Fundraising.AI

About Us

Fundraising.AI advocates
Responsible and Beneficial AI for Fundraisers

Harnessing the power of AI for Fundraising comes with great responsibility

Who We Are

We believe in Responsible and Beneficial AI

Fundraising.AI envisions a thriving nonprofit sector where AI for fundraising is utilized ethically, responsibly, and inclusively to maximize the positive impact on communities and causes worldwide. The result of this work will be witnessed by an increase in charitable participation.

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.

Steering Committee

Tim Sarrantonio
Meena Das
Nathan Chappell
Mallory Erickson

What We Do

Thinking in the Future, Acting in the Now

With a focus on establishing AI governance and best practices within these key focus areas, we support the short-term and long-term needs of mission-based organizations as they navigate the complex landscape of creating Responsible and Beneficial AI solutions.

Content and feedback generated from these solutions will inform nonprofit leaders and AI policymakers, enabling technologies that improve the social and economic well-being of society with direct input from nonprofit stakeholders rather than external industry technologists.

Privacy &
Security

Ensuring the protection of personal and sensitive data, implementing robust security measures, and maintaining compliance with relevant data protection regulations.

Data Ethics &
Inclusiveness

Promoting ethical data collection, analysis, and usage practices, and fostering inclusiveness in AI systems

Accountability &
Transparency

Encouraging organizations to be accountable for their AI applications, providing clear explanations of AI methodology and results, and promoting transparency in AI development and deployment.

At Fundraising.AI, trust is the central currency

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.  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.

Fundraising.AI FAQ

The concept of Fundraising.AI was initiated by Nathan Chappell in 2018 as a direct response to the promise and inherent responsibility that AI brings to the charitable giving sector. While originally focused on convening interested AI developers on Responsible AI practices, the rise of Generative AI in 2022 highlighted the need to facilitate educational content and best practices for the nonprofit fundraising sector at-large.  In 2022, Fundraising.AI established an ad hoc Advisory Council to help steer the direction and initiatives of Fundraising.AI. In 2023, the Advisory Council created the first-of-its-kind Framework for Responsible AI in Fundraising (see press release), urging transparent and ethical practices for AI adopters, and hosted the first-ever Fundraising.AI Global Summit (see press release). The future of Fundraising.AI will be focused on the education and application of Responsible and Beneficial AI for the Global Fundraising Community.

Fundraising.AI is a fully independent collaborative that exists to understand and promote the development and use of Responsible AI for nonprofit fundraising, and is a testament to our collective desire to promote and protect charitable giving.

GivingTuesday is the fiscal sponsor of Fundraising.AI. While Fundraising.AI is not an independent 501(c)3, our collaboration with GivingTuesday enables us to effectively pursue our mission of promoting Beneficial and Responsible AI in the nonprofit sector.

As of June 2024, through an agreement between GivingTuesday and Mallory Erickson Coaching LLC, MEC is responsible for managing the budget and fulfilling the overall programmatic initiatives related to Fundraising.AI.

Fundraising.AI supports efforts to instill Responsible AI practices for the fundraising profession in three main ways: 

First, through education, by disseminating knowledge through open-source discovery and distribution to help educate the profession. 

Second, through advocacy and research partnerships that prioritize both qualitative and quantitative analysis on the use of advanced technologies and big data to support sustainable practices in philanthropic giving.

Third, as a convener, Fundraising.AI serves as a conduit to bring nonprofit and for-profit leaders and philanthropists together to explore best practices and new technologies, share philosophies, learn from use-case scenarios, demonstrate subject area leadership and expertise, support best practices of Beneficial Responsible AI applications, and support building a thriving charitable giving sector. 

The Fundraising sector represents a trillion dollar 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. Irresponsible adoption of AI erodes trust and has the potential to accelerate the decline in charitable giving. Unlike other Responsible AI groups, Fundraising.AI specifically seeks to empower nonprofit fundraisers and organizations to access best practices that promote and prioritize their donors’ trust while maximizing their internal resources. 

The Responsible AI framework is intended to be a living document (as opposed to a one-time commitment) that is capable of evolving as quickly as AI technology itself. The clear and comprehensive structure of the Framework helps organizations that fundraise to be able to continually assess and improve deployment of Responsible AI technologies. The Framework is designed to be specific enough for stakeholders to be able to make commitments or pledges to act in ways that promote Responsible AI.

