How Nonprofits Can Use AI To Create Emotional Intimacy At Scale

By: Jeremy Berman is the Co-founder and President of GoodUnited,

Nonprofits have historically relied on a wide variety of methods for fundraising. From making calls to hosting in-person events, one of the most effective ways of engaging donors is by creating a personal connection. In the high net worth individual game, a development director typically forges a relationship and gives an amazing experience to 10-50 individuals at a time. Though effective on a smaller scale, many nonprofits fail to maintain high quality relationships when they target a larger donor base.

The proliferation of social media has given donors and nonprofits the ability to connect with one another like never before. Donors often use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to share stories about how they decided to donate, or how a charitable organization has positively affected their life. These stories provide valuable data to nonprofits, which can help them measure and focus their efforts. However, it’s not possible for a nonprofit employee to read every story, process information to know what’s relevant, and then follow up and create a personalized experience. That’s why nonprofits are increasingly reaching out to external organizations that specialize in AI. These companies can take these stories, or “unstructured data”, and create structure so employees can create a connection with a larger pool of donors or fundraisers effectively.

Despite their best efforts, many organizations are limited by their staffing and budget. As a result of COVID and the desire to return as many dollars as possible to their mission, nonprofits are forced to operate very efficiently. They don’t have the ability to hire highly specialized employees, and operating with a reduced staff can limit their capabilities. The best way for most companies to create emotional intimacy at scale is by partnering with an external organization that can deploy AI-driven conversations through social media channels.

“The nonprofit world was profoundly changed by COVID – but there was a silver lining,” says Maria Clark, new EVP of Partnerships at GoodUnited, and a longtime nonprofit leader personally impacted by the pandemic. “Innovation became a necessity, not a luxury, which stimulated the adoption of new strategies and partnerships in order to continue fueling the important work nonprofits are expected to deliver.”

Meet Donors in the Channels They Use Now

We are in the midst of a massive transformation in the nonprofit sector. These shifts typically happen every couple of decades. The first transformation was mailing checks through direct mail, and thus the direct mail industry was born. A few decades later, the internet and email emerged, and donors were inundated with requests to give digitally. Now, we are in the midst of the next transformation.

Over $5 billion has been given to nonprofits through social channels, and $2 billion of that was in the past year. “This next wave of giving will open opportunities that were unimaginable even 10 years ago, but will become a necessity if we hope to continue to engage with a broad sweep of supporters who care about making an impact,” said Clark. “Nonprofits must meet their supporters where they are and speak to them in a way that resonates.”

As a result of this transformation to social giving, it’s essential that companies start to test these new communication channels. Conversational messaging, AI, and data science coupled with human judgement, are the keys to mastering the future of nonprofit engagement. Organizations don’t need to spend a million dollars on data science and AI tomorrow, but they do need to start small, test channels and invest in strategy to see where the market is going so they aren’t left behind.

The best place to communicate with customers is where they are already spending time. Increasingly, this means Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and other social media platforms. The difference…