Florida nonprofit Agape Source scales to support more newcomers through AI-powered web chat, Microsoft Copilot

Coming to the United States from another country can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. That’s why Agape Source, a Florida-based nonprofit that operates Orlando Welcome, supports international students, foreign nationals working in the US temporarily, and refugees. Staff and a network of volunteers “care for people emotionally as well as physically,” explains Joel Ramjohn, President of Agape Source. The team does everything from picking up new arrivals at the airport and planning sightseeing trips to negotiating medical bills and connecting to services such as immigration support. 

“We help people see the true heart of the American people,” Ramjohn says. “We show them we are a generous nation.”

With a staff of just three full-time employees, the nonprofit looked for ways to do more for the people it supports—and even grow. They incorporated Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise), the generative AI web chat assistant that responds to users’ questions with answers, not just links, so they can multiply their creativity and productivity. Agape Source has been using the tool for about six months to support a growing international community within Orlando, making newcomers feel at home.  

“Copilot is a force multiplier,” Ramjohn says. “AI does a lot of the heavy lifting so the people we help don’t fall between the cracks.” 

Empowering volunteers 

Agape Source’s nearly 40 volunteers are vital to providing new arrivals with care packages, connecting clients to wraparound services, helping during emergencies, and the many other actions that make people feel welcome. 

Clients come from 19 countries, a richly diverse community that requires volunteers to learn about the places and contexts people come from. Volunteers have a “conversation” with Copilot, for example asking it questions about the political conflicts in a country from which a refugee just arrived or the most popular recipes from an international student’s hometown. The process takes much less time than combing through news articles and websites, and the linked footnotes enable volunteers to easily find the source of information Copilot summarizes. "AI helps us understand what people are going through. It’s a game-changer for volunteers,” Ramjohn says. 

AI also empowers volunteers to communicate with people in their home language. They prompt Copilot to translate while on the go, helping with everything from chitchat at a holiday party to instructions while helping newcomers fix a flat tire. Ramjohn says the AI web chat assistant’s translation capabilities are “spot-on, enabling the people we serve to learn about our culture, and us to learn about their culture. AI has made volunteers more confident that they can help, even across a language barrier.”  

In-the-moment, accurate answers from Microsoft Copilot help volunteers meet the wide variety of time-sensitive needs of international students, workers, and refugees. “In the past, the bottleneck was finding solutions to internationals’ problems,” from roommate conflicts to visa concerns and even human trafficking, Ramjohn says. “Generative AI plays a key role in being able to serve people right then and there. Copilot helps us find and communicate the resources they need and prevent crises.” 

Doing more, better and faster

In the last year, Agape Source’s staff roster has shrunk by more than half. “We do a lot with a staff of three and volunteers: We haven’t turned anyone away,” Ramjohn says. “We’re back to our pre-COVID outreach numbers, and Copilot has played a significant role in that.” 

The Agape Source team can now serve more clients in drastically less time than they could before they adopted Microsoft Copilot. For example, the nonprofit provides Christmas care packages for hundreds of people, many of whom feel isolated while spending the holidays far from home and family. Recently, Agape Source prompted the web chat assistant with a budget and the types of items clients most appreciate, then asked where to find them. Copilot curated a shopping list and locations of nearby stores to buy the supplies. With additional prompts, it also customized the care package lists, so clients could receive special gifts or foods that reminded them of home. Volunteers finished the initiative—which typically takes several weeks to prep, organize, and carry out—in less than a day, thanks to the AI-powered assistant. 

"Copilot complements our strengths and frees up our time,” Ramjohn explains. With that saved time, staff and volunteers can work on big-picture goals, such as opening a community center, or simply share a cup of tea with a lonely client.

Ramjohn plans to continue to embed generative AI into even more aspects of the nonprofit, including adding Copilot for Microsoft 365 recently. AI will continue to accelerate Agape Source’s growth, he says. “Copilot has been transformative for us. It’s helping us meet people’s need to just feel welcome.”  

Find out more about Agape Source on Facebook and LinkedIn.