Fundraising.AI

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Fundraising.AI

Episode 40

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Episode 40 - Building Trust in the AI Era with Cherian Koshy

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OVERVIEW

In today’s conversation, Cherian Koshy reflects on the evolution of technology, transparency, and the role of AI in nonprofit fundraising. Starting with personal stories, Cherian and Nathan discuss the early technology adoption in their careers and the transformative “Aha” moments that shaped their understanding of tech innovation. 

Cherian highlights the potential of AI, sharing his reaction to Notebook LM’s audio file generation and exploring the implications of AI-generated content. The conversation pivots to transparency, with Cherian stressing the importance of nonprofits being open about their AI use, especially when handling donor data. He emphasizes that trust is a cornerstone for donor relationships, reinforced by insights from a recent survey showing donors prioritize transparency and are increasingly comfortable with AI, though privacy concerns remain. Wrapping up, both speakers emphasize the need for ongoing research, collaboration, and sector-wide transparency to build trust and responsibly integrate AI into nonprofit strategies. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

  • [00:55] Fundraising AI Summit Highlights
  • [06:03] Notebook LM and Its Implications
  • [09:23] Hidden Influences in Technology
  • [15:37] Innovative Survey Techniques
  • [19:08] Donor Perspectives on AI
  • [23:58] The Role of Transparency in AI Use
  • [29:46] Survey Findings and Donor Concerns
  • [31:55] Report on Healthcare Philanthropy
  • [33:02] Future Directions

TIPS AND TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT TODAY

  • Explore AI for synthesizing content and demos.
  • Identify key tech moments to boost innovation.
  • Ensure AI use is clear and openly communicated.
  • Maintain trust by combining AI and human interaction.
  • Ask donors directly about their AI concerns.
  • Customize approaches for different donor segments.
  • Proactively disclose AI usage to build donor confidence.
  • Explore donor insights for tailored approaches.
  • Be cautious about AI's influence.
  • Engage in sector-wide collaboration for AI research.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

FAVORITE QUOTES

  • "We're at a point where the impact is happening before we even know what the technology is." - Cherian Koshy
  • "It was hard enough to keep up with what the technology looked like back then, and now it's coming at us from all angles and evolving on its own at this point." - Cherian Koshy
  • "My worry with a lot of the technology that we're dealing with right now is that it's very good to the point where you don't know that you're being manipulated." - Cherian Koshy
  • "With all of the other applications of AI that have been around for a long time, it is manipulative. I'm saying it is manipulative." - Cherian Koshy
  • "We perceive technology as nascent, but we don't actually have control over what it's convincing us, and that's where I start to get worried about where the technology will end up, even if it thinks it's being a beneficent dictator." - Cherian Koshy
  • "Particularly leadership, whether it's executive leadership in an organization, or board members who need to be convinced of the fact that we shouldn't be running full speed at acquiring the most number of donors at the largest amount in the shortest amount of time without any kind of guardrails." - Cherian Koshy
  • "Donors that are more comfortable and familiar with AI are more bullish about the use cases, are more open to different variations of what that looks like in organizations. And then those that are less familiar, and therefore less comfortable, start to get very nervous about things that, would be potentially like privacy concerns or transparency concerns." - Cherian Koshy
  • "We've all been in the fundraising nonprofit sector for long enough to see things come and go, and some things explode in a good way, some things explode in a bad way." - Cherian Koshy
  • "60% of donors that we surveyed said they were concerned about privacy and security of data, but the same amount, 60.2%—so just a smidge, like probably one more person—said that they were concerned about losing the human interaction in fundraising. And then the next highest response was about the loss of staffing in nonprofits." - Cherian Koshy
  • "Let's keep following that lead and making sure that we're making the best decisions possible as a sector." - Cherian Koshy

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MEET YOUR HOSTS

Nathan Chappell

As a thought leader, public speaker, author and inventor, Nathan is one of the world’s foremost experts on the intersection between Artificial Intelligence and philanthropy. Nathan serves as Senior Vice President of DonorSearch AI, where he leads AI deployments for some of the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations. Nathan’s subject matter expertise has been featured in several publications, including Fast Company, University of Notre Dame and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy. In 2021, Nathan founded Fundraising.Ai as a member-centric collaboration of nonprofit professionals with a focus on data ethics, data equality, privacy and security, sustainability. Nathan presented the first TEDx on the topic of artificial intelligence and the future of generosity in 2018. Nathan is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and holds a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from University of Notre Dame, an MBA from University of Redlands, a certificate in International Economics from University of Cambridge and a certificate in Artificial Intelligence from MIT.

Scott Rosenkrans

Scott Rosenkrans is the Assistant Vice President of DonorSearch Ai and has been with the organization for three years. He began his journey in the nonprofit sector twelve years ago as a prospect researcher. He quickly became fascinated with data as he noticed the organization that he previously worked for was amassing a wealth of information but was unsure how to efficiently use the data and resources to its full potential. This led him to become interested in predictive modeling and data analytics. During this time, he began to create an immense commitment to delivering tailor-made machine learning models to nonprofits.

The thing that Scott loves most about working for DonorSearch is the ability to prioritize what is best for the client and nonprofit sector above all else. He believes that growth is our most important core value because the DSAi team continuously evolves and brings a unique perspective that provides value to our clients. He stays ahead of industry trends because of his insatiable drive to constantly try out new things.

Favorite nonprofit: Shriner’s Children Hospital because of their extreme commitment to providing exceptional medical care, while also alleviating the financial burdens on families.