4-Pro)$0.66 / 1M in$1.98 / 1M out (off-peak rate); peak hours at double the price; cache-hit input $0.022 per 1M

Questions about DeepSeek for non-profit & fundraising

Is DeepSeek suitable for non-profit & fundraising?
Not specifically. DeepSeek isn't on our list for non-profit & fundraising; it's broadly applicable, but first look at the options we recommend for non-profit & fundraising. Keep a professional in the loop for every use.
May I put confidential data into DeepSeek?
Donor data is personal data under the GDPR; use only systems with a data processing agreement and preferably EU hosting. Automated profiling of donors (wealth screening) can be sensitive: be transparent in your privacy policy. AI-written grant applications require human checks on factual accuracy and alignment with the organisation's identity. The DeepSeek service stores data in China and uses it for training by default (with opt-out). Only an EU self-hosted version of the open weights is defensible for sensitive data.
What does DeepSeek cost?
There is Chat / app (Free), Self-hosted (Free), API (V4.1-Flash) ($0.15 / 1M in), API (V4-Pro) ($0.66 / 1M in). Check current prices on the official site.

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