Nonprofits and mission-driven teams are being asked to do more with less: less time, fewer people, tighter budgets. Meanwhile, the pressure to innovate, engage supporters, and demonstrate impact is higher than ever. Enter AI: a rapidly evolving toolbox that promises to streamline operations and supercharge results.
But here’s the truth that gets lost in the hype: tools don’t transform organizations. People do.
That’s why I’ve been speaking and consulting more frequently on a different angle of AI adoption: the human one.
Yes, AI can help social impact teams work smarter. It can draft donor appeals, automate stewardship workflows, personalize content, analyze data, and free up valuable time. But none of that matters if staff are overwhelmed, skeptical, or unsure how to use these tools in a way that aligns with their values and day-to-day realities.
The most successful AI integrations I’ve seen don’t start with tech. They start with trust.
Instead of approaching AI as a silver bullet, we need to treat it as an opportunity for reflection and realignment. In my work with nonprofits, foundations, and values-driven companies, I help teams ask:
What tasks drain our time but don’t need a human touch?
Where could automation give us breathing room to focus on the mission?
How do we make these tools feel like an extension of our work—not an imposition on it?
AI can reclaim hours. But more importantly, it can help reignite purpose—when staff spend less time formatting reports and more time building relationships, advocating for justice, or dreaming up new programs.
It’s rarely about choosing the “right” platform. Instead, it’s about:
Creating psychological safety so people can experiment, question, and even push back.
Designing roles and workflows with clarity around what AI supports versus what needs a human touch.
Coaching leaders to champion change without contributing to burnout or fear.
Normalizing iteration so teams can make small, smart improvements—without feeling like they need to overhaul everything at once.
What excites me most about AI isn’t the tech. It’s the potential to re-center people in their work, to shift from reactive mode into strategic focus. To replace tedious tasks with deeper collaboration. To build cultures that prioritize well-being and performance.
If you're navigating AI adoption, or still wondering where to begin, start with your people. Ask what they need more time for. Ask what’s getting in their way. Then build systems that serve them, not just the metrics.
Because when we put people at the center of change, everything else falls into place.
Let’s talk about how executive coaching, digital strategy, or a team audit could support your next chapter. Get in touch or explore my services.
In our post-COVID world, the harsh reality is that individual giving is declining, trust in organizations is at an all time low, and doing what we've done before won't garner the results it once did. And yet many are still being asked to do more with less, still chasing upfront results and short-term ROI.
Donors have no interest in departmental differentiation, or how things have always been done, they care about the mission and the impact their gift and time will make, which means we need to think outside the box and try new things. Being courageous enough to embrace new thinking (& new thinkers) will be what separates orgs that thrive from the rest. But don't fear, the change needed isn't as foreign as you may think; just as we've long championed the benefits of integrated marketing, it's time to champion internal integration.
Individual incentives and org charts likely need to change for staff to truly expand and scale their capabilities in donor relationships. Culture change will be critical to make a difference and for that buy-in from the top is needed. CEOs and the rest of the leadership team need to reimagine individual professional development, goals, incentive structures, and potentially the org chart itself to better embrace collaboration and integration among internal teams. This of course is easier said than done.
Change is hard. Even for those who say we like it, it can be difficult to accept and build new routines. Change is a journey requiring time to create new habits and systems, but it's doable! It's time to embrace the change we often talk about and build TRUE integration into our workflows, strategic plans, and donor engagement, for the betterment of everything: the mission, donor value, and the bottom line. And when enough organizations do it, long-term trust in our industry improves.
Originally printed in DMAW's member magazine.
There is no such thing as a single-channel person, let alone a single-channel donor. Nonprofits and their partners need access to integrated data to fully understand supporters and make the best assessments for improving future outreach.
