Building a Responsible and Beneficial AI Community for Fundraising

We are a fully independent collaborative that exists to understand and promote the development and use of Responsible and Beneficial Artificial Intelligence for Nonprofit Fundraising.

2024 Fundraising.AI Global Summit

About Us

Harnessing the power of AI for Fundraising comes with great responsibility

Fundraising.AI’s vision is to usher a revitalization in charitable giving through the use of Responsible and Beneficial AI that prioritizes trust through precision and personalization.

Our mission is to empower those working within or for the fundraising profession with the knowledge, tools, and resources to adopt AI technologies responsibly and to promote a culture of privacy, security, data ethics, inclusiveness, accountability, and transparency within the charitable giving sector.

Thinking in the Future, Acting in the Now

Privacy & Security

Data Ethics & Inclusiveness

Accountability & Transparency

Artificial Intelligence has reshaped industries and society. It holds incredible promises, but unfavorable incidents can diminish public trust and draw attention from regulators. Navigating the Responsible and Beneficial AI landscape is challenging. The Fundraising.AI collaborative is focused on providing tools for organizations and AI practitioners to build, buy, and support responsible and trusted AI systems for fundraising purposes.

Why we exist

Social good organizations not thinking about Responsible and Beneficial AI within their fundraising programs may cause irreversible harm to the nonprofit sector.

While great work has been achieved to strengthen the understanding and importance of Responsible and Beneficial AI in the private sector, currently there is no body of work that exists to define the nuanced attributes of Responsible and Beneficial AI for the fundraising profession.

With trust being the central currency of the nonprofit sector, the Fundraising.AI collaborative exists to address the uniqueness of the nonprofit fundraising sector, which largely relies on donor’s trust, rather than a product or service.

Featured Podcast

Episode 49 – Sustainable Giving: A Strategic Approach to Long-Term Donor Engagement with Dave Raley

Featured Video

Actionable AI Strategies for Reversing Declining Donation Trends

Some thoughts on
Responsible and Beneficial AI

“The Fundraising sector represents a half-trillion industry, built extensively on trust. Building a Responsible AI Framework for fundraising that protects and prioritizes trust is the single greatest imperative facing the modern nonprofit.”

Nathan Chappell
SVP, DonorSearch AI and Co-Founder, Fundraising.AI

"Starting with AI can be scary. It might not even be a separate agenda on our to-do list. But this doesn’t have to be a distant topic. The solution to the most challenging problems around us has the same first step – start somewhere. FundraisingAI is that collective permission to start, dream, and build together in a responsible way."

Meena Das
CEO, NamasteData

"Artificial intelligence can seem like magic, which makes it even more critical that fundraisers, donors, and the larger non-profit ecosystem understand that this technology is being designed responsibly. A framework for fundraisers by fundraisers ensures we are starting with trust as the primary barometer of success."

Tim Sarrantonio
Director of Corporate Brand, Neon One

"The use of AI in fundraising is a game-changer with great promise but also poses key challenges. For the nonprofit sector to thrive, we must leverage its benefits while simultaneously mitigating risks. Fostering an increase in giving depends on widely adopting a Responsible AI Framework for Fundraising – one that prioritizes trust, transparency, and equity."

Mallory Erickson
Creator of the Power Partners Formula™ and Host, What the Fundraising

"Advances in AI will transform how social sector organizations fundraise, engage supporters, and inspire generosity. Responsible adoption means building sector capacity to understand both the potentials and risks of AI while keeping pace with this emerging technology."

Woodrow Rosenbaum
CDO, GivingTuesday

"Establishing a Responsible AI Framework for fundraising is crucial for nonprofits and those they serve. It fosters transparency, ethical data usage, and accountability, ensuring fairness, privacy, and maximum positive impact for organizations, donors, and constituents."

Brittany N. Shaff
Founder and CEO, Shaff Fundraising Group

“Leading nonprofits are built on trust & transparency. Technology & AI can help foster that at a scale never before possible; but if the fundamentals inside these systems are not built with ethics, privacy, DEI, etc as top priorities, then the entire technological ecosystem will be flawed, leaving our industry in peril.”

