Created By: CJ OrrSeptember 25, 2023 Our firm works with dozens of nonprofit organizations at any given time, and one of the most common questions I receive in my role is: What are the trends? As we transition into the fall season and begin shifting our focus toward the upcoming year, I gathered insights from several of my colleagues to compile what we consider to be the defining trends poised to shape 2024. As the philanthropic landscape continues to evolve, it’s shaped by an intricate mix of socioeconomic factors, technological advancements, and generational shifts. As we approach 2024, nonprofit executives should acknowledge and attune themselves to the trends influencing fundraising strategies and donor engagement. Join us on a deep dive into the anticipated fundraising trends for 2024 and beyond as we explore their implications for the nonprofit sector. 1. The Bounce-Back Effect: Reversing the Giving Decline In 2022, the Giving USA report reported a significant 10.4% decrease in charitable giving when adjusted for inflation. While that dip is concerning, 2023 has shown signs of recovery and we’re projecting an increase of 5-6% overall giving. Should the economy maintain its upward trajectory, 2024 will likely see further growth in charitable contributions. 2. The Political Pulse: Election Year Giving in 2024 With 2024 looming as a charged election year, political and voting rights organizations are poised to witness a spike in donations. Historically, election years have galvanized donors, and given the current heightened political climate, this trend is set to intensify. 3. Embracing Inclusivity: Diversity in Leadership and Donors The call for diverse board leadership and donor representation has been a high priority for many organizations over the past few years. The demand for inclusivity will remain a priority and cornerstone for organizations seeking to diversify their donor base and have a more profound impact. 4. The Rise of Donor-Advised Funds Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are becoming a preferred giving vehicle for many donors as they offer flexibility, tax benefits, and the allure of strategic philanthropy. Their popularity is only expected to grow, making them a crucial consideration for nonprofits seeking diversified funding sources. 5. The Great Wealth Transfer & Planned Giving The baby boomer generation is amid a monumental wealth transfer to younger generations. This presents a golden opportunity for nonprofits to unlock the potential of planned giving and blended giving strategies, ensuring long-term financial stability and enduring donor engagement. 6. The Power of Campaigns With their targeted approach and compelling narratives, campaigns have always been one of the most powerful tools in a fundraiser’s toolkit. As the economy strengthens and wealth is transferred between generations, campaigns will be more pivotal in rallying support and driving donations. 7. Generational Leadership Shift The torch of board leadership is passing from older generations to their successors. This transition brings fresh perspectives, innovative strategies, and a renewed commitment to the organization’s mission. The board will need next-generation prospects on the bench as succession occurs at the board level. 8. AI: Fundraising’s Silent Revolution Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept but a present-day reality. In fundraising, AI promises enhanced productivity, data-driven strategies, and personalized donor engagement. Organizations that harness the power of AI will undoubtedly be a step ahead in their fundraising endeavors. 9. The Widening Gap: Disparities in Giving The traditional 80/20 rule, where 80% of donations come from 20% of donors, is shifting towards a 90/10 divide. This growing disparity underscores the importance of nurturing major donors while cultivating a broader donor base. It is the key to ensuring sustainability and balance in philanthropic ecosystems. 10. The Dominance of Individual Giving The Giving USA report highlighted that 64% of all donations came from individuals. This trend is set to persist, with major gifts offering the highest Return on Investment (ROI). For nonprofits, this means prioritizing individual donor relationships and crafting tailored strategies to nurture major gifts. In conclusion, the fundraising landscape of 2024 presents both challenges and opportunities. Nonprofit executives must be agile, forward-thinking, and adaptive to harness these evolving trends effectively. By understanding these shifts and formulating strategic responses, organizations can meet their fundraising goals and amplify their transformative impact within the communities they serve. Orr Group’s unique approach involves applying a business mindset and understanding of current and anticipated philanthropy trends to design successful and sustainable fundraising strategies. Get in touch with us today to learn how we can help you raise more money effectively. Contact Us CJ Orr is President and Partner of Orr Group. As an expert project and relationship manager with 10+ years of experience in the sector, CJ utilizes data, technology, and financially-backed trends to execute on the development of strategies and tactics to drive effective fundraising plans that meet or exceed targets.
The Nonprofit AI Journey: A Roadmap for Responsible, Strategic, and Effective Implementation AI Published Date 2025 The Nonprofit AI Journey: A Roadmap for Responsible, Strategic, and Effective Implementation Orr Group developed a three-phase roadmap designed to help organizations adopt AI responsibly, strategically, and effectively. Explore our Nonprofit AI Journey to understand how your nonprofit can leverage AI.
