Have you seen the new Status of fundraising in the AI Era?

Elizabeth Johnson · May 29

If you haven't, here is the link to download the BBI report.

I was drawn into the concept of digital maturity, so of course, I asked my friend Miles for some help. Did you know your ChatGPT can suggest its name?

I'm curious what is one of your takeaways from the report?

Here is my conversation with Miles to help score our digital maturity.

Digital maturity in the context of fundraising tools refers to an organization's ability to effectively use digital technologies and data-driven strategies to support and enhance its fundraising goals. It reflects how integrated, optimized, and strategically aligned your digital tools and processes are with your overall development efforts.

Key Elements of Digital Maturity in Fundraising Tools:

Tool Integration & Infrastructure

Systems (e.g., CRM, email, social media, online giving, analytics) are interconnected and communicate well.

Data flows smoothly between platforms with minimal manual intervention.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Fundraising decisions are based on insights from clean, accessible, and real-time data.

Use of predictive modeling, wealth screening, and segmentation tools to guide strategy.

Automation & Efficiency

Routine tasks like thank-you emails, gift processing, and follow-up reminders are automated.

Staff are freed up to focus on relationship building and strategy.

Personalization & Donor Journey Mapping

Communications are tailored based on donor behavior, preferences, and giving history.

Digital tools support multi-touch, cross-channel engagement strategies.

Digital Campaign Sophistication

Fundraising campaigns are planned with digital in mind: online giving, mobile optimization, peer-to-peer tools, social media integration, and A/B testing.

Results are monitored and iterated based on performance.

Staff Skills & Adoption

Staff are trained and confident in using digital fundraising tools.

There is a culture of innovation and learning around digital strategies.

Strategic Alignment & Leadership Buy-In

Digital fundraising is not siloed; it’s a core part of organizational strategy.

Leadership supports investment in digital tools and infrastructure.

Levels of Digital Maturity (example framework):

Nascent – Minimal digital tools in place; reliance on spreadsheets or manual processes.

Emerging – Beginning to adopt fundraising software, but tools are isolated or underutilized.

Developing – Systems are partially integrated; data is used more consistently; campaigns include digital elements.

Strategic – Tools are well-integrated and strategically applied; automation and personalization are in use.

Advanced – Fully data-driven fundraising; cutting-edge tools; predictive analytics and AI inform strategy; continual optimization.

Would you like a checklist or scoring tool to help assess your own organization’s digital maturity in fundraising?

You said:

that would be great, thanks Miles.

ChatGPT said:

Here’s a Digital Maturity Checklist for Fundraising Tools, organized by key categories. You can score each item from 0 to 3 to assess your organization’s maturity:

0 = Not in place

1 = Partially in place / Early stage

2 = Mostly in place / Consistently used

3 = Fully in place / Optimized and strategic

? 1. Technology & Integration

Item	Score (0–3)
CRM is used consistently and kept up to date
Online donation tools are integrated with CRM
Email, events, and social platforms sync with donor data
Data entry, gift processing, and reporting are automated where possible

? 2. Data & Analytics

Item	Score (0–3)
Donor data is clean, standardized, and regularly maintained
You use segmentation for targeting appeals
You use analytics or dashboards to monitor campaign performance
Predictive modeling or prospect scoring tools are in use

? 3. Donor Engagement & Personalization

Item	Score (0–3)
Appeals are personalized based on donor behavior/history
Donor journeys are mapped (e.g., new donor → recurring → major)
Multi-channel campaigns (email, social, web, print) are coordinated
Mobile-first design and online giving are prioritized

⚙️ 4. Automation & Workflows

Item	Score (0–3)
Acknowledgements and receipts are sent automatically
Recurring gift processing is automated
Stewardship touchpoints are managed with workflows or reminders
Re-engagement and lapsed donor campaigns are triggered by behavior

? 5. Staff Skills & Adoption

Item	Score (0–3)
Fundraising staff are trained in digital tools and data use
There is a staff member or team responsible for digital strategy
Adoption of digital tools is organization-wide, not siloed
Staff are open to testing, learning, and adapting new tools

? 6. Strategic Alignment

Item	Score (0–3)
Leadership supports investment in digital tools
Digital fundraising is part of the strategic plan
Technology decisions are driven by fundraising goals
Progress is reviewed regularly and used to guide improvements

✅ Scoring Guide

0–25 → Nascent: Just beginning; digital tools are underused or disconnected

26–50 → Developing: Some systems in place; need better integration and strategy

51–70 → Strategic: Well-coordinated digital fundraising with growing impact

71–90+ → Advanced: Highly mature; data-driven, automated, and donor-centric

Carrie Powell · May 30

@Elizabeth Johnson, we're on the cusp of developing … but still in the nascent stage. It's hard to get on the same page when we rely on a couple of full-time staff and a couple of part-time staff in two locations.

Amanda Rapant · June 5

@Elizabeth Johnson

Can an organization be in different stages for different areas? Haha! Some areas I feel we are doing an average job, maybe slightly above, but some things we are so wrapped up in the “we've always done it this way” mentality which is so hard to break.

Definitely impressed with your conversation with Miles - I may create something similar and ask my peers to rate our organization as well, and see how we compare in our scores.

I had no idea that you could ask ChatGPT for its name!

Crystal Bruce · June 5

@Elizabeth Johnson this is great!

Steve Townsend · June 6

@Elizabeth Johnson I don't have all the info to give an exact score but I would say we are definitely in the developing stage, but towards the lower end.

Patti Hommes · June 6

@Elizabeth Johnson This is great! We are roughly around 50 so high Developing. Still have some team members resistant to technology (get rid of the spreadsheet, PLEASE!) but I am working on that!

James Parsons · June 6

@Elizabeth Johnson
This is amazing, thanks!

Our team has conducted a survey with users for the past several years: the Data Culture Survey. This is a way to attempt to see how comfortable people are with data in general. we ask questions about which tools people are using, which parts of NXT they use and how comfortable they are, and what they use data for.

I like how this quiz is laid out and may adopt it for our survey this year!

Lauren Henderson · June 9

@Elizabeth Johnson you continue to inspire me with your AI collaborations! I appreciate you breaking down and sharing your results for how to measure and assess maturity. I would be interested to run this survey for all my school's departments to assess where we are as an organization, and similarities/disparities among and between.

Jordyn Kieft · June 23

@Elizabeth Johnson In my organization, we've been really focusing on digital maturity the past few months, including using AI and staying up to date on how to use Google Drive. What stuck out to me about this report was just the overwhelming evidence that digital maturity helps lead to the success of the organization. My organization already kind of knew that, but it was nice to be affirmed.

JoAnn Strommen · June 23

@Elizabeth Johnson Looking forward to doing this assessment with our team. From my perspective we are on the low end of developing. With new software, doing well on automation and moving foward in other areas.

Irene Hui · June 24

@Elizabeth Johnson This is really interesting - just doing a quick view of the assessment and we are towards the low end - developing. Lots of things that I'd like to implement to bring us up.

Dariel Dixon · July 16

@Elizabeth Johnson This is fascinating, interesting, and scary all at the same time.