The Intentional Fundraiser Podcast From Overwhelm to Opportunity: AI and the Modern Fundraiser
6 snips
Jul 22, 2025 
Nathan Chappell, Chief AI Officer at Virtuous and co-author of 'Nonprofit AI', shares insights on navigating the rapid changes in AI technology for fundraisers. He explores how curiosity can empower fundraisers to transform anxiety into opportunity. Discussions include the importance of focusing on pain points before choosing AI tools, the balance between technology and human connection, and the need for ethical governance in AI use. Nathan emphasizes the critical role of trust in donor relationships and encourages a culture of curiosity within organizations.
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Podcast Grew From Regular Conversations
- Nathan and Scott recorded their Fundraising AI podcast because they were already discussing AI weekly and wanted to capture it.
- Early skeptical listeners later became champions after listening and experimenting.
Start With Pain Points Not Tools
- Find a low-stakes, high-yield problem that irritates your team and start there.
- Then pick the AI type that fits the problem and scale outward from that solution.
Prioritize Audience Understanding
- Predictive AI ratifies intuition by finding patterns across many data points you cannot compute manually.
- Use it to identify the right people before optimizing asks or channels.