Unfortunately, integrated data simply isn’t that easy to accomplish. While it’s technically more attainable now than ever before, it’s also more difficult. We’ll get into that a bit later. To start, most nonprofits have at least two databases, and many have several more than that, but we’ll stick with the two that most have: a donor database of record (the CRM) and an online solution for donation, advocacy, engagement, and email management (the eCRM). These two databases often have a sync of some sort, but when it is two-ways, it’s typically limited because organizations do not want to duplicate their databases in both places. Unfortunately, this limitation hamstrings all parties involved: restricting the data available to both the marketing team (which often only has access to the eCRM) and the fundraising team (which mainly accesses the offline CRM). Email is the most dynamic and cost effective outreach tactic nonprofits and brands have at their disposal, but without all the nuanced data from the CRM, personalization and the potential to build a rich supporter experience is constrained. Conversely, if digital engagement, interests and affiliation flags only live in the eCRM, staff relying on data from the offline database will have an incomplete view of supporters’ relationships with the organization. Again, providing a sub-par experience to an ever more demanding and savvy supporter base.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has enabled us to live our lives across numerous devices in and out of our homes. We interact with more media now than during any previous time in history. The largest generation, Millennials, are digital natives, having grown up with computers at home and at school, with smart phones and more. Digital communications should be leveraged fully at all phases of the engagement funnel. We all live in a highly saturated world of multimedia stimuli, the majority of which are screen-based, which means nonprofits need to build always-on effective digital communications to stay top-of-mind and maintain an active share of-mind—and wallet—from advocates, volunteers and donors.
But far too often, this digital data (social, website, ads) is not tied back to a supporter record, even in the eCRM, and nonprofits are guessing at how the channels impact each other, both positively and negatively. Viewing data as the hub (vs your CRM) and having a central data lake that standardizes and unifies from all these sources gives nonprofits the ability to truly know their supporters, which empowers them to craft outreach plans tailored to them. And now, machine learning and artificial intelligence enable us to find patterns in behavior and build cohorts and models that predict the best approach to convince a supporter to take an action.
Integrated multichannel cross-device campaigns that leverage this data and deliver relevant information encourage supporters to give generously and help them choose the organizations that best meet their needs.
This also expands the nonprofit’s ability to reach into new audiences and grow their programs—because word-of-mouth is still the best viral tool, and nothing is valued more than a good word or a recommendation from a friend or family member. We believe in meeting supporters “where they live.” This means leveraging multimedia campaigns to micro-target sub-audiences. Enabling supporters to curate their own experiences with the nonprofits they engage with will build longer lasting bonds, since how a person engages is as important as why a person engages. This is especially true of younger generations, who are often seeking community-rich experiences, but will appeal to supporters of all ages. Everyone responds well to authentic communication and being treated like a fellow human and not just an ATM. And while a centralized data warehouse won’t create better communications plans, it does provide access to data from all aspects of a nonprofit’s program in a single place. Empower those who use that data to shake up the status quo and drive new bespoke strategies to build lasting relationships with supporters. It’s time to embrace the data lake—come on in, the water’s warm!
Originally printed in DMAW's member magazine.
Fundraising has seen several silver linings to the COVID-19 pandemic:
an increase in disposable income for donors in the middle- and upper-income brackets from a lack of travel and other entertainment activities,
truly significant cases of urgent need felt by nonprofits and the audiences they serve spanning almost all verticals, making for timely and relevant calls-to-action.
Another somewhat unexpected silver lining is the resurgence of QR codes! Some of us may recall the days of the early to mid-2000s when QR codes burst onto the direct response scene, promising easy bridges from offline media (magazines, postcards, newspapers — and even out of house ads on public transit) to the internet. Just scan this neat code with your smartphone and voila! A website loads or video plays right in the palm of your hand. Well, kinda. Back then you also had to download a scanner app — and sometimes a proprietary scanner app specific to that brand’s code. Then you had to accept the terms and conditions (you read those right?), open the app, and hope the app’s user interface was clear enough to figure out how to actually scan the code and your camera lens clean enough to take the scan. Finally, (fingers crossed!) see if the website the app directed you to was actually mobile-optimized. Sheesh!
Fast forward to 2020 (and beyond) smartphone operating systems integrated QR code scanning into the native camera functionality, so no app downloads were needed. And thanks to pandemic-induced contactless ordering at all of our favorite restaurants, we quickly learned about QR codes and how to use them. You see that QR code — maybe even branded with the nonprofit’s logo — and you scan it to make your gift from the comfort of your phone — where we happen to “be” multiple hours a day already. The pandemic increased screen-based media usage significantly. Whether it’s teleworking, or tele-socializing, we are using our laptops, tablets, phones and smart devices of all kinds more than ever before and this has increased donors’ comfort levels in transacting “online.” Leveraging QR codes is a great way to take advantage of this cross-generational rise in digital literacy.
