CDIPF News and Updates
Expert Panel on AI and Fundraising
At the launch of the Centre of Digital Innovation in Philanthropy and Fundraising welcomed an exciting panel of experts to discuss AI and Fundraising. The panel members were:
1) Pamela Agar - Director, Council for Advancement and Support of Education
2) Jeff Breen - Director, Cornerstone Fundraising
3)Jonathan May - CEO and Founder, Hubbub Fundraising
4) Ross Sleight - Global Strategic Growth, CI&T
If you were unable to attend our launch please watch the findings from the report.
Really pleased (and a bit flattered!) to be invited to speak at CASE Europe's Advancement Operations 2025 Conference alongside Dr. Marta Herrero (University of York) on a topic that’s both fascinating and increasingly relevant: Can AI Enable Success in Advancement?
Marta is leading groundbreaking research on how fundraisers, philanthropists, and the nonprofit sector perceive and adopt AI for fundraising and incentivising philanthropy. She'll be sharing insights from her work ahead of the launch of the new Centre for Digital Innovation in Philanthropy and Fundraising.
Forthcoming events
Past events
16th Annual European Fundraising Association Skillshare Programme
Shaping the Future of Fundraising with AI - 20th -21st November 2025
In this session, we will explore how AI is reshaping fundraising, drawing on sector-wide research into adoption, trust, and ethical concerns. Highlighting key findings from surveys and interviews, we will reflect on fundraisers’ perceptions, barriers to implementation, and the urgent need for sector-specific guidance.
London CIoF annual convention June 2025
Shaping the Future of Fundraising with AI was published earlier this month at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF)’s annual Fundraising Convention. Based on surveys and interviews with 100 fundraisers, it is published jointly by the CIOF and the University of York’s Research Centre for Digital Innovation in Philanthropy and Fundraising (CDIPF).
Of those surveyed, 47% are currently using AI in some form in their work, with 62% of those saying it has helped improve their written communications.
Dr Marta Herrero, lead researcher and director of the CDIPF, hopes the report will give fundraisers confidence to begin tackling those points.
“We want fundraisers to feel confident about using AI, feeling that they understand what it can do well, the challenges it poses, and importantly, that they trust in their own abilities to identify how they can use the tools responsibly for the benefits of the communities and donors they serve.”
AI and Fundraising workshop 11th September
This is an in person event only. Location and date: Chartered Institute of Fundraising, Head Office, Canopi, 82 Tanner St, London SE1 3GN, Thursday 11 September 2025, 11-1.30pm
Join us and researchers from the University of York and Durham University to explore the results of the AI and fundraising research, and to start the conversation about how senior leaders can support their fundraisers and charities in the use of AI. Conversations will help us to produce guidance for leaders to support them in decision-making around the use and adoption of AI.
Fundraising AI Global Summit: Amplify, Impact Human-Centered AI for Nonprofits, 15-16th Sep 2025
Nonprofit professionals are being asked to do more with less—less time, smaller teams, tighter budgets.
AI is the tool that can help you reclaim capacity, unlock smarter insights, and focus your energy where it matters most: advancing your mission.
This is where bold, curious nonprofit professionals come together to unlock what’s possible with AI—and learn how to do it responsibly and beneficially, with trust as the foundation.
Dr Marta Herrero's talk is on Monday 15th September, 5pm GMT (12pm EDT).
Event: Nonprofit AI. Artificial Intelligence for the Social Good: Book Launch, 7th July 2025
Join us on 7th July for an engaging panel discussion exploring the present and future of AI in the nonprofit sector and its role in supporting philanthropy and fundraising in ways that are responsible, ethical and inclusive.
We welcome Nathan Chappell MBA, MNA, CFRE (a global expert on the intersection of AI and generosity, and advisory board member of the Centre, with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership.
Nathan will join us to talk about the inspiration behind his new book, and to share his views on the current and future role of AI in providing digital innovation for the nonprofit sector.
Fascinating morning at York University... listening to Nathan Chappell, MBA, MNA, CFRE, AIGP. Thanks for the invite Mary Haworth and her team and catching up with Jack O'Toole ... who by chance, drew my free copy of Nathan's book.