How Nonprofits Can Use AI and Automation to Reclaim Time and Realize ROI AI Published Date 2025 How Nonprofits Can Use AI and Automation to Reclaim Time and Realize ROI When workflows are automated with AI, nonprofits can reinvest their time into more strategic and ROI-focused tasks. Explore real-life use cases of AI and automation to improve your effectiveness.
AI for Nonprofits: 10 Tools and Best Practices to Know Published Date 2025 AI for Nonprofits: 10 Tools and Best Practices to Know Created by: CJ Orr May 19, 2025 In today’s technologically driven world, artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various industries, including fundraising for nonprofit organizations. AI tools have proven to be significant game-changers, enhancing efficiency, creativity, and personalization in donor engagement. To capitalize on these opportunities, over 60% of nonprofits have started embracing AI in their operations. However, despite these high adoption rates, 92% of nonprofits feel unprepared for AI implementation. To prepare your team to fully leverage AI, let’s understand the landscape and discuss the benefits and challenges of using popular AI-powered tools in nonprofit work. Overview of AI for Nonprofits Leveraging AI: Best Practices for Nonprofits Top AI Tools for Nonprofits Overview of AI for Nonprofits What is AI? AI is any technology that can perform intricate tasks and mimic human intelligence. While AI has become a hot topic in recent years, it’s been around for a while, performing simpler duties like sorting emails or scheduling appointments. However, recent advancements in AI have allowed machines to better understand language, process more complex tasks, and generate original content. In the nonprofit world, organizations typically use AI to enhance and streamline: Prospecting and fundraising by analyzing existing donor data for trends, and identifying new prospects with high potential to give Donor communication by analyzing donors based on shared characteristics and tailoring outreach to them for increased engagement Grant writing by quickly reading applications and generating drafts responses, based on previous applications and organizational materials Human resources by automating interview scheduling, onboarding, training, performance management, and more Graphic design by creating visually appealing infographics or mockups Administrative functions by automating repetitive tasks like data entry, timekeeping, and record maintenance Data insights and reporting by analyzing large datasets to forecast trends and enable better decision-making Types of AI Tools for Nonprofits The library of AI tools is vast and ever-growing. While each organization may have its own needs and goals that AI can support, below are several common types of AI tools you may encounter: Generative AI: consists of machines that create new content based on user prompts and training data. Nonprofit applications: Content creation for grant proposals, social media posts, and impact reports. Large Language Models (LLMs): systems designed to understand and generate human language by learning from vast datasets. LLMs are a subset of generative AI focused primarily on creating and understanding text. Nonprofit applications: Automatically answering routine questions via chatbots or summarizing content. Predictive AI uses statistical models and machine learning to identify patterns in large datasets to forecast future outcomes. Nonprofit applications: Prospecting for fundraising and future financial growth. Advantages and Challenges of Using AI Advantages Increased efficiency. With AI handling mundane tasks, nonprofits can focus on more pressing mission-critical work. Easy data reporting. Humans are more prone to making errors when reporting on and analyzing data. AI can easily—and accurately—report on important data. Better decision-making. AI can provide context and information that allows nonprofits to make more informed choices faster. Scalability. Advanced AI solutions can easily adapt to a growing nonprofit’s needs, enabling organizations to handle increased workloads without overburdening staff. Proactive growth. Most nonprofits have adopted AI, and it’s only getting more prevalent. Your nonprofit should leverage similar technology to keep up with others in the field. Challenges Data privacy/security. Nonprofits must confirm that their chosen solution complies with relevant data privacy laws, like GDPR and CCPA, to keep supporter data safe and maintain their trust. Research which regulations apply to your constituents based on their location, and ensure that AI usage is transparently communicated when necessary. Requires human oversight. AI can make mistakes in researching and synthesizing information, so nonprofit teams need to actively maintain their solutions (more on that later). Initial and ongoing costs. Like any other software solution, AI solutions have costs associated with them, both financial and in time to implement and onboard staff. Ethical concerns. AI can reinforce biases based on the datasets it's trained on. There are also concerns about Generative AI solutions trained on user data, which can plagiarize information from other sources. Loss of human touch. Nonprofit outreach relies on forging deep personal connections with supporters. While AI can emulate human thought, it lacks the emotional depth needed to reinforce relationships, so it still requires staff to ensure the final product aligns with an organization’s values. Leveraging AI: Best Practices for Nonprofits Establish parameters for