AI for Nonprofit Teams: Roles, Responsibilities & Practical Use Cases
Development / Fundraising
Develop case for support & core fundraising messages
Craft or oversee the narrative that explains why donors should give—and align all giving programs around it. A compelling case for support articulates your organization's need, impact, and why donors' support matters. You'll develop core messaging that resonates with different donor audiences, ensure all fundraising materials align with this messaging, and create narratives that motivate donors to give and stay engaged.
Detailed Breakdown
1
Craft the Core Case for Support
The case for support is the foundational narrative that explains why donors should give to your organization. The director develops a compelling case that articulates organizational need, demonstrates impact, and explains why donor support matters. This case becomes the foundation for all fundraising communications and materials.
- •Articulate the organization's need and why donor support is essential.
- •Demonstrate the impact of the organization's work and donor contributions.
- •Explain why donors' support matters and how it makes a difference.
- •Create a narrative that is compelling, authentic, and aligned with organizational values.
- •Ensure the case for support reflects current organizational priorities and impact.
- •Develop messaging that resonates with different donor audiences and motivations.
How AI Can Help
Case Development & Narrative Crafting
What AI can realistically do
- •Draft initial versions of the case for support based on organizational information and impact data.
- •Analyze organizational need, impact, and donor value propositions to inform case development.
- •Suggest compelling narratives that articulate why donors should give.
- •Generate multiple versions of the case for support for review and refinement.
- •Ensure the case for support aligns with organizational values and mission.
- •Refine case language to be more compelling, authentic, and effective.
Value for staff
- •Accelerates case development while ensuring quality and alignment.
- •Provides multiple options and perspectives for case refinement.
Impact Articulation & Donor Value
What AI can realistically do
- •Analyze impact data to identify compelling stories and outcomes for the case for support.
- •Suggest ways to articulate organizational need and why donor support is essential.
- •Generate messaging that explains why donors' support matters and how it makes a difference.
- •Create impact narratives that demonstrate the value of donor contributions.
- •Ensure the case for support reflects current organizational priorities and impact.
- •Suggest improvements to make the case more compelling and donor-focused.
Value for staff
- •Ensures the case for support effectively communicates impact and donor value.
- •Makes the case more compelling and motivating for donors.
2
Develop Core Fundraising Messages for Different Audiences
While the case for support provides the foundation, core fundraising messages must be adapted for different donor audiences. The director develops messaging that resonates with various donor segments—major donors, annual fund donors, corporate partners, foundations—while maintaining consistency with the core case for support.
- •Adapt the case for support for different donor audiences and segments.
- •Develop messaging that speaks to different donor motivations and interests.
- •Create audience-specific messaging for major donors, annual fund, corporate, and foundation audiences.
- •Ensure all messaging maintains consistency with the core case for support.
- •Test and refine messaging based on donor response and engagement.
- •Update messaging as organizational priorities or donor preferences evolve.
How AI Can Help
Audience-Specific Messaging Development
What AI can realistically do
- •Adapt the case for support for different donor audiences and segments automatically.
- •Generate audience-specific messaging for major donors, annual fund, corporate, and foundation audiences.
- •Analyze donor segments to understand motivations and interests for targeted messaging.
- •Create messaging variations that speak to different donor motivations while maintaining consistency.
- •Suggest messaging approaches based on donor segment characteristics and preferences.
- •Generate messaging templates for different audience types.
Value for staff
- •Ensures messaging resonates with different donor audiences effectively.
- •Maintains consistency while adapting to audience needs.
Messaging Testing & Refinement
What AI can realistically do
- •Analyze donor response and engagement data to test messaging effectiveness.
- •Suggest messaging refinements based on donor response patterns.
- •Compare messaging performance across different audiences to identify what works.
- •Recommend messaging updates when organizational priorities or donor preferences evolve.
- •Generate A/B testing frameworks for evaluating messaging variations.
- •Track messaging performance over time to inform continuous improvement.
Value for staff
- •Enables data-driven messaging refinement and improvement.
- •Ensures messaging stays effective as audiences and priorities evolve.
3
Align All Fundraising Materials with Core Messaging
Consistency in messaging builds trust and reinforces the organization's case for support. The director ensures that all fundraising materials—appeals, proposals, presentations, stewardship communications—align with the core case for support and messaging framework, creating a cohesive donor experience.
- •Review all fundraising materials to ensure alignment with core messaging.
- •Create messaging guidelines that staff can use when developing fundraising materials.
- •Ensure appeals, proposals, and presentations reflect the core case for support.
- •Maintain consistent messaging across all fundraising channels and activities.
- •Update fundraising materials when core messaging evolves.
- •Train staff on core messaging to ensure consistent application across all materials.
How AI Can Help
Messaging Alignment Review
What AI can realistically do
- •Review fundraising materials automatically to check alignment with core messaging.
- •Flag materials that don't align with the core case for support or messaging framework.
- •Compare fundraising materials across channels to ensure consistency.
- •Suggest edits to improve alignment with core messaging.
- •Generate messaging alignment reports showing consistency across materials.
- •Identify messaging inconsistencies that need correction.
Value for staff
- •Ensures all fundraising materials maintain messaging consistency.
- •Saves time on manual review while ensuring quality and alignment.
Messaging Guidelines & Training
What AI can realistically do
- •Generate messaging guidelines that staff can use when developing fundraising materials.
- •Create messaging templates and examples that demonstrate proper application.
- •Develop training materials on core messaging and its application.
- •Generate quick-reference guides for staff to ensure consistent messaging.
