‘Alexa, assess the use of AI in trust and foundations fundraising’
Actually, I don’t even use Alexa. My SONOS speakers have been idle since I switched broadband providers last week as I haven't found the energy to update my settings (nor do I know where to start).
That might tell you all you need to know about how I view technology.
Change; our most contentious of contemporaries. My career in local government and charity sector has been founded on the basis of wanting a fair and just society. Change with a big C. I am always here for it. Yet when it comes to small tools for change I put my head in the sand, disconnect and dissociate.
Mason: It's reality!
Pamela: This is the '80s, Mason. Nobody wants reality anymore.
Batteries not Included
Recently, an appallingly marketed AI tool for grant applications in the charity sector did nothing to garner my trust. It opened up some useful discussions, granted (excuse the pun) but also made me quite rageful—a significant feat for a mild-mannered Scorpio.
I realised that it wasn't AI itself that enraged me, but its potential for exploitation in a sector close to my heart.
When things like this happen I do two things. I get curious and I get kind.
In getting kind, my wonderful fellow freelancer Sarah-Jane Pickering and I set up our free monthly trust and foundations clinic in an attempt to remove any obstacles for small charities in their fundraising efforts. There are so many barriers in fundraising, good advice shouldn't be one.
Getting curious was twofold ;
Firstly, working with yet another brilliant freelancer, Rachel Cross, I got to undertake some preliminary research using ChatGPT. Rachel is leading on a great advocacy project.
I have only used ChatGPT twice. It seemed like a good time to use it, typing in a few exploratory questions. Out churned a good few paragraphs. You know why it worked? I was working with a safe pair of hands who could take these initial findings at face value, I could easily admit that they hadn't been verified (and that I didn't have time to do that) and that follow-up work could be done to substantiate the information. Openness, collaboration and trust.
(Rachel and I both found out that ChatGPT has the tendency to make up statistics but doesn't always tell you that they're made up. We were trying to verify the claim ‘Since August 2023, approximately 6,000 charities have been reported to be late with their accounts’. Too much of a perfect number, no? You have to ask for the source. Assume everything is an example or an estimation)
Secondly, was to find training. This was going to be more complicated. I wanted someone who had a deep understanding of the sector and had nothing to sell but their experience. Enter Michelle Stein. Her 90 minute training webinar provided a brilliant foundation for the use of AI in fundraising, from thank you letters to impact reports. Her candid experience was refreshing and I came away feeling excited, not enraged. I was especially joyful in what AI can do with application forms. Experience and trust.
My findings from the training and my thoughts:
Shocker! AI isn’t great at writing, despite being marketed for this.
There are a lot of free platforms available that are a great place to start practising.
AI is a series of prompts, much like a conversation. It’s collaborative and depends on the quality of input.
Knowledge and experience are essential; AI's effectiveness relies heavily on the quality of the questions asked and the ability to interpret and interrogate responses (the latter is pretty damn significant)
Given that AI estimates and assumes output, human oversight and verification is necessary. The information's accuracy needs to be assessed (what are the sources?) and any bias in AI information outputs needs to be addressed (who is reading this and is it appropriate perspective, language and pace)
Summary
Insight and discernment. Time and experience. AI is still a people and experience centred process. Despite all of that, I do think that efficiencies are possible with AI if you have a good, sound framework and knowledge base.
Number 5: Malfunction. Need input.
Stephanie Speck: Input. That's information! Listen, I am full of it.
Short Circuit
Unfortunately, you cannot CTRL ALT DELETE yourself into a portfolio of regular, warm funders, but you can support your staff in getting curious with AI, invest in their training, and support their inquisitiveness. In a time where retention and recruitment in fundraising are suffering, that’s a good start (but that’s another post, entirely).
Recommendations for charities:
Support staff training on AI: Invest in training to help staff understand AI within your charity’s own strategy and policy framework especially in regard to risk, GDPR, governance and ethics
Embrace staff curiosity: Encourage staff to explore AI's potential and support their inquisitive approach, give permission for time to experiment as a group or individually
Collaboration and Openness: work with those in the sector who are using AI, glean their experience, have the conversations
I am really looking forward to getting comfortable with the various different platforms, finding out which ones work best for me and how they impact my work.
If you want to chat more (without AI) my DM’s are open or you can book for chat.
Additional Resources:
Reading: David Burgess’ Lunchtime Musings
Learning: AI for High-Value Fundraisers Webinar by Michelle Stein. Michelle’s next webinar is in July
Supporting: AI For Charities And Non-Profits - Free Tools, Guides, Training & More. Charity Excellence Framework
Bookmarking: DSC ‘Could AI revolutionise grant-making?’ and Charity AI Policy - Governance & Ethics Framework
Disclaimer
I used Gemini and ChatGPT to assess this writing for flow, clarity, repetition and ease of reading.
Note from ChatGPT; ‘There are minor punctuation issues, such as inconsistent use of commas’. Dammit ChatGPT this is not a National Lottery application.
I then amended it and put it through ChatGPT for a second time. I then amended it and put it through ChatGPT a third time. I then got tired and bored. As my friend said of AI ‘It’s instant feedback that I don't feel bad ignoring’.
Do not take this strategy with your Chief Executive.
Also, I have no sales affiliation to Michelle Stein. I just stan really bloody good and value for money training.
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