The fundraising AI journey
From finding grants to retaining donors - AI techniques for every stage of the fundraising cycle.
This pathway aims to cover the complete fundraising lifecycle, showing how AI can support each stage. The pathway goes from discovering opportunities to nurturing long-term donor relationships.
We start with finding and qualifying funding opportunities, then move to writing stronger applications, and finish with donor engagement and retention. Each stage builds on the last, but you can also jump to whichever section is most relevant to your current priorities. We should probably flag that there is still nothing that beats relationships when it comes to fundraising and donors. But, we're confident if you're reading this that you've already got that covered so AI can help!
These techniques are particularly valuable for small fundraising teams who need to cover a lot of ground with limited resources.
Before you start
- •Access to Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus (some recipes need larger context windows)
- •Access to your CRM data (anonymised exports work fine)
- •Basic familiarity with spreadsheets
- •Completed "First Steps with AI" pathway or equivalent experience
What you will achieve
- ✓Reduce time spent on grant searching by 50% or more
- ✓Write stronger, better-aligned funding applications
- ✓Communicate more effectively with supporters at scale
- ✓Use data to make smarter fundraising decisions
Learning path
Find and qualify opportunities
Discover relevant grants and partnerships, then prioritise where to focus your limited time.
Estimated time: 3-4 hours
After this stage, you will be able to:
- ✓Spend less time on grant searches
- ✓Make data-informed decisions about which opportunities to pursue
- ✓Discover opportunities you would have missed
Cast a wider net without spending hours on manual searching
Focus on grants where you have the best chance of success
Identify companies whose CSR priorities align with your mission
Apply and (increase your chances to) win
Write stronger applications and generate better reports for existing funders.
Estimated time: 3-4 hours
After this stage, you will be able to:
- ✓Write more compelling applications faster
- ✓Catch issues before submission
- ✓Produce better quality funder reports
Align your application language with funder priorities
Get AI feedback on your draft before submitting
Turn project data into compelling funder reports
Donor engagement
Communicate more effectively with supporters at scale.
Estimated time: 4-5 hours
After this stage, you will be able to:
- ✓Send more relevant communications
- ✓Understand your donor base more deeply
- ✓Increase engagement without increasing workload
Draft email sequences that feel personal but work at scale
Tailor messages based on giving history and interests
Understand your supporter base better through data analysis
Retention and stewardship
Keep supporters engaged and catch warning signs early.
Estimated time: 3-4 hours
After this stage, you will be able to:
- ✓Reduce donor churn through early intervention
- ✓Provide faster supporter service
- ✓Create content that resonates with your audience
Identify at-risk donors before they lapse
Respond faster to supporter enquiries
Understand what your supporters actually care about