- •Suggest messaging improvements for materials that need better alignment.
- •Track messaging application across materials to identify training needs.
Value for staff
- •Ensures staff can apply core messaging consistently across all materials.
- •Creates organizational knowledge about messaging standards and application.
4
Create Narratives That Motivate Giving and Engagement
Effective fundraising messaging goes beyond facts and figures—it tells stories that motivate donors to give and stay engaged. The director develops narratives that connect donors emotionally to the organization's work, demonstrate impact through stories, and inspire continued support.
- •Develop stories that illustrate organizational impact and donor contributions.
- •Create narratives that connect donors emotionally to the organization's mission.
- •Use storytelling to demonstrate how donor support makes a difference.
- •Develop narratives for different stages of the donor journey (acquisition, cultivation, stewardship).
- •Ensure narratives are authentic, compelling, and aligned with organizational values.
- •Update narratives regularly to reflect current impact and organizational work.
How AI Can Help
Story Development & Narrative Creation
What AI can realistically do
- •Generate stories that illustrate organizational impact and donor contributions.
- •Create narratives that connect donors emotionally to the organization's mission.
- •Develop storytelling frameworks for different stages of the donor journey.
- •Suggest narrative approaches that demonstrate how donor support makes a difference.
- •Generate multiple narrative variations for different contexts and audiences.
- •Refine narratives to be more compelling, authentic, and aligned with organizational values.
Value for staff
- •Accelerates narrative development while ensuring quality and emotional connection.
- •Creates compelling stories that motivate giving and engagement.
Narrative Maintenance & Updates
What AI can realistically do
- •Update narratives regularly to reflect current impact and organizational work.
- •Refresh fundraising narratives with current impact stories and outcomes.
- •Suggest narrative improvements based on donor response and engagement data.
- •Generate narrative variations for different fundraising contexts and channels.
- •Track narrative performance to identify which stories resonate most with donors.
- •Recommend narrative updates when organizational priorities or impact changes.
Value for staff
- •Keeps narratives current and relevant to organizational work.
- •Ensures narratives continue to motivate giving and engagement effectively.
5
Ensure Messaging Reflects Current Organizational Priorities
Fundraising messaging must stay current with organizational priorities, program activities, and impact. The director ensures that the case for support and core messaging reflect current organizational work, priorities, and outcomes, maintaining relevance and accuracy in all fundraising communications.
- •Regularly review and update the case for support to reflect current organizational priorities.
- •Ensure messaging reflects current program activities and impact.
- •Update core messaging when organizational priorities or strategic direction changes.
- •Coordinate with program staff to ensure messaging accurately represents current work.
- •Refresh fundraising narratives with current impact stories and outcomes.
- •Maintain messaging accuracy while keeping it compelling and relevant.
How AI Can Help
Messaging Updates & Refresh
What AI can realistically do
- •Review and suggest updates to the case for support when organizational priorities change.
- •Ensure messaging reflects current program activities and impact automatically.
- •Generate updated messaging when organizational priorities or strategic direction changes.
- •Coordinate with program staff communications to ensure messaging accuracy.
- •Refresh fundraising narratives with current impact stories and outcomes.
- •Flag when messaging needs updates to reflect current organizational work.
Value for staff
- •Keeps messaging current and relevant to organizational priorities.
- •Ensures messaging accurately represents current organizational work.
Accuracy & Relevance Maintenance
What AI can realistically do
- •Compare messaging to current organizational priorities and program activities to ensure accuracy.
- •Suggest messaging updates when organizational work or priorities evolve.
- •Generate messaging that maintains accuracy while staying compelling and relevant.
- •Track messaging changes over time to ensure consistency and accuracy.
- •Flag potential inaccuracies or outdated information in fundraising messaging.
- •Recommend messaging refreshes based on organizational changes and priorities.
Value for staff
- •Maintains messaging accuracy and relevance over time.
- •Protects organizational integrity through accurate fundraising communications.
6
Oversee Messaging Development and Quality
The director oversees the development and quality of all fundraising messaging, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and effectiveness. This involves reviewing messaging, providing guidance to staff, establishing standards, and ensuring all fundraising communications meet quality and alignment standards.
- •Review and approve fundraising messaging developed by staff.
- •Provide guidance and feedback on messaging development and refinement.
- •Establish messaging standards and guidelines for fundraising communications.
- •Ensure all fundraising messaging meets quality, accuracy, and alignment standards.
- •Train staff on effective messaging development and application.
- •Continuously improve messaging based on donor response and engagement data.
How AI Can Help
Quality Review & Standards
What AI can realistically do
- •Review fundraising messaging automatically for quality, accuracy, and alignment.
- •Generate messaging standards and guidelines for fundraising communications.
- •Check messaging against established standards and flag issues.
- •Suggest improvements to messaging quality, accuracy, and alignment.
- •Create quality review checklists and frameworks for messaging evaluation.
- •Track messaging quality over time to ensure consistent standards.
Value for staff
- •Ensures all fundraising messaging meets quality and alignment standards.
- •Provides consistent quality review without requiring manual review of every piece.
Staff Guidance & Training
What AI can realistically do
- •Generate guidance and feedback on messaging development and refinement.
- •Create training materials on effective messaging development and application.
- •Suggest messaging improvements based on quality standards and best practices.
- •Develop messaging examples and templates that demonstrate quality standards.
- •Track messaging development patterns to identify training needs.
- •Recommend messaging training and support based on staff needs.
Value for staff
- •Equips staff to develop high-quality messaging independently.
- •Ensures consistent messaging quality across all fundraising communications.