One of the most common questions I hear from nonprofit leaders, educators, students, and executives is deceptively simple:

How do I get started with AI?

My answer: start with prompt engineering.

That phrase may sound technical, but the basic idea is very practical. Prompt engineering is simply the skill of designing and refining instructions so AI tools can produce more useful responses.¹

For students, it can mean learning how to use AI to prepare for interviews, improve writing, explore career paths, or summarize complex material.

For executives, it can mean using AI to draft memos, pressure-test strategy, analyze donor or customer segments, prepare for meetings, test a hypothesis, or turn rough ideas into clearer plans.

The good news is that no one needs to spend thousands of dollars to learn the basics. Here are three online resources I recommend; IBM SkillsBuild and Microsoft Learn provide free/publicly available learning resources, while the OpenAI Academy collection is publicly accessible and designed around practical workplace AI skills.²

You can also start by reviewing my article GOOGLE’S 9 HOUR AI PROMPT ENGINEERING COURSE – IN 1 CARTOON!, summarized in this cartoon:

Use the right resource for the right audience: students, executives, or time-constrained workplace learners.

1. IBM SkillsBuild: Prompt Engineering – Shaping Better AI Responses

This is my top recommendation for students and workforce-development programs.

IBM SkillsBuild offers a structured prompt-engineering module. The course page says learners identify applications of different prompt types used in generative AI, explore prompt-engineering techniques, select techniques suited to specific tasks, and review best practices for effective prompts.³

IBM SkillsBuild also describes its broader AI learning resources for adult learners as offering free access, practical AI courses, and opportunities to earn credentials.⁴

For youth-serving organizations, career programs, and adult-learning settings, this is probably the strongest standalone option.

2. Microsoft Learn: Create Effective Prompts for Generative AI Training Tools

This is my top recommendation for busy executives, educators, and organizational leaders who want a fast, accessible introduction.

Microsoft Learn lists this as a beginner module with seven units, and identifies relevant audiences that include business users, K-12 educators, higher education educators, and school leaders. The module covers basic prompt-engineering concepts, elements of an effective prompt, and prompting best practices.⁵

For executives, I would use this as pre-work before a 60- to 90-minute AI workshop. It gives everyone a shared vocabulary without overwhelming them.

3. OpenAI Academy: ChatGPT at Work

OpenAI Academy offers a ChatGPT at Work collection that includes workplace-focused videos such as Introduction to Prompt Engineering, Advanced Prompt Engineering, ChatGPT for Data Analysis, Deep Research, ChatGPT Search, and other work-related ChatGPT topics.⁶

This is not a full course in the traditional sense, but it is a terrific executive appetizer. The videos are short, practical, and focused on real work: writing, analysis, research, data, reasoning, and productivity.

For leaders who are curious but time-constrained, this may be the easiest entry point.

How I Would Use These Resources

For a student program, I would assign the IBM SkillsBuild course and then run a hands-on session where students use AI to improve a resume, prepare for an interview, research a career, or summarize a reading.

For executives, I would assign the Microsoft Learn module and a few OpenAI Academy videos before a live workshop focused on real organizational use cases: preparing a board memo, drafting a strategy document, analyzing donor prospects, or creating a first version of an implementation plan.

For both audiences, I would add one essential lesson: AI is powerful, but it is not magic. Users still need to check facts, protect sensitive information, and apply human judgment.

Additional CHU Tips

A few tips I have learned recently through other courses I have taken:

1. Before asking the AI engine to execute on your prompt, ask it to “Please ask me any clarifying questions to help you answer this prompt/ conduct this research/ create this image/ etc.” I predict you will be surprised at how good the questions are.  They almost always make me think deeper and more clearly about what I want from the prompt.
2. If appropriate – and especially for larger research projects – you can ask the AI engine to “Convene a panel of experts to ask me questions about the prompt from different points of view.”
3. To cut down on errors, mistakes, and “hallucinations,” include the following:
   1. “Do not make any thing up.”
   2. “Do not guess.”
   3. “Do not use any sources or research material older than [ __ ] months. (For AI related research, I never allow AI to go back any further than 6-12 months.)
   4. “Please footnote or endnote all references and facts and include a bibliography of sources used in your research, whether or not you actually used them in your response.”
   5. For all footnotes, endnotes and the bibliography, please make sure you include the date that source was published and not just the date you accessed the information.
   6. Please include links to the source documents whenever possible.
4. Jeff Bussgang, who is the smartest person I know in this space, also recommends using “Please” and “Thank you” in our prompts, so I figure this can’t hurt!

