Articles, webinars and trainings about artificial intelligence (AI) are everywhere. A lot of discussion is centered on using it for data analysis and identifying donors. It can be an excellent addition to your suite of tools, but not every shop is ready or has the resources to implement AI for use with data at this time.

Fortunately, that’s not your only option! There are many ways to integrate generative AI into your day-to-day work — no donor data required.

When Can Generative AI Be Used?

• Creating templates for meetings, forms and contact reports.
• Developing timetables with action items.
• Drafting difficult emails.
• Coming up with recommendations for prospect outreach and strategy.
• Giving suggestions for how to segment and prioritize prospect information for screenings. Be careful to only give basic information about what you are trying to accomplish such as strategy, a timeline, priorities and the audience. Exclude any identifying or confidential information – first and last name, title or employer, address, spouse name and giving history.
• Recommendations for how to break down large projects into pieces.
• Help working through how and when to delegate projects and information.
• Working through ideas for how processes and information can be audited.
• Presentations! Help coming up with an outline or thinking through what you want to present.

Before You Start

• Talk with your supervisor about any concerns or guidelines they may have. Brainstorm possible uses of AI, relevant priority projects and any help you may need.
• Decide what type of information is acceptable to input and how you will phrase your prompt   
• Think about how much time you want to spend using the tool. The longer you test different ideas, the more precise your responses will be.
• Have fun with the process! You never know what you may learn.

Generative AI is a learning program that should be approached differently than a search engine such as Google. The more you view your generative AI tool as a wise colleague that you go to for advice, the more you’ll get from using it!

Next Steps

• Decide what question you need answered or product you need assistance with and break it down into steps. Asking for a whole strategy at once is not as effective as asking questions about each piece.
• Figure out a “persona,” the role or perspective you want the AI program to take on when answering. It may be as a prospect researcher or prospect strategist, but the perspective of a vice president of philanthropy, data analyst, marking director, etc. could also be beneficial. For example, you may use the following prompt:
  • You are a successful vice president of philanthropy at a university responsible for raising $100 million a year. You are responsible for coming up with the outreach strategy for new alumni donors. What are the first steps in your strategy and who would you involve to help you devise the strategy?
• Once you have crafted your persona and written your question, add the phrase — ask you as many questions as it needs to in order to have enough information to inform the response — before you click submit. When you ask the generative AI program to ask you questions before answering your prompt, the program can identify gaps and provide a more precise answer.

When You Receive a Response

Think of this as a conversation. There will be back and forth, either by the program because it needs more information or by you to steer it in the desired direction.

• If it’s not answering the question you need it to, start over:
  • Reframe your question or ask your questions in a different order.
  • Create a different persona. Maybe you need the perspective of someone in marketing, alumni relations or public relations to help answer your question.
  • Try a different program. Not all generative AI programs are the same!
  • Come up with additional follow up questions.

Just remember, anything that is created by a generative AI program will require review, editing and formatting by you as the user. It saves time by helping you work through challenges, improve processes and avoid writer’s block. Share successes with your team if you find generative AI to be an effective tool!

Bethany Andorfer Morley
Director of Prospect Strategy and Research, West Chester University Foundation

Bethany Andorfer Morley works at the West Chester University Foundation as the director of prospect strategy and research. She enjoys collaborating with fundraisers and development professionals, driven by a passion for learning new tools and creating innovative systems and strategies. With nearly 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, including a decade as a frontline fundraiser, she has worked in higher education, health and human services and arts and culture.