A common question has long been, “How do I move my direct mail donors online?” Well, now we not only have vanity URLs, but also QR codes that make this move easier than ever, and don’t stop at just linking to donation forms — smartphones are ideal for watching videos, reading articles and blog posts, or flipping through photo libraries. You can also encourage supporters to follow your organization on social media — since all those apps are likely already on your donors’ phones! So, if you haven’t yet, test out a QR code or two. You can print them pretty much anywhere and they are appropriate for almost all your “non-clickable” media.
Experiment with them in your new creative. They are great in linear or connected TV ads, postcards, reply envelopes, and inserts that can easily be added to insertions in preexisting mailings. And since a QR code is just a URL in different form, make sure you source code it, like you would your clickable media (emails, ads, social posts, etc.) The target URL behind the QR code can be as long and ugly as you need it to be to get accurate tracking for your efforts — but that’s a whole different article! And don’t forget that the post office sometimes offers discounts on postage to encourage testing of QR codes, so be sure to ask your local direct mail expert about that.
Originally printed in DMAW's member magazine.
To create truly integrated impact marketing we need omnichannel marketing.
Omnichannel marketing is exactly what the name suggests, touching prospects and supporters across every relevant channel and taking advantage of the multiple touch points available: television, print, radio, telephone, email, websites, digital and more. Ironically, though, omnichannel marketing is nothing like the term suggests. It is not the limitless outbound flow of messaging attempting to influence behavior without regard for the recipient. Omnichannel marketing places customers and their channel preferences uppermost. It is donor-centric marketing.
Understanding preferences is vital.
Direct marketing today cannot be vanilla; that is, no one tactic will resonate equally with everyone. Supporters/donors do not operate in a single-channel world, and what worked in the past will not necessarily work today -- or be cost-effective. What’s more, the channel that carried the convincing message likely will not be the same one employed for the response. An email campaign may convince someone to donate, but the contribution may take the form of a check in the mail or look like an “organic” gift from homepage traffic. Conversely, a direct mail package can just as easily evoke a credit card gift via a phone call or the website as a check in the return envelope.
What’s important is a cohesive and coordinated approach employing the right channels for the right donors/supporters.
A 360 degree view
The challenge for most organizations seeking to move through the progression from single channel to multichannel to omnichannel marketing is gaining a true 360° view of supporters. Unlike the corporate world, nonprofits typically have at least two -- if not more -- databases. The integration of donor datasets is difficult because information resides in different places. There are distinct data silos -- sometimes even within the same channel.
Integrating information captured via online channels is far less formidable than combining offline and online data. There is no easy way to recognize that the Mary Smith who placed a phone call to an association’s call center with a renewal question is the same Mary Smith who likes that organization on Facebook and/or is an email subscriber. But connecting those dots is crucial for truly integrated impact marketing and effective omnichannel fundraising.
Nonprofits need to understand all the ways that people consume media and stop thinking in terms of “digital” or “traditional,” and tailor strategies across channels. We need to streamline workflows and develop comprehensive sets of standard operating procedures to ensure we’re collecting the data needed at the quality level required to truly and effectively leverage the power of all that “big data.”
Building profiles
For most nonprofits, the best way is to build profiles. Rather than knowing donors person by person, which can be overwhelming, they should seek to identify groups of people who “look” and “respond” in similar ways. That is, they develop personas and market to them. This approach allows the use of testing strategies that can yield truly significant results.
The big challenge is organizing data in a unified way that enables correlation of outbound contacts and inbound replies across channels, campaigns and devices. Without accurately mapped information, organizations cannot weight each campaign’s relative impact and forecast the combination and frequency of contacts most likely to increase the desired KPIs (whether that’s response rates, average gifts, monthly sustainers, etc.).
