By: Maddy Horvath, CFRE
Fundraising has always been deeply human. It’s built on relationships, listening, and trust. It’s about aligning generosity with purpose and walking alongside people as they decide how they want to make an impact. No technology can replace that, and it never will.
As nonprofit leaders enter a new year energized by mission and possibility, many are also navigating a growing conversation around AI. For some, that conversation feels exciting, and for others, it feels overwhelming or difficult to translate into the realities of day-to-day fundraising work.
This isn’t a blog about using AI for the sake of using AI, it’s about how AI can support fundraising professionals like you by giving you something you rarely have enough of: time. Time to think strategically. Time to prepare well. Time to show up fully present in conversations that shape your organization’s future. At Cramer & Associates, we don’t see AI as a replacement for fundraising. We see it as a tool that, when used well, amplifies human impact and keeps relationships at the center of the work.
Below are four simple, approachable ways fundraising professionals can begin using AI right now. These are practical ideas designed to help you focus your time and energy on what matters most: people, mission, and impact.
Tip #1: Use AI as a Thought Partner
One of the most immediate and impactful ways to use AI is as a thought partner. There’s a quote our team heard at a conference last year that stuck with us: “AI isn’t going to replace people, but people who use AI will replace those who don’t.”
For fundraisers, this doesn’t mean handing over your critical thinking and decision-making, but it does mean having a new place to strategize, plan, and effectively communicate.
Whether you’re sharpening an annual development plan, preparing for a campaign volunteer meeting, or trying to formulate a strategy that doesn’t feel quite right, AI can help you articulate ideas and concepts. It gives you a starting point, offers alternative perspectives, and asks questions you might not have considered yet. Instead of staring at a blank page, you can use AI to help you organize your thoughts and refine your ideas.
Give These Sample Prompts a Try!
- “I’m refining our annual development strategy for _____ nonprofit. We’re a mid-sized organization focused on [insert mission focus]. Here’s our context and goals. One area I would like to focus my efforts on is _______. Can you help me think through key focus areas?”
- “Here’s our draft fundraising event plan. What questions might a board member ask that I should be prepared to answer?”
- “Can you suggest three alternative ways to frame this end-of-year appeal strategy that feel donor-centered?”
PRO TIP: AI works best when you treat it like a collaborator, not a vending machine. Tell AI that it can ask clarifying questions, and explain the role you want it to play — such as serving as a strategic thought partner. You’ll get clearer, more thoughtful outputs as a result.
Tip #2: Prepare for Donor Meetings and Practice the Conversation
Whether you’re early in your fundraising career or a seasoned professional, walking into a donor conversation feeling prepared makes a world of difference.
Many nonprofit leaders and fundraisers are juggling multiple priorities, running from meeting to meeting, having donor conversations, submitting board requests, and everything in-between. Preparation still matters, but the way we prepare needs to be efficient and realistic.
This is where AI can be especially helpful! AI can support donor meeting preparation by helping you think through the conversation in advance. You can describe the donor, share what you know about their interests and giving history, and outline the goal of the meeting. From there, AI can help you anticipate questions, practice how you might respond, and even role-play parts of the conversation.
When preparing for an ask, it is still best to write the ask out clearly and intentionally. AI can help you refine that language so it’s concise, donor-centered, and confident, allowing you to focus on delivery rather than worry about wording.
As someone who occasionally hits writer’s block and tends to think more clearly when speaking than writing, I personally love using the voice feature in ChatGPT to talk through ideas out-loud. Speaking through a donor conversation often feels more natural than typing, especially when preparing for a significant or sensitive ask. This isn’t about scripting conversations, but about building confidence so you can be fully present when making an ask.
Give These Sample Prompts A Try!
- “I’m meeting with a long-time donor to discuss a leadership gift. Here’s the information I know about them. What questions might they ask?”
- “Help me practice explaining this campaign vision in a clear, donor-centered way that would be meaningful to this donor. They have historically supported _________ and have been passionate about __________.”