The Framework is not legally binding. Signatories are endorsing the spirit of the Framework to the best of their ability and knowledge.

To remain relevant with advances in technology, the Framework will be reviewed and updated quarterly by the Fundraising.AI Advisory Council.

The Fundraising.AI Advisory Council is a volunteer group of 30+ subject matter experts and practitioners who volunteer as stewards of the Framework on a quarterly basis to review and edit the Framework to ensure alignment with current trends in technological development. 

Irresponsible use of AI will have consequences that reach across international borders. In recognition of this reality, Fundraising.AI is an international effort enlisting membership and support from around the world. We work with partners like Resource Alliance to disseminate information and learning to a global audience.

Decisions impacting edits or changes to the Framework must be proposed and provided to all current Fundraising.AI Advisory Council members for review, and will take effect upon a documented two-thirds majority vote of the current Council members. 

At Fundraising.AI, we encourage organizations to treat AI as a distributed responsibility rather than an IT issue. The Framework is intended to serve as a guide for organizations seeking ways to integrate Responsible AI practices throughout their operations, similar to how they might utilize internal policies regarding ethics, privacy, security, and so on.

Fundraising.AI is overseen by the Advisory Council, which consists of AI and nonprofit industry experts, who provide counsel on emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in the responsible use of AI in fundraising. The Advisory Council is the primary body responsible for maintaining and promoting the Framework for Responsible AI toward Fundraising. 

Decisions within Fundraising.AI are made through a consensus-based process by the Advisory Council, which ensures that members have the opportunity to provide input and contribute to the organization’s direction.

Yes! Individuals are highly encouraged to endorse the Framework and can be powerful practitioners and proponents of Responsible AI. You can endorse the Framework here

Yes! Organizations of all kinds, especially those that engage with fundraising directly or indirectly are strongly encouraged to endorse and implement the Framework. You can endorse the Framework here

We believe that Responsible AI is everyone’s Responsibility. As such, the Framework for Responsible AI for Fundraising is open-source and intended to be interpreted differently at different organizations. By intention, we do not ask individuals or entities to “sign” the framework, but instead “endorse” the spirit of the Framework. With this in mind, endorsers may share that they have adopted the Framework. In the future, it’s likely that Fundraising.AI will have a formal accreditation process that endorsers will receive appropriate recognition for having completed necessary requirements.

Upon signing the Framework, your personal data will be securely retained and exclusively used by Fundraising.AI. Personal data will not be used or distributed by any of the Fundraising.AI Council Members, their associated businesses, or any external parties. Your data is solely for the internal operations of Fundraising.AI and will never be utilized beyond this scope. Please feel free to review our privacy policy anytime at https://fundraising.ai/privacy-policy/

Start by joining the conversation on LinkedIn here and engaging with the Framework and other content to learn about AI technology and the importance of its Beneficial and Responsible use. 

Consider endorsing the Framework as an individual and, if you’re in a position to advocate for wider adoption with an organization that should practice Responsible AI, explore ways to bring more people to the movement. 

Attend Fundraising.AI events – sign up for the 2024 Summit and stay tuned for other opportunities to get together virtually and in person.

Engage with members of Fundraising.AI to see if there are ways you can contribute your expertise to the effort and look out for roles you may be suited for. You can always reach us at hello@fundraising.ai

Summit FAQ

The 2024 Global Summit is planned for Tuesday, October 1st, 2024.

The Summit is primarily designed to address the needs and interests of a diverse audience of nonprofit practitioners and technology professionals, though everyone is welcome! Our audience typically includes individuals and organizations committed to leveraging technology for the greater good, fostering collaboration between the nonprofit and tech sectors, and exploring innovative solutions to address societal challenges.

The 2023 Summit brought together 6,000 registered attendees, and we hope to continue to grow the Summit audience in 2024 and beyond.

The Summit is 100% virtual. Join us live from anywhere in the world with an internet connection – and stay tuned for access to session recordings if you can’t join us in real time.

The Summit is FREE to attend thanks to our amazing sponsors! Fundraising.AI is committed to making our content and resources accessible to all. We believe in removing financial barriers to access and eliminating registration fees in the interest of fostering an inclusive, diverse dialogue with a broad range of participants and perspectives.

The annual Summit is led by Mallory Erickson, in close partnership with Nathan Chappell and the Fundraising.AI Advisory Council.

Contact hello@fundraising.ai to express your interest and our team will be in touch.

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