Remember:
Never assume that there are different audiences for every channel. Donors/customers will interact with organizations in any way they choose.
Have consistent messaging, offers and calls for action regardless of the channel. People must encounter the same organization on every channel. You only have one brand.
Define your goals. You must have strategic, measurable and trackable fundraising goals up front. “Increase engagement” is too vague.
SMART goals offer accountability and progress assessment:
Specific
Measureable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
Build a source code logic that crosses databases and enables tracking. The first step can be as simple as developing a custom field in each database to capture a unique identifier. Then, invest in tracking mechanisms that allow you to connect the dots across channels and gain insights on the optimal communication channel(s).
Make interactions as easy as possible on every channel.
Omnichannel marketing is not about blasting the airwaves with a message in the hopes of possibly engaging a donor. It’s a data-driven technique that prompts smart decision making about resource allocation and message positioning and timing and creates truly integrated and effective impact marketing.
Originally appeared in Integrated Direct Marketing Advisory Board
Conversion, whether through purchases, donations, or email sign-ups, is the ultimate goal of every direct marketing campaign, and our ability to increase conversion rates is predicated on our capacity to understand the factors leading to successful conversions.
Last-click attribution once was the measure of choice online. However, giving sole credit to the last advertisement clicked prior to a product purchase — and ignoring other influences occurring over time across different devices — doesn’t paint an accurate picture of conversion or advance our understanding of what does and doesn’t work.
Multichannel attribution takes us beyond last click and incorporates all the stimuli leading to a conversion. It takes into account both different devices — telephone, television, desktop, mail, tablet, smart phone, etc. — and different media—advertising, direct mail, telemarking calls, television commercials, emails, social media engagement, etc. — and tracks when and where those outbound touches happen and how responses occur over time.
The challenge for most organizations today is collecting data in a unified way that will allow them – or their agency partners – to construct accurate reporting that charts outbound contacts along with inbound replies across media and devices. Without organized and reliable data, it is impossible to move into the next phase of analysis: weighting the impact of various outreach campaigns. To achieve this goal, we need to be able to create mutually exclusive comparison groups comprised of individuals being touched by one, two, three and more channels. By tracking these cohorts and their responses, we can build attribution models that not only monitor activity, but also forecast which channel — or combination of channels — is most likely to increase response rates or move potential supporters across the threshold of most likely respondents when viewed at an aggregate level.
Because of the challenge of systematizing data, most organizations are just starting the tracking phase and working to build accurate reporting tools. As they do, here are four things to keep in mind:
Understand that your supporters are interacting with you in many ways. Organizations often wrongly assume that they have different audiences for every channel and, as an overall group, their donors are unique. Donors typically give to anywhere from 5 to 15 organizations in a given year and interact with individual organizations in multiple ways. Accepting these facts underscores the importance of multichannel attribution efforts.
Don’t underestimate the importance of building multichannel source code logic. Having a unique identifier that crosses databases is vital. Most nonprofits have at least two distinct databases: an online database, where all of their email campaigns and online donations happen, and an offline database, which is the database of record for members and donors, and many nonprofits have other specialized databases and CRMs for various stakeholder groups. Unless there is a unique identifier used across databases, multichannel attribution will be impossible. An important first step is creating a custom field in each database to house a single unified unique identifier.
Never assume that someone contacted via one medium will only respond in that medium. Donors/customers will interact with organizations in any way they choose. It is critical that these potential interactions occur as easy as possible and that tracking mechanisms be in place to recognize that these seemingly disparate interactions are actually the same person operating across different channels. Without tracking capabilities, the interactions will still occur; however, you just won’t be aware of the connections and will never learn the optimal channel(s) for communicating with prospects and current supporters.
Do online matchbacks‼️ Organizations typically have prospect and customer/donor lists as well as a website where visitors can shop, donate, become an advocate and more. On a regular basis, organizations should match back the actions on their website to their “offline” lists. There likely is a 20% overlap – or more – and without doing matchbacks you’ll never see those connections. Matching enables organizations to see the true value of their lists in finding new leads, customers and donors. Lists that can seem expensive upfront may become cost effective when online conversions are taken into account.
Originally appeared in DMAW's blog