Skills are built by people who actually know how to do the task properly, then saved so an LLM can follow that same process every time.
Rather than the LLM guessing at a generic approach, it's following a real professional's know-how, the specific steps, judgment calls and conventions that come from actually doing the job.
Once a skill is installed, you don't need to explain the process each time. You just ask for the task, and the LLM follows the skill automatically.
💡 What is a Skill? A Skill is a saved set of instructions, written by someone who knows the task properly, that tells an LLM exactly how to approach it step by step. It gives the LLM access to expertise it wouldn't otherwise have, so the output matches how a professional would actually do the work, not just a plausible guess.
Where Skills work
Skills are a growing feature across LLMs, so support varies by provider and can change over time. As of now, we know Skills are supported in:
Claude (Anthropic)
Perplexity
ChatGPT
If you're using a different LLM, check with that provider directly to see whether Skills, or an equivalent feature, is available.
When a Skill helps for charity and grant work
Skills are especially useful for the kind of tasks you do over and over, where you want the same quality and structure each time. A few examples:
Drafting a grant application — so every answer follows the funder's word limits and guidance, pulls in the right supporting detail, and reads in a consistent voice, whichever campaign it's for
Checking eligibility — so location, income size, organisation type and other criteria get checked the same way every time, rather than being judged case by case
Writing a funder report — so outcomes, case studies and figures get pulled together in the structure your funders expect
Getting set up on a new tool — so onboarding steps happen in the right order rather than depending on what you happen to ask first
In each case, the skill is what makes sure the LLM handles the task the way someone who does this professionally would, not just a plausible attempt at it.
Installing a Skill
We'll give you the skill as a file. You upload that file into your LLM of choice, and it becomes available for the LLM to use going forward.
💡 Don't have the skill file yet? Get in touch with us and we'll get you set up.
In Claude:
Go to your account or workspace settings
Find the Skills section
Upload the file we've given you
In Perplexity:
Go to your account settings
Find the Skills section
Upload the file we've given you
💡 Tip: Because these menus move around as providers update their products, search the provider's own help centre for "Skills" if you can't find the setting straight away.
Using a Skill
Once a skill is installed, you don't need to do anything special to trigger it. Just ask for the task in normal language, and the LLM will recognise it and follow the skill automatically.
You can still have a normal conversation around it. Skills only kick in for the specific task they're built for, everything else works as usual.
Why this matters
Without a skill, an LLM has to work out how to approach a task from scratch every time, drawing on general knowledge rather than real professional practice. That means the quality and structure of the output can vary depending on how you phrase the request.
With a skill installed, you're getting the benefit of someone else's expertise baked into every answer, so the same task is handled the same reliable, professional way each time, without you having to re-explain the process.
Something not working?
If a skill doesn't seem to be triggering, check it's shown as installed or active in your settings. If it is and it's still not working, get in touch with us and we'll take a look.