Reimagining Your AI Tech Stack
AI is transforming how nonprofits operate—but not always in the ways they expect.
According to Blackbaud Institute’s Status of Fundraising in the AI Era report, over 80% of fundraising professionals are using AI, mostly for generative tasks like drafting emails or social posts, but only 22% have seen a measurable impact on revenue.
Why the gap?
The issue isn’t AI itself—it’s how it’s being used. Many organizations are adopting AI tools in isolation, without integration into their donor systems or a clear strategy for how to apply them or measure their efficacy. That leads to missed opportunities, duplicated effort, and underwhelming or immeasurable results.
To truly unlock the power of AI, nonprofits need to reimagine their tech stack—integrating AI into the platforms they already use and aligning it with their mission-driven goals and success metrics.
Why Siloed AI Tools Fall Short
Many nonprofits are eager to adopt AI, but using external tools without a strategy for integration or oversight can create as much risk as reward.
When AI tools operate outside your core systems—like your CRM or donor database—they can’t access the full context needed to deliver meaningful insights. Worse, you run the risk of generating insights coupled with AI hallucinations, a phenomenon where AI confidently presents fabricated findings to make up for gaps in its information.
Most concerning of all, external tools may expose sensitive donor data to open systems, raising serious privacy and compliance concerns.
Without clear guardrails or an organizational AI policy, in concert with an existing data integration strategy, nonprofits risk misusing data, executing on invalid insights, violating donor trust, and wasting resources on ineffective tools. All excellent reasons to establish what responsible AI means to your organization before diving all the way in.
What Building a Smarter (and More Responsible) AI Stack Looks Like
To move beyond disconnected experiences, nonprofits need to think holistically about their AI strategy.
That means choosing tools that are not only powerful but also integrated into the systems where your data already lives—like your CRM, donor database, or campaign platform.
When AI is embedded in your core workflows, it can deliver real-time insights, automate repetitive tasks, and support more personalized engagement.
A smarter AI stack isn’t about having more tools—it’s about having the right tools, working together, with your mission at the center.
But adopting AI isn’t just a technical shift—it’s a cultural one.
Nonprofits need to invest in training their teams, developing clear AI policies, and fostering a culture of responsible innovation.
This includes setting guardrails for how AI is used, ensuring data privacy, and aligning AI applications with organizational values. Education and governance are key to building trust—both internally and with your supporters.
What Success Looks Like: A Unified, Mission-Aligned Approach
When nonprofits take a strategic, integrated approach to AI, the results are transformative. Leaders can explore new strategies and leverage staff to imagine new processes to support them. Fundraisers can focus on cultivating high-value relationships instead of repeating manual tasks.
Communications become more timely and personalized. Data becomes a source of insight, not overwhelm. And most importantly, teams feel empowered—not replaced—by the technology they use.
This is what it looks like when AI works for your mission, not the other way around.
How Blackbaud Helps You Get There
At Blackbaud, we’ve built our Intelligence for Good® AI strategy to help nonprofits turn this vision into reality.
We deliver integrated platforms that connect AI with donor engagement, campaign management, and performance tracking. Our purpose-built AI tools are designed specifically for fundraising outcomes.
And we back it all with expert training, responsible AI practices, and the world’s most robust philanthropic dataset.
Whether you’re just getting started or ready to scale, we’re here to help you reimagine your AI stack.
More Information
- Learn more about Blackbaud’s Intelligence for Good AI strategy.
- Discover new insights on how AI is being adopted across the sector.
- See the latest in Blackbaud product innovation.
- Register for bbcon 2025 to get a first look at our latest AI developments.