Jon Thompson
Associate Vice President, Philanthropic Strategy & Technology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

“I am honored to work in an industry with nonprofit leaders whose impact helps create a better world each and every day. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can help nonprofits deliver on their missions faster and more effectively than ever before, and responsible use of these technologies for fundraising is key to fostering continued innovation. AWS is committed to developing fair and accurate AI and ML services and providing nonprofit customers with the tools and guidance needed to build AI and ML applications responsibly.”

Kelley Hecht
Principal Strategic Advisor, Amazon Web Services for Nonprofits

“From prospect research to data science & digital marketing, nonprofits have responsibly used innovation to help people realize their significance as donors. Now, with AI, we can show once more how charities can blaze the trail of using new technology for good.”

Joshua Birkholz
CEO and Author, BWF

"In the ever-evolving landscape of fundraising, ethics must remain a central value. AI's expanding role is creating more nuances, questions, and possibilities that are unprecedented. The Responsible AI Framework for Fundraising is bringing together a coalition of sector leaders to create essential and urgently needed standards for nonprofits to navigate this brave new world responsibly, safely, and equitably."

Barbara O'Reilly, CFRE
Founder and Principal, Windmill Hill Consulting

"The fast-moving and transformational opportunities of AI for growing giving and impact is an urgent challenge for all charities and nonprofits. A Responsible AI Framework for Fundraising is essential if this is to work effectively, equitably, and sustainably for all."

Howard Lake
Director, Giving X Ltd

“AI presents an incredible opportunity for professionals in every role at a nonprofit from fundraisers to marketers to program leaders. AI also offers an equitable field for both learning and innovation by every sector but none more urgent to our communities and the planet than nonprofits.”

Devi Thomas
Global Leader, Nonprofit Community Capacity, Microsoft Philanthropies

"AI represents one of the biggest advancements in fundraising in the last 50 years. Nonprofits now have the ability to understand and connect with donors in more personal ways than ever before. As an industry, we have a responsibility to leverage this new technology in a responsible way that honors both our donors and our mission. The team at Fundraising.AI is leading the charge in this important work and I'm grateful to be part of the mission!"

Gabe Cooper
CEO, Virtuous

"The power of artificial intelligence has the ability to transform fundraising and empower fundraisers, like almost no other tool in human history. That being said, as a sector, it’s important that we find a way to ensure it’s done ethically, in the right way, and to the empowerment, not the detriment, of our communities. Fundraising.AI is an important step, as we bring together leaders from the industry, to ensure a brighter, stronger AI-powered future for nonprofits."

Nejeed Kassam
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Keela

“Trust and accountability are cornerstones of fundraising and grantmaking. We need to establish clear and explicit guidance to engage with new, powerful tools. By doing so, we can keep accountability expectations aligned and deepen trust by attending to guardrails we develop collaboratively.”

Rachel Kimber
Subject Matter Expert

“Considering the systemic decline in those participating in charitable giving, cultivating the responsible use of AI for fundraising is critical to being able to understand, and scale our efforts in a sustainable manner. When utilized responsibly, AI has the ability to help us with unparalleled precision and personalization, allowing nonprofits to reverse the Generosity Crisis by fostering connection at scale.”

Brian Crimmins
Chief Executive Officer, Changing our World

“AI is meant to complement - not replace - the passion and trust found in nonprofit professionals. As these tools propel the sector forward, the human touch will continue to be instrumental in preserving creativity and integrity. To embrace AI responsibly means to remain vigilant of personal and ethical risk factors while maintaining genuine connections within your unique community.”

Lauren Sheehan
President, DonorPerfect

“My company and I wholeheartedly endorse this framework. We’re especially committed to Principle #6--continuous learning--as the bedrock of Responsible AI for fundraising.”

Anne Murphy
Founder, Empowered Fundraiser

“Ai represents a powerful opportunity to accelerate our decision-making process allowing us, as people in fundraising, to focus on what matters most: relationships with other people. At the heart of all relationships is trust; especially in our sector where funders trust organizations to use generosity dollars to achieve agreed upon outcomes that better the world. As fundraisers, it is vital that we lead the way in ethical use of Ai to continue building that trust instead of eroding it. This is why I’m proud to have signed the Fundraising.Ai framework.”

Ryan Woroniecki
Director of Business Development, Lighthouse Counsel

“Raising funds with AI? Absolutely, but let’s also raise the bar on equity, security, and ethical data use. Because this isn’t just any moment—it’s defining the future. And either we shape the future, or the future shapes us.”

Tim Lockie
The Human Stack

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