AI privacy and ethics. Your entire team should be aligned on ethical best practices while using AI. Adopt an AI usage policy and supporting AI governance infrastructure to ensure you’re fulfilling promises to stakeholders and protecting their sensitive information. Identify areas for AI application. While AI has many different uses, your nonprofit doesn’t have to rely on it for everything. To start, identify a few pressing areas where AI could help your operations, like content creation, data analysis, or task automation. Work with an expert to implement AI effectively. The stakes are high when implementing AI, so it’s worth consulting with a professional to cover all of your bases. Double-check AI’s work. While AI can generate human-like text, it’s not flawless. You must review and edit the generated content to ensure it aligns with your organization’s voice, mission, and fundraising goals. Properly train your team. AI can present a learning curve for teams, especially those less technologically advanced. Align everyone with comprehensive AI training and educational resources. Don’t completely replace human interaction with AI. As previously mentioned, AI can’t perfectly emulate your connections with supporters. Use AI to brainstorm ideas for communication (like an outline) and fill in the details yourself. Choosing the right AI systems, developing policies, and training your team are essential, but they take time and expert knowledge to get right. By working with a professional team like Orr Group, you can get up and running with new insights and ideal tools by your side. Top AI Tools for Nonprofits General Use/LLM: ChatGPT Use: ChatGPT is an advanced language model that has significantly influenced the nonprofit sector’s fundraising strategies. It utilizes machine learning algorithms to generate human-like text based on the input it receives. Best features: Live web search, DALL-E image generation, and access to a growing dataset. Cost: Limited free tier $20 Plus tier $200 Pro tier $25/user Team tier Pro-tip: Eligible nonprofits can receive a 20% discount on ChatGPT Team and a 50% discount on ChatGPT Enterprise through OpenAI for Nonprofits. AI Chatbot: Cody Use: Cody is a chatbot that uses organizational content to answer HR-related queries for employees based on defined knowledge sources. Best features: Easy user interface, customizable knowledge base, task automation, and specific features for IT support, business consulting, marketing, HR, and more. Cost: $29/month for the Basic tier, $249/month for the Advanced tier Writing: Grammarly Use: Grammarly is a browser extension that enhances grammar and generates written content. Best features: Tone suggestions, auto-completion of writing, and extensive user-supplemented knowledge base. Cost: Free tier, $12/month, $15/month Prospecting: Apollo Use: Apollo is a sourcing tool that collects contact information for prospective supporters. Best features: Automated outreach, meeting scheduler, and CRM enrichment tools. Cost: Free-$119/month Grantwriting: Grantable Use: Grantable is an LLM that automates aspects of the grantwriting and submission processes. Best features: Ability to train the system from writing samples, reference user-uploaded materials from a library, and include educational resources. Cost: Free-$89/month Graphic Design: Gamma Use: Gamma is a graphic design platform that facilitates the creation of presentations, documents, webpages, infographics, and more. Best features: AI-generated designs, customization options, and user-friendly interface. Cost: Free-$15/seat/month Administrative: Zapier Use: Zapier automates repetitive administrative tasks while connecting various apps and services. Best features: Configurable workflows, app integrations, and a large integration ecosystem. Cost: Free-$69/month Data Management: Microsoft Power BI Use: Microsoft Power BI is a Microsoft add-on tool that allows users to create reports, visualize data, and share insights. Can be combined with Microsoft Copilot 365 for AI data insights. Best features: User-friendly integrations with Microsoft Suite, interactive dashboards, and customizable reports. Cost: Free-$10/user/month Meeting Management: Zoom AI Companion Use: Zoom AI Companion simplifies meeting management by automatically completing tasks during the meeting. Best features: Real-time meeting transcriptions, agenda generation, and ability to assign next actions with a meeting summary. Cost: Free with paid Zoom account Now that you have a solid understanding of AI in the nonprofit world, it’s time to create and execute your own strategy! Developing policies, training your team, and staying updated on the newest best practices can be draining—but it doesn’t have to be. Having an expert team by your side allows you to play around with these tools, test them out, and see what works for you without compromising mission-critical activities. We suggest working with a team with a business-oriented mindset, embedded partnership approach, and AI-specific expertise, like Orr Group. Our well-rounded nonprofit experience and hands-on strategy can help your nonprofit become more comfortable with AI and develop a sustainable use policy in the long term. That way, you can adapt to the rapidly-changing world of AI with ease! CJ Orr is President and Partner of Orr Group. As an expert project and relationship manager with 10+ years of experience in the sector, CJ utilizes data and technology to execute on the development of strategies and tactics to drive effective fundraising plans that meet or exceed targets.