Things We Are Watching in 2025: A.I. & Fundraising

As an English major, I have dragged myself kicking and screaming into the world of A.I. At first, I wouldn’t even go near ChatGPT, Einstein, or even think about clicking the icon asking me if I wanted my email message to be cleaned up. I spent years - decades - honing my writing and research skills and have tremendous pride in my ability to use words to craft a compelling story, solicitation letter, or acknowledgement.

Then one day it happened. I was staring at a blank screen, trying to craft the opening salvo for a client’s case for support. I started, then deleted. I tried to outline my thoughts, but couldn’t find a rhythm. I tried an impact story, but it just wasn’t flowing.

A little later that afternoon, I was having a catch up with a fellow consultant and I asked her if she was using A.I. with her clients. She too had been hesitant, but started dabbling to write solicitation letter templates and to streamline reports. While not perfect, she was happy to use it as a starting point and then edit for voice and impact.

Old fashioned ink pen writing on lined paper.

Heart racing and palms sweating, I opened ChatGPT and with an overwhelming sense of guilt rising in my gut, I typed in a simple prompt: write a compelling and inspiring opening paragraph for an organization that is dedicated to….and is looking for more resources.

I almost fell out of my chair. The first iteration was pretty good. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But it was a good starting point. I spent the next 20-30 minutes working with ChatGPT to refine the prompt, adding a bit more information, including the name and website of the organization, and with each revision, the work became more and more coherent and compelling.

This was an exercise in teaching me how to more effectively use ChatGPT and that machine can be good, but we have to be very specific. In this case, more information is better.

Over the last few months as I have started to dig deeper into A.I., reading more and more about security issues, cost and impact on the environment, and maintaining the voice of the organization, I have started compiling a list of thoughts and recommendations that I hope might be helpful.

Choose one AI platform and stick to it. The point of machine learning is for the program to learn from you and the refinements you make on your prompts. If you notice, most platforms keep a record of your recent prompts that you can both review and continue to edit.
Provide lots of context. The more information you can use in your prompt or question, the more likely the A.I. program is going to give you a more accurate result. Instead of saying “Write a thank you letter for XYZ organization,” consider refining it to “write a one page thank you letter to XYZ organization (insert website here) and talk about the 150 students who received art kits because of the donors generous support.”
Consider a paid subscription. Most A.I. models are clear that the free versions are utilizing your information and data to help refine their models. However, a paid subscription to ChatGPT keeps your data private and with a level of security. It also gives you the ability to delete your data.
Use AI models to review your work. This can be particularly helpful for grant writers. If you have a prompt with a response that is word-count restricted, A.I. can be helpful in synthesizing the information and reducing your word count.
Read and then re-read the output. At first glance, the output may look gorgeous and compelling. But be sure to read and edit for context and accuracy. On more than one occasion, the model has pulled something out of context from a website that could have been easily overlooked and made a donor raise their eyebrow.
Don’t lose your voice. While it is easy to allow the machine to do the work, your donors have likely come to know and appreciate the voice of the organization and its leaders. They will notice and might become less inspired to give. Make sure that A.I. is one of the tools in your toolbox, enhancing your personal and human work.

For those still reading, I did use some of ChatGPT’s information in that case for support, but I still find that I am perhaps too proud of an English major. Our clients expect the very best from us and your donors expect the very best from you. Providing excellent quality of work is paramount in our work and I believe that still requires a human touch.

Good luck on your A.I. journey and let us know how we can be helpful!

John Mainella

Cape Fletcher Associates