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This year marks two anniversaries in my career. 25 years since my first fundraising job. 10 years since becoming a consultant. There’s been lots of shiny new things and ‘game-changing’ breakthroughs in that time. Few endure and prove their worth.

Here’s why I think AI is different and can help fundraisers provide better supporter experiences and raise more money.

My first AI epiphany came at the Ask Direct Summer School conference in Dublin last year. A talk by Cherian Koshy brought to life the possibilities AI brings. I started playing about with Chat GPT. Both for content creation and to help with data analysis. Learning about prompting and how to make it genuinely helpful and not just a gimmicky meme-machine. It was great for my own work, but I wasn’t sure how it could scale to make a difference for fundraisers.

Legacy giving is growing in popularity across charities of various sizes, missions, and nations. In the UK, 21% of donors aged 40 and up say they’ve included a charitable gift in their wills as of 2023, up from 14% of this demographic in 2010. Additionally, Giving USA reported that bequests (the most common type of planned gift) grew more than any other charitable revenue source in 2023.

While planned gifts can provide impactful funding for your charity, they also pose unique challenges. In particular, many years often pass between a donor committing a legacy gift to an organisation and the charity receiving that large contribution. So, it’s vital for your organisation to maintain strong relationships with legacy donors, starting by expressing your gratitude.

In this guide, we’ll share four strategies to help your charity meaningfully thank its legacy donors and retain their lifelong support. Let’s get started!