Please let me know your best prompting insights as we all travel this journey of discovery together.

The Bigger Point

Prompt engineering is not just a technical skill. It is quickly becoming a basic workplace and learning skill.

The people who learn how to collaborate effectively with AI will have a major advantage. They will be able to think faster, draft faster, test ideas faster, and learn faster.

That does not mean AI replaces human judgment. In fact, the opposite is true. The better the human judgment, the better the AI collaboration.

So if you are a student, educator, nonprofit leader, or executive wondering where to begin, start here:

Learn how to ask better questions.

That is the first step toward getting better answers.

Endnotes

Suggested for web publishing: convert the superscript numbers in the article to bracketed links that jump to these notes, or keep the notes as a simple source list at the bottom of the post.

1. IBM defines prompt engineering as writing, refining, and optimizing inputs to encourage generative AI systems to create specific, high-quality outputs. IBM also emphasizes that better prompts directly influence the quality, relevance, and accuracy of generative AI outputs. Source: IBM Think, “What Is Prompt Engineering?”
2. IBM SkillsBuild describes its adult-learner AI resources as offering free access and courses in generative AI and related areas. Microsoft Learn makes the cited module publicly available. OpenAI Academy makes the cited ChatGPT at Work collection publicly accessible. Source: IBM SkillsBuild, “Artificial Intelligence”; Microsoft Learn, “Create Effective Prompts for Generative AI Training Tools”; OpenAI Academy, “ChatGPT at Work.”
3. The IBM SkillsBuild course page for “Prompt Engineering: Shaping Better AI Responses” lists the course as eligible for registered learners, available in English, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish, and four hours in duration. It says learners identify applications of different prompt types, explore prompt-engineering techniques, choose techniques suited to tasks, and review best practices for writing effective prompts. Source: IBM SkillsBuild, “Prompt Engineering: Shaping Better AI Responses.”
4. IBM SkillsBuild describes its AI learning resources for adult learners as offering free access, AI courses, and opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials. Source: IBM SkillsBuild, “Artificial Intelligence.”
5. Microsoft Learn lists “Create Effective Prompts for Generative AI Training Tools” as a beginner module with seven units for audiences including K-12 educators, business users, higher education educators, and school leaders. Microsoft says the module covers the basic concepts of prompt engineering, the elements of an effective prompt, and prompting best practices. Source: Microsoft Learn, “Create Effective Prompts for Generative AI Training Tools.”
6. The OpenAI Academy “ChatGPT at Work” collection is categorized under Workplace & Business, ChatGPT, Advanced & Builder Skills, and Work. The page lists videos including “Introduction to Prompt Engineering” (5:52), “Advanced Prompt Engineering” (8:50), “ChatGPT for Data Analysis” (4:46), “ChatGPT Search” (5:43), and “Deep Research” (7:06). Source: OpenAI Academy, “ChatGPT at Work.”
7. All graphics in this draft are original graphics created for this article; no third-party images were used. Source: Original graphics created for Collaboration Evangelist draft, June 5, 2026.

 

Bibliography / Links

Accessed June 5, 2026. All graphics in this draft are original graphics created for this article; no third-party images were used.

1. IBM Think. “What Is Prompt Engineering?” https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/prompt-engineering
2. IBM SkillsBuild. “Artificial Intelligence.” https://skillsbuild.org/adult-learners/explore-learning/artificial-intelligence
3. IBM SkillsBuild. “Prompt Engineering: Shaping Better AI Responses.” https://skillsbuild.org/college-students/course-catalog/prompt-engineering-shaping-better-ai-responses
4. Microsoft Learn. “Create Effective Prompts for Generative AI Training Tools.” https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/modules/create-prompts-for-generative-ai-training-tools/
5. OpenAI Academy. “ChatGPT at Work.” https://academy.openai.com/public/collections/chatgpt-at-work-2025-02-14
6. OpenAI Academy. “Introduction to Prompt Engineering.” https://academy.openai.com/public/videos/introduction-to-prompt-engineering-2025-02-13
7. OpenAI Academy. “Advanced Prompt Engineering.” https://academy.openai.com/public/videos/advanced-prompt-engineering-2025-02-13