How to Use Sentiment Analysis in Power Automate for Nonprofits

Sentiment analysis can be a game-changer for nonprofits, allowing them to understand the emotions and opinions of their supporters, volunteers, and beneficiaries. Power Automate, a service that helps automate workflows between apps and services, can be integrated with sentiment analysis to streamline this process. This blog will guide you through the steps to leverage sentiment analysis in Power Automate for your nonprofit.

What is Sentiment Analysis?

Sentiment analysis, or opinion mining, is a technique used to determine the emotional tone behind a series of words. It helps identify and categorize opinions expressed in text, whether they are positive, negative, or neutral. For nonprofits, this means being able to gauge the mood and feelings of their audience from various sources such as social media, emails, surveys, and more.

Why Use Sentiment Analysis in Power Automate?

Power Automate allows you to create automated workflows between your favorite apps and services to synchronize files, get notifications, collect data, and more. By integrating sentiment analysis into Power Automate, nonprofits can:

1. Automate Feedback Analysis: Automatically analyze feedback from various sources and categorize it based on sentiment.
2. Improve Response Times: Quickly identify negative sentiments and respond promptly to address concerns.
3. Enhance Engagement: Tailor your communication strategies based on the sentiments of your audience.
4. Streamline Data Collection: Collect and analyze sentiment data without manual intervention, saving time and resources.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Collect Data

Begin by gathering text data from various sources. This could include:

• Social Media: Comments, posts, and messages from platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• Emails: Feedback and inquiries from your supporters and volunteers.
• Surveys: Responses from surveys conducted to gather opinions on your programs and initiatives.
• Feedback Forms: Input from beneficiaries and stakeholders.

For more information on how create forms and automate the collection process, please follow this article: Automate Your External Data Collection: Power Automate and Microsoft Forms | Microsoft Community Hub

Step 2: Set Up Power Automate

If you haven't already, sign up for Power Automate and create an account. Power Automate is part of the Microsoft Power Platform, so you may need access to Microsoft 365.

1. Navigate to Power Automate: Go to the https://make.powerautomate.com/ and sign in.
2. Create a New Flow: Click on "Create" and choose the type of flow you want to build (Automated, Instant, or Scheduled).
   
   

Follow this article on how to create your first power automate flow:Automate Your External Data Collection: Power Automate and Microsoft Forms | Microsoft Community Hub

Step 3: Add Sentiment Analysis to Your Flow

Once your model is trained, you can integrate it into your Power Automate flow:

1. Insert AI Model: In your flow, add a new step and select "AI Builder."
2. Choose Sentiment Analysis: Select "Analyse positive or negative sentiment in a text" and add it to your flow.
3. Configure Inputs and Language: Select the appropriate language. If you created a form to collect data, use dynamic content to select the response.
   

Step 4: Automate Actions Based on Sentiment

Create automated actions based on the sentiment analysis results. For example:

• Send Alerts: Establish alerts for negative sentiments to ensure your team can respond promptly. To achieve this, add a condition that checks if the sentiment is negative. If the sentiment is Positive (Negative equals to 0 in this case), generate a report. When the condition is false (Meaning the statement is negative or Negative equals to 1), configure the system to send an alert or email notification to inform you accordingly.

   

• Tag and Categorize: Automatically tag and categorize feedback based on sentiment. This can be achieved by creating a spreadsheet and adding a column to a table for sentiment classification. You can add a row into table and add all the information to the sheet using dynamic content.

  

  Generate Reports: Create automated reports to visualize sentiment trends over time. This can be accomplished using Power BI, with the Excel sheet serving as the data connector for the report.

Alternative Method for Creating a Flow with Sentiment Analysis

AI Builder is a Microsoft Power Platform capability that allows you to add AI models to your workflows. Here’s how to integrate sentiment analysis:

1. Access AI Builder: In Power Automate, navigate to the AI hub section. You may have to click on more to view the AI Hub.

    

   

    

2. Select your model. Click on AI models, to view the AI models available.

    

   

    

3. Select the AI model. Select the available AI model of your choice. For this example, you may want to select sentiment analysis model.
   
   

    

4. Create a Sentiment Analysis Model: Select "Use prebuilt Model" and choose "Use in a flow".
   
   

    

5. Select a template: Choose a template and follow all the prompts to create the flow using a model.
    

Real-World Applications

• Fundraising Campaigns: By analyzing donor feedback, nonprofits can tailor their fundraising messages to resonate more with their audience, potentially increasing donations.
• Volunteer Programs: Sentiment analysis can help identify areas where volunteers may feel dissatisfied, allowing organizations to make necessary improvements and retain valuable volunteers.
• Beneficiary Feedback: Understanding the sentiments of beneficiaries can help nonprofits improve their programs and services to better meet the needs of the community.

Conclusion

Integrating sentiment analysis into Power Automate offers nonprofits a powerful way to understand and engage with their audience. By leveraging this technology, nonprofits can enhance their communication strategies, improve response times, and streamline data collection. In a world where emotions and opinions play a significant role in decision-making, sentiment analysis provides the insights needed to drive nonprofit success.

Additional Resources

1. Use AI Builder in Power Automate - Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
2. AI models and business scenarios - AI Builder | Microsoft Learn