Responsible AI for Donor Research and Call Prep
Scaling Major Gifts. Strategies, action steps, and ideas for scaling major gifts by Tammy Zonker, Major Gift Expert & Keynote Speaker.
If you feel both curious and cautious about using AI for donor research, you’re not alone. Many fundraisers are testing tools that promise speed and intelligence. Yet, the fear of misusing data or losing authenticity keeps us on edge.
The truth is, AI can help without taking over. Your human presence still matters most. The key is learning where AI belongs in your prep process, and where it doesn’t.
What to focus on next week
Use AI for synthesis, not surveillance. Ask it to summarize public, online information like news mentions, bios, or blog posts. Keep private data out of prompts. If you wouldn’t say it in front of the donor, don’t ask AI about it.
Prep smarter, not colder. Use AI to outline key talking points, craft thoughtful questions, or summarize your notes. Then add your personal context and tone.
Respect privacy and transparency. Never input confidential CRM data or donor giving history into public AI tools. Stick with first-party or protected systems managed by your organization.
Guard your intuition. AI is not your gut or your empathy. It will never see the spark in a donor’s eyes, the tone in their voice, or the hesitation between their words. Use its summaries as input, not as truth.
Set clear team boundaries. Define when and how AI fits into your fundraising operations. Document ethical guidelines, data sources, and approval processes so your team builds trust, not tension.
A quick story
Last month, a development director named Susan used AI to prepare for a meeting with a long-time donor who had recently shifted her philanthropic focus. Susan asked AI to summarize public articles about the donor’s new business and community projects.
Then she used a second prompt to generate a pre-call summary of shared interests between the donor’s new work and her organization’s programs. She reviewed everything, corrected a few assumptions, and tailored it with her own insights.
The result? The conversation felt authentic, informed, and generous. The donor remarked, “You must have done your homework.” Susan responded, “I did, and I loved learning more about your latest passion.”
The AI helped her work faster, but it didn’t speak for her. Susan stayed in the driver’s seat.
Try this next week
Choose one donor meeting this month where you’ll use AI for pre-call prep.
In ChatGPT, ask: “Summarize public information about [donor’s name or company name]. Focus on their professional background, community involvement, and recent news.” Double-check all details before using them.
Then prompt: “Draft a 1-page call prep summary for my meeting with [donor’s name]. Include three conversation openers and two mission-aligned connections.”
Review and edit the output. Delete assumptions. Add your notes, tone, and next steps.
You’ll see where AI adds efficiency and where your unique judgment fills in the gaps.
Want to take a deeper dive?
This week’s episode of The Intentional Fundraiser Podcast is called AI-Powered Prep: Human-Centered Conversations. I share the exact prompts, use cases, and ethical guardrails that help teams use AI responsibly.
If you want to prepare smarter without losing the heart of donor work, this episode will help you build confidence and clarity.
I’d love to hear from you
Are you already using AI in your donor research or call prep? If so, connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me what’s working and what worries you.
You’re doing such meaningful work. It’s natural to feel pressure to “keep up” with new tools, but fundraising will always be about people, not programs or platforms. AI can make you faster. Only you make it meaningful.
Keep scaling,
Tammy Zonker
Author of Calling All Heroes
Founder of Fundraising Transformed
President of Modern Institute for Charitable Giving