The Framework

A Framework toward Responsible and Beneficial AI for Fundraising

The Framework is intended to maximize the benefits of AI for fundraising purposes while minimizing the risk of damage to the hard-fought public trust of the nonprofit sector.

Endorse the Framework Read the Framework

10 principles

From Privacy and Security to Sustainability.

Revised Nov 2025

Reviewed and amended biannually, or as needed.

A living document

Capable of evolving as quickly as AI technology itself.

Open-source

For individuals and organizations of all kinds.

$500B

The fundraising profession represents almost $500 billion annually in the United States, helping to support millions of charitable missions worldwide.

While many Responsible and Beneficial AI frameworks exist within the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, there are no existing frameworks that address the fundraising profession.

We aim to change that.

The Fundraising.AI collaborative is a member-driven initiative supporting those working within the fundraising profession with the opportunity to collectively learn about Responsible and Beneficial AI, demonstrate their leadership around the subject, support best practices of Responsible and Beneficial AI applications, and support building a thriving charitable giving sector.

Addressing the increasing speed at which technological capabilities are developed, the Framework here (presented as guidelines) will be reviewed and amended biannually, or as needed to address these advances.

In coordination with International AI guidelines and nonprofit best practices, the Fundraising.AI framework aims to accelerate the development, adoption, and benefits of Responsible and Beneficial AI for entities using artificial intelligence for charitable fundraising purposes.

The Framework below should be incorporated into ethical standards, business, and hiring practices and built into the overall design of AI ecosystems. The primary responsibility for developing Responsible and Beneficial AI systems must reside collectively with individuals, institutions and corporate vendors that fund, develop, deploy, utilize, maintain and monitor these systems.

At a minimum, organizations must establish and maintain comprehensive data-security and governance policies as a foundation for any AI deployment, ensuring compliance, consent management, and risk mitigation before utilization.

1. Privacy and Security

Fundraising.AI Actors must protect personal and sensitive data by following robust security standards within our respective roles, maintaining compliance with relevant data protection regulations, and respecting the privacy of donors, beneficiaries, and stakeholders.

These principles should be part of all phases of the AI system lifecycle, including;

Address consent as appropriate,
Control over the use of data,
Ability to restrict data processing,
Right to rectification,
Right to erasure,
Right of accessibility,
Right of objection,
Adherence to privacy laws.

2. Data Ethics

Ensure compliance with relevant local, regional, and international data protection and AI governance standards, in alignment with human rights and ethical AI principles. This will ensure that the data used is accurate, relevant, and collected with proper consent.

3. Inclusiveness

Actively address biases and disparities throughout the entire AI system lifecycle, by developing a framework to monitor, evaluate and design the AI systems through principles including;

Non-