Last month, I talked with Rich Leimsider, an expert in how non-profits can use AI. He makes innovation seem so accessible that I bet you wanted to jump right into the magical ChatGPT box after you finished reading the interview.
It could be that you unconsciously hoped it would spit out a pitch-perfect copy for an annual report in 20 seconds and you could just leave your brain at the keyboard. What a game changer that would be for a resource-constrained development shop!
Well, you may have learned that’s not exactly how it works.
AI is a powerful, time-saving tool for fundraising—but it’s not a robot Chief Development Officer. It doesn’t replace your expertise; it amplifies it.
AI language models like GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, and Mistral predict words through complex algorithms based on probability. They can innovate, summarize, structure data, and refine your writing.
But they are not people nor are they professionals.
Learning how you can partner with AI takes practice. That’s why Rich ended with the advice to “block out two hours a week to do your real work using AI.”
It’s like starting a new exercise habit. You’ll need discipline to show up and push through challenges.
And when you’re at the AI gym, it takes some experimentation to understand how AI can work for your specific goals and what techniques you will need to hone to get the results you want.
It helps to have some guidance. Inspired by Rich, I am giving you an exercise program. Each of these three routines focuses on a different fundraising muscle. Put the hours on your calendar, open up the Chat, and let’s see how AI can give you super strength.
Workout 1: Choosing a Conference
In this workout scenario, you’ll get help assessing which of the many philanthropy conferences out there will be the best investment. Choose two or three fundraising conferences based on your interest and location. Pull up the speakers’ and panelists’ bios. Open Chat, include the links to the conference, and ask these questions:
Can you review the overall speakers at these events and tell me what topics and issues in philanthropy will most likely be discussed at the keynote and workshops.
My organization’s mission and sector are [include your interest areas and key words]. If I am looking to better position my organization to attract mid-size funders and family foundations, which conference do you recommend I attend?
Are there five specific people on panels that I should try to meet while I am there based on my organization and goals at the conference?
If you happen to have access to an attendee list, you can also have Chat GPT analyze the audience in terms of how well it matches your needs and who you might want to try to meet for coffee. That would be a bonus.
PRO TIP: It works best when you have a back and forth, so ask these questions one at a time and adjust each one based on the previous response.
Workout 2: Meeting a Donor
Choose a philanthropic individual you plan to meet and hope to add to your donor portfolio. Put together a profile on this person—even a brief one with name, address, what boards they serve on, who they give to. Upload your annual report or other comprehensive explanation of your organization. Then start an analytical conversation with AI:
I’m having a first meeting with this potential donor. Considering their interests and history, what are some talking points I could use in our conversation that would be most appealing and persuasive?
Now upload the profile and prompt AI by asking, if the potential donor is extremely skeptical, what are five questions they might ask me?
What short responses can I give that might address each of these issues and concerns?
PRO TIP: See if Chat can generate a useful profile on its own. Comparing what it comes up with to what you put together will give you some insights about how to guide AI.
Workout 3: Understanding Your Event Crowd
Imagine you don’t have a super-sophisticated CRM that you can use in your sleep. (Crazy, I know.) Start with an existing or past event, or create a dummy example, and have a few spreadsheets representing attendees in different formats. For example, one lists the guests and their employers; another lists names alongside the host who invited each one. Then give AI some assignments:
Consolidate the guest list from these spreadsheets so that all the data is one place.
Do some research on these attendees, and create a document with one paragraph bios, headshots, and areas of interest for each guest. Also include any family foundations they are affiliated with. Note: you will likely not get a fully comprehensive answer here.
Based on my annual report or website, what talking points will most appeal to this collective group?
PRO TIP: The free version of ChatGPT is good, but if you can put in the $20 for the upgraded version, you can upload documents directly and access other features. It’s more sophisticated too, like moving from an undergraduate to a Ph.D.
A Post-Workout Stretch
By this point, you’ll have a sense that using AI is more of a creative, strategic, and experimental task than just using a tool off the shelf. When you get the hang of it, you’ll be responding in the moment, and learning in real time from things that don’t work the way you want. Learn from these experiences too by going back to the techniques that work best.
One more pro tip: AI is great at reading the internet — but the internet isn’t always, well, perfectly accurate.
The more you can narrow the options or specify topics, the better the results will be.
The bottom line is that AI isn’t outsourcing your thinking; it’s just a boost to your brain. It helps you think more quickly, clearly, and broadly. It will give you pointers, ideas, and synthesis.
Kind of like a coach! But you still have to do the heavy lifting.
Not My First Rotary
Sports metaphors are not my native language. I recently told someone the ball was in their field, so they’d have to take it down the court. I could tell by the way they looked at me I had committed a foul.
AI might make that same mistake. So make sure you don’t leave the ball in AI’s court, field, pitch, or dance floor. It’s your job to run with it.
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