A weekly newsletter for Chronicle subscribers that features expert advice, tools, case studies, and trends to help nonprofit professionals raise money, communicate, and lead. Delivered every Monday. (Subscribers only.)
From: Emily Haynes
Subject: Post-Election Roundup; Plus, How A.I. Helped One Nonprofit Bring Back Donors
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Before I dive into today’s newsletter, for those of you who want to catch up on our post-election coverage, here’s a quick roundup:
Our colleagues are working on additional stories on the impact of a second Trump administration on nonprofits, so keep an eye out for those in the coming days.
Now I’ll share an interesting fundraising case study. A low-risk use test of artificial intelligence paid off big for the Suncoast Humane Society, an animal shelter in Southwest Florida. The nonprofit chose a slower time — summer, when it typically doesn’t have any active fundraising campaigns — to test how to partner with A.I. on building and executing a fundraising campaign.
The campaign followed a dog named Max and a cat named Whiskers through their journey from street to home with the help of the society, reports my colleague Rasheeda Childress. It featured direct-mail appeals, emails, social-media posts, and a weekly blog from the point of view of each animal. The charity used A.I. to tailor its direct mail and email communications to its target audience: lapsed donors and people who had adopted pets from the shelter.
With the help of a consultant, Suncoast Humane Society fed some of its past communications into a generative A.I. tool to train it on its voice. The extra effort paid off, the consultant said, as the A.I. produced strong first drafts for the campaign blog posts.
The fundraising campaign paid off, too — bringing in nearly $37,000 for the charity at a time when it normally doesn’t ask supporters for donations. Read Rasheeda’s full article, “Barking Up the Right Tree: A.I. Helps a Nonprofit Win Back Donors,” for more details on how Suncoast Humane Society orchestrated this successful campaign.
Take care,
Emily Haynes
Senior Editor, Nonprofit Intelligence
Tip of the Week
To customize and connect with different supporters, keep track of donors’ actions, activities, and preferences. Segmenting your data to see different engagement levels for different programs can lead to success because it enables nonprofits to develop customized performance indicators and goals for deepening engagement. For example, YW Boston identified a donor who had attended every event the organization had hosted for the previous several years. After accepting the invitation to become part of the group’s host committee, the donor doubled the number of attendees she recruited to the nonprofit’s events and brought in several new sponsors. For more advice on innovative fundraising practices, read Smart Fundraising: How to Streamline and Innovate.
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Education: NewSchools Venture Fund envisions an education system that keeps its promise to all students. Through NewSchools 2025 funding opportunity, $10 million is available for innovators and educators working to reimagine education in the United States. Support is provided to early-stage organizations and new initiatives within existing organizations in the following areas: new, innovative public schools that support students to develop a strong academic foundation and skills needed for success in life; learning solutions; teaching reimagined; and learning differences, including enhancing teaching and learning for students with diagnosed and undiagnosed learning disabilities. Final deadline is January 8, 2025. (Applicants are encouraged to confirm their eligibility by December 10, 2024, to have the opportunity to receive personalized support on their application.) Grants range from $150,000 to $250,000.
Youth Activism: Youth Service America in partnership with the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation is offering the Youth Stop Hunger Innovation Grants to encourage youth in the United States to devise and implement sustainable hunger-relief programs in their community. Twelve $2,500 grants will be awarded to cohorts of youth between the ages of five and 25 years old who are looking to fight hunger in their community by addressing its root causes, while also engaging other youth in volunteerism. Application deadline December 8. Twelve grants of $2,500 will be awarded.
