It seems that a new technology emerges daily that promises the ability to do everything faster, better, or smarter. But when it comes to the technology used in fundraising, our unfortunate reality is one of broken promises.

Everyone knows exactly what an email blast looks like, whether it’s from your alma mater asking for a contribution to their fundraising campaign, or the local pet shelter looking for extra funding. Donors today expect more from nonprofits. They want to see an appeal that’s relevant to their individual interests.

On Giving Tuesday, all eyes are on philanthropy. But even with the grandiose gestures and effort, is Giving Tuesday enough?

It’s November and we are now fully engaged in the end of year giving push. For many organizations, that means it’s all hands on deck to make sure that no personal ask goes unmade. 

In the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), fundraising organizations have a new path to expand the workforce and begin seeing the returns of increased efficiency, faster than previously thought possible.

Arts and culture have greatly relied on the affinities of philanthropists throughout history. The most famous of these relationships is perhaps that of Medici family and the Renaissance, an impact on the world that is still on display, even centuries later. Great donors have always fueled arts and culture, but not all organizations in these fields can be so lucky to have a modern-day Medici to call on for funding.

According to Giving USA 2019: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2018, American individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations gave an estimated $427.71 billion to U.S. charities in 2018, up 0.7% from 2017. So why should that be cause for concern?

VIA Public Media, Northeastern Pennsylvania’s PBS and NPR affiliate, serving 22 counties in the region, recently reorganized its development team and efforts to bring all resources onto one team. In this reorganization, Chief Development Officer, Ron Prislupski, identified that VIA’s major gifts program needed help and saw an opportunity to add resources that would increase revenue. In addition to hiring a Planned and Major Giving Officer, his partnership with CDP also identified Gravyty’s AI-enabled fundraising suite of tools as a solution to increase fundraiser activity and inspire more gifts.

Our good friend, John A. Farkas, Jr., Major and Planned Giving Officer at WVIA Public Media, recently spoke about the future of fundraising, and where he saw the industry going in the future. He referenced that Gravyty and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are changing the fundraising industry, and will continue to revolutionize how fundraisers do their jobs.

Perhaps one of the most divisive trends in fundraising today is the shrinking portfolio. More and more organizations are slashing gift officer assignments by 30, even 60 percent. But we need better ways for fundraisers to manage more prospects – meaningfully, today, for current and long-term major giving.