“What are the key issues charities face when it comes to AI, and how can they tackle these?”
Welcome to our AI Hack, where we examine a key question or challenge faced by the charity sector and offer some expert advice. For this issue, we ask Jennifer Brennan, CEO of Thrive Marketing, “What are the key issues charities face when it comes to AI, and how can they tackle these?”
Marketing, communication and fundraising have never been more complex, or more critical. As we move into the final stretch of 2025 and begin to plan for 2026, organisations, and particularly those in the charity and not-for-profit space, are facing a wave of challenges that are reshaping how they connect, convert and grow both audiences, including donors, supporters and funders. The landscape is evolving fast and on top of that many are grappling to get their heads, hands and hearts around AI!
So, Jennifer, we’re hearing that AI is here, but most teams aren’t ready. What are the key issues preventing charities from embedding and fully utilising AI?
AI is no longer experimental, it’s operational. From automating workflows to personalising campaigns, AI agents are transforming marketing, communications and fundraising execution. But many organisations are struggling to embrace, embed and scale AI effectively. This is due to many things, including:
Weak first-party data foundations - AI thrives on data, but not just any data… first-party data (information collected directly from customers/supporters/donors) which is essential for training AI models, personalising experiences, and making informed decisions. Many organisations:
Rely too heavily on third-party data, which is becoming less reliable due to privacy regulations.
Lack integrated systems to collect, store and activate customer data.
Struggle with data quality, consistency and accessibility.
Without a strong data foundation, AI systems can’t deliver meaningful insights or outcomes.
A lack of AI-literate teams - AI tools are evolving rapidly, but internal capabilities often lag behind. This is often due to:
Teams not understanding how AI works or how to apply it strategically.
Fear or resistance to automation often linked to job security concerns, or lack of confidence.
Over-reliance on external vendors without building internal knowledge.
To scale AI, organisations need to invest in training, change management, and cross-functional collaboration.
Unclear KPIs and governance frameworks
AI initiatives often fail because they lack clear success metrics and oversight. Key issues include:
No defined KPIs to measure AI’s impact on marketing performance.
Uncertainty around ethical use, bias mitigation, and brand safety.
Fragmented ownership. AI may sit with IT, marketing, innovation teams or across multiple teams, leading to misalignment and confusion.
Without governance, AI can become a fragmented experiment rather than a strategic asset.
Short-term thinking and lack of strategic vision - AI is often approached as a tactical tool, used for quick wins like content generation or ad optimisation, rather than a long-term strategic capability. This leads to:
Disjointed pilots with no roadmap for scale.
Missed opportunities to transform customer experience or business models.
Underinvestment in foundational systems and skills.
To truly embed AI, organisations need a clear vision, leadership buy-in, and a roadmap for transformation.
Now that we know the issues, what can charities do to tackle this and fully embrace AI?
There is so much that can be done, and so many AI tools and options out there, that many start to think of AI and feel completely overwhelmed. Our best advice is always to step back, start at the beginning, get the foundations right and build from there. Our top tips include…
Start with strategy, not technology - Before diving into tools, clarify your goals: increase donor engagement, improve campaign performance, or free up staff time for other strategic activities. Map these objectives to AI use cases such as predictive analytics for donor retention, automated content creation, and using email and reporting automation tools.
Build AI literacy across Your team - AI adoption isn’t just a tech project; it’s a cultural shift. Offer introductory workshops, practical demos of tools like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, and ethics training around GDPR and data privacy.
Start small with high-impact use cases - Focus on quick wins like content generation for blogs and emails, donor insights via AI-powered CRM features, and chatbots to automate FAQs.
Embed AI into marketing and fundraising workflows - Use AI to schedule social media posts, test email subject lines, and forecast fundraising trends.
Prioritise data quality and governance - Audit your CRM, review and clean your data, implement clear data consent policies, and regularly review AI outputs for bias or errors. The quality of what you put in will determine the quality of what you put out!
Measure, learn, and iterate - Set KPIs for AI initiatives such as engagement rates, time saved, and conversion improvements. Review results quarterly and refine your approach.
Keep the human touch - AI should enhance, not replace, human connection. Use automation for repetitive tasks, freeing your team to focus on more strategic and impactful activity including storytelling and relationship-building.
If you were to distil this all down into 3 immediate steps someone could take to embrace AI, what would they be?
Tough question but to start…
Identify one AI tool to pilot in the next 3 months.
Allocate budget (it can be small!) to avail of the paid level of some tools and for training your teams.
Create an AI policy for your organisation.
This article featured in the Winter edition of Charity Leader Magazine by Charities Institute Ireland . To read the full magazine click here.