AI in Fundraising: A Technical Look At What's Working in 2025: Part 2

Alexander Reid
1 day ago
2 min read

1) Donor segmentation and predictive scoring

Machine-learning models can ranking donors by likelihood to give again.

Most modern CRMs embed this already; you don’t need to code. The practical step is to review what the algorithm predicts and decide whether that aligns with human insight.

2) Personalisation at scale

Once donor groups are known, LLMs can generate customised versions of standard messages. Rather than write 20 different emails, a prompt can re-phrase one draft for each segment: corporate, event donor, or volunteer.

Guardrails:

Keep factual inserts (names, dates, amounts) outside the AI tool.
Review one sample from each batch before sending.
Archive prompts for audit.

Small charities can do this manually with spreadsheet exports and free AI accounts; large teams may link directly via CRM APIs.

3) Automating reports and summaries

Productivity AIs such as Microsoft Copilot read internal Word or Excel documents locally.

They summarise meeting notes or campaign outcomes without exporting data externally.

This hybrid model — AI sitting inside existing office tools — is the safest way to automate admin while retaining GDPR compliance.

4) Integrating AI responsibly

A basic technical stack for safe fundraising AI looks like:

Data layer: CRM or Google Sheets.
Processing layer: approved API (OpenAI / Gemini Enterprise).
Automation layer: Zapier or native CRM triggers.
Governance layer: human review logs + six-monthly policy updates.

Documenting this structure once will satisfy most internal governance reviews and avoids “shadow tools” being used ad hoc.

5) Common implementation mistakes

Deploying tools before defining the goal.
Letting multiple departments experiment separately (no shared prompts).
Assuming free consumer AI versions are GDPR-safe.
Over-editing outputs until the time saving disappears.

Solve these with one shared policy, a prompt library, and quarterly refresh sessions.

Learn more about AI for charities at one of our webinars or training events.