Giving circles session - almost full

Welcome to this week's LinkedIn-only excerpt of the Donor Participation Project newsletter! The Donor Participation Project is a community of 6,000+ fundraisers where you can network, learn, and advance your career.

You've heard the warnings, right??

"Be careful with AI." "Proceed with caution."?

Thoughtful consideration is important, but excessive caution often translates to inaction.?

My view is that given the multi-decade decline in donor participation, inaction is a luxury our communities can't afford.

I put together an essay for you today outlining some ways that AI could accelerate nonprofit's impact.?

Important note: while these solutions don't currently exist as off-the-shelf products, they are well within the realm of possibility given the current state of AI technology.

Scaling Community Connections (Without Losing the Personal Touch)

Remember Jim Langley's student interview project at Georgetown? Imagine doing that on steroids. With AI, we could:

• Match thousands of community members based on shared interests
• Facilitate personalized interactions at a scale previously unthinkable
• Create adaptive storytelling campaigns that evolve with each participant's input

It's like having a thousand interns working 24/7, but without the scheduling nightmares.

A Personal Inclusivity Consultant

"We just inadvertently insulted a group of our constituents."

?::facepalm::

AI could be your safeguard:

• Spotting when your content is unintentionally exclusive
• Identifying gaps in representation among your stakeholders
• Suggesting tweaks to make your messaging more inclusive

Sanity Check for Mission Drift

Mission drift: the silent killer of nonprofits. But what if you had a constant reminder of your purpose? AI could:

• Analyze your communications, programs, and spending for mission alignment
• Flag potential instances of mission drift for your review
• Suggest course corrections based on successful strategies from similar organizations

It's like having an outside voice who's always on duty, keeping you true to your cause.

Early Warning System

Wouldn't it be great to see problems coming before they hit? With AI, you could:

• Monitor social media, news, and other data sources for signs of declining impact
• Predict potential drops in funding based on donor behavior patterns
• Identify emerging community needs you should address

More Responsive Relationships (Without the Chaos)

AI can help you tap into the collective wisdom of your community:

• Facilitate and analyze large-scale community surveys in real-time
• Simulate potential outcomes of different strategies
• Identify unexpected connections in your work, sparking innovation

The bottom line is that there is a risk that AI replaces human connection. We are here to propose another vision – to create more responsive, impactful, and connected organizations.

After all, isn't that why we're in the nonprofit sector in the first place?

Now, go forth and embrace the AI revolution. Your community is counting on you to lead the way.

~ Louis

PS: At Annual Fund Toolkit, we're experimenting with some of these ideas. We invite other organizations and individual innovators (that's you!) to join us in exploring and developing these AI applications for the nonprofit sector. Share your comments right now if you have an idea to share!

Lunch Analysis

Curious about giving circles and collective giving - the fastest growing model of individual giving?

Join Susan Benford (Philanos), Joy Webb (Community Investment Network) and Michelle Cottrell (Women’s Impact Fund) to learn more about how giving circles connect new philanthropists with local, community-based nonprofits.

Key topics include:

• Understand the size and growth trajectory of collective giving
• Explore the demographics of giving circles and how they can help reach under-stewarded donors
• Learn about trends in giving circle granting and support beyond financial contributions
• Discover how giving circles connect individual donors with local issues and organizations, combating the current decline in donor participation

Visit Event Page →

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Have a great week,

Louis