Recently, I wrote an article for Arts Professional on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of arts fundraising, with a little confession…I used AI (in this case Chat GPT) to help me write the article. This was not only to test its power, but also to understand a bit more about how – as fundraisers – we could use the latest ‘tech-trend.’
The process was certainly enlightening. Chat GPT allowed me to immediately and quickly source and develop coherent arguments without having to scour the Internet to gather data from a variety of different sources. It also produced text which, with a little editing and tweaking, was ready to publish. Many would say utilising it in this manner was a ‘win-win’ – it saved time, provided accurate information and mirrored my voice to an extent that many who read the piece may not have noticed the difference. BUT….
At the same time, it left me feeling a little hollow, a little superficial, a little shallow. The skill of being a fundraiser is in crafting clear and compelling communications – highlighting the plight of those less fortunate than us to a wide range of different audiences. Like authors, we are storytellers – and there is an art and skill to our craft. Would the leading authors of our time have been fulfilled by typing five words into a computer and producing an AI drafted masterpiece? The same could be said about our musicians, artists or composers.
Yes, the argument is there that AI – used in this manner – will level the playing field for smaller organisations that lack the resources to engage dedicated fundraisers. It is also possible that this technology will usher in a new generation of bid writers. It could help those who, despite having the necessary strategic thinking and knowledge, struggle to write well. For people with dyslexia, for example, or with poor literacy skills, might ChatGPT be a possible means of increasing social diversity in this field of the arts?
This is balanced against the ethical considerations. Is it ethical for arts fundraisers to use ChatGPT to craft funding bids? Or is it cheating? There is also the human element to fundraising which is lost through the use of such technology – human interaction, empathy, and connection remain crucial in fundraising, especially when dealing with individual donors who value personal relationships and emotional connections.
It is not just in bid-writing that AI is being used to support the fundraising journey. We know that organisations are already using such technology to support donor segmentation, ensuring that well-crafted communications are targeted at those who are most likely to donate. We also know that organisations, far and wide, are using AI technology to support the communication process – AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are helping to interact with donors in a personalised and scalable manner.
For example, Water Aid’s Talk to Sellu campaign. This is just one example of how charities are embedding and utilising such technology.
Case Study: WaterAid, Talk to Sellu
In February 2018, WaterAid launched a ChatBot that aimed to better connect supporters with the people that they are helping through the charity.
The charity worked with Facebook-approved developer, The Bot Platform, and Sellu, a farmer and fisherman from the remote village of Tombohuaun in Sierra Leone’s eastern province, to create the ChatBot called ‘Talk to Sellu’, which launched on Facebook Messenger in December 2018.
The ChatBot gave potential donors the opportunity to ‘walk’ around Tombohuaun, Sierra Leone, and see how donations would benefit the village:
‘Through a series of messages, photos and video content, Sellu takes users on a guided tour of his home, introduces them to his wife Fatu and daughter Nancy and even teaches them how to say ‘hello’ in the local language, ‘Mende’. There are also updates on the new water and sanitation infrastructures being built with help from WaterAid supporters. Users will ultimately be asked if they would like to donate towards WaterAid’s Untapped appeal to help bring clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to communities like Sellu’s (UK Fundraising, February 2018).
The campaign was also match-funded by the government. The campaign raised £8.2 million, with 76% of donations made after just one visit to the Untapped website.
“At the moment, the predominant use of chatbots is for service handling, with bots trained to learn answers to basic FAQs, or use machine learning to comb the internet for content. We decided to take a different approach, and work within the limitations of the technology to create some good, old-fashioned storytelling; immersing our digital audiences in the life of Sellu – a farmer, fisherman father-of-three from Tombohuaun, Sierra Leone. The ability to continuously interact with large cohorts of engaged digital users makes the chatbot a powerful tool for awareness, activation and retention all in one and we hope people will be encouraged to donate to our winter fundraising appeal, Untapped.” – Dan Gray, Digital Engagement Manager, WaterAid
So, what does AI hold for the future of fundraising? My own personal experience is that whilst such technology is likely to complement my craft, it is unlikely to replace it, and that perhaps is the biggest takeaway.
Organisations need to be educated, informed and ready to take advantage of AI and its possibilities, but at the same time recognise the skill of fundraising and that activating this technology will be the next great challenge. Talented fundraisers will remain at the centre of high-quality organisations, and those individuals that understand how AI can help to complement – and not replace – their skills will be in even greater demand moving forward.