Getting AI Right: a Fundraiser’s Guide to Responsible Use

The world of nonprofit fundraising is at an inflection point. Economic uncertainty and digital saturation are setting new standards for donor expectations and changing how, when, and why people give. According to the 2025 Virtuous Fundraising Benchmark Report, online giving grew by 4.3 percent from the previous year, yet donor retention remains a critical challenge.

The report also revealed that lifetime giving is increasing when fundraisers employ deeper, more relevant engagement strategies with donors. Artificial intelligence offers transformational potential to support these goals, but only if applied responsibly and used beneficially. Leveraging AI is not just important for efficiency but for preserving trust and advancing mission integrity.

Across every sector, AI is reshaping how organizations work. However, in the nonprofit space, the stakes are uniquely high. Fundraisers aren’t just driving transactions or selling products; they’re stewarding relationships, building community, nurturing generosity, and advancing missions that matter. This makes the ethical use of AI not a technical consideration but a moral imperative.

To navigate this new territory, you must develop an appropriate-use policy to govern how you deploy the technology ethically and strategically.

Ensure your AI tools amplify social good.

At Fundraising.AI, a global volunteer-led think tank that I co-founded to bring together more than 20,000 nonprofit professionals, technologists, and ethicists, we are working to ensure ethical standards are at the center of how AI in fundraising is developed and deployed. The collective recognizes that AI can be ethical, private, and safe, yet still harmful to humanity, as we’ve seen with social media.

That’s why Fundraising.AI made it a guiding principle to always refer to AI as both responsible and beneficial. That means more than avoiding bias or complying with regulations. It is imperative to design AI that is:

• Transparent: Donors should understand how AI is using their data.
• Equitable: Systems must reflect and respect the full diversity of communities served.
• Human-centered: AI should amplify, not replace, authentic human relationships.
• Private: Donor data must stay confidential and be handled with care and consent.
• Mission-aligned: Technology must serve the purpose of doing good, not just doing more.

To help organizations apply these principles in practice, the Responsible AI Framework for Fundraising is now freely available at Fundraising.AI. This framework considers 10 core pillars: privacy and security; data ethics; inclusiveness and bias mitigation; accountability, transparency, and explainability; continuous learning; collaboration; legal compliance; social impact; sustainability; and mission alignment.

These pillars aren’t just abstract ideals. They are practical guardrails that ensure AI becomes a tool for fundraising and generosity. The acceptable-use framework also plays a vital role in helping organizations safeguard donor trust and preserve mission integrity in an AI-powered future.

Develop high standards for the AI tools you adopt.

Nonprofits looking to adopt new technologies and fundraising tools should start by evaluating platforms that follow these guidelines. As organizations assess new tools and partners, they should ask not only what the technology can do but whether it is responsible and beneficial.

Technologies should be:

• Responsive to donor behavior: Technology should enable your organization to respond in real time to donor signals such as engagement, giving patterns, and interests, without relying on intrusive or manipulative tactics.
• Data-informed, not data-driven: Tools should help your team make more intelligent decisions based on data, while keeping the human element front and center.
• Unified systems for personalization: Look for solutions that integrate email, volunteer operations, and fundraising data into your customer-relationship management software to deliver personalized experiences across channels.
• Monitored for ethical pitfalls: The platform should have clear policies and mechanisms for protecting donor privacy, avoiding bias, and maintaining transparency in how AI is used.
• Used to enhance staff workflows: AI should not replace fundraisers; it should give them more time and insight to deepen personal relationships with supporters.
• Designed for your mission: Choose tools that are built with nonprofits in mind, not simply retrofitted from for-profit models. The best technologies are those aligned with your values and built to amplify your mission, not distract from it.

With the right tools, and when AI is both responsible and beneficial, fundraising becomes responsive and enables nonprofits to treat every donor like a major donor through a combination of thoughtful automation and intentional engagement at scale.

Feel empowered — not threatened — by AI’s potential.

Nonprofits don’t need to wait for AI to shape their future. They can — and must — shape AI’s role in theirs. Consider tools that are designed to help you build trust, protect integrity, and embrace innovation on the terms you set.

AI is not a threat to generosity. When built and used responsibly and beneficially, it is a force multiplier and one of the most powerful tools available to accelerate it. This is our opportunity: Create a future where technology doesn’t make fundraising just more efficient but more human, more ethical, and more impactful than ever before.