- “We have launched an endowment campaign to ensure our mission is sustained for generations to come. I’m meeting with a major gift donor who is also an emeritus board member, and has been a long-time volunteer. I am making the ask to this donor to support. Can you role-play this donor who is interested but hesitant about supporting endowment and help me think through thoughtful responses?”
PRO TIP: It’s important to protect donor privacy when using AI. Never enter a donor’s name or any personally identifiable details (email, address, employer, etc.). Use general descriptors instead (e.g., “long-time donor,” “alumna,” “major gift prospect”) so you can prepare effectively while keeping information confidential.
Tip #3: Create Conceptual Visuals to Support Early Campaign Conversations
Visuals are powerful, especially in capital campaigns. Architectural renderings absolutely play an important role in capital campaigns and cannot be replaced by quick AI visuals; however, those renderings take time and investment, and campaigns often need to move quickly in early donor conversations.
When you’re waiting for formal designs, AI can help you create conceptual images that communicate vision and impact. You can upload inspiration photos, describe the type of space you’re imagining, and generate visuals that help donors see what could be possible. AI-generated visuals are not a replacement for architectural renderings. Think of them as placeholders and conversation starters! Donors are inspired by seeing a space in action, seeing the people, and seeing mission come to life. AI can help you visualize that story earlier in the process.
Give These Sample Prompts a Try!
- “We have launched a capital campaign to build a workforce center for adults. Create a conceptual rendering of the interior of this building, filled with natural light and active hands-on learning spaces, including culinary skills, advanced manufacturing, and trades. Include people to show the space in-action, and include our brand colors. On the back wall, include a placeholder to show a naming opportunity with, “Your Name Here Workforce Development Center.”
- “Using these inspiration photos of similar food pantries, generate a visual that shows how our new pantry space can reflect a grocery store shopping model to better serve our neighbors. Include volunteers throughout the pantry greeting neighbors with fresh produce available.”
Tip #4: Tailor Your Message to How People Learn and Engage
It’s no surprise that not everyone absorbs information the same way.
Some people prefer visuals and love seeing ideas come to life in a short, well-designed presentation. Others are auditory learners who process information best by listening. In fundraising, recognizing how people engage with information can make a meaningful difference in how your message is received. This is where AI tools can be especially helpful; not by changing your message, but by helping you deliver it in ways that resonate with different audiences.
For visual learners, tools like Gamma can help you turn existing documents into clean, presentation-ready slides. You can upload a case for support, campaign update, or board training materials, along with your brand standards, and generate a strong baseline deck. It’s not meant to replace your judgment or storytelling, and it will still need your human touch, but it eliminates the time it takes to start from scratch.
For auditory learners, tools like NotebookLM open up another opportunity. If you or your stakeholders are avid podcast listeners, you can upload documents such as your case for support, giving guide, or board roles and responsibilities, and have the tool generate a short, conversational podcast style summary. This can be a powerful way to help board members, volunteers, or donors engage with information in a format that fits into their daily lives.
Give These Sample Prompts a Try!
- “Create a short, podcast-style summary of the roles and responsibilities document that a board member could listen to in 15–20 minutes.”
- “Using this campaign overview, generate both a one-page visual summary and a spoken overview that explains board members’ roles during this phase of the campaign.”
Final Takeaways
AI doesn’t replace relationships, intuition, or trust. These things are built by people and conversations over time. When used thoughtfully, AI can help protect the time and energy that make great fundraising possible. It can lighten the administrative load, reduce burnout, and help nonprofit professionals stay focused on the work that matters most. The best fundraising still happens one conversation at a time. AI helps you show up to those conversations more prepared, confident, and present.
Important note about ethical AI usage: AI should never be used to upload sensitive donor information, private financial details, or anything you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing in other systems. It’s important to know that names can be anonymized, details can be generalized, and context can be shared without compromising confidentiality. Most AI platforms also allow you to opt out of having your conversations used for training or improvement, creating a more closed and secure environment for your work. Used responsibly, AI can support fundraising efforts without putting donor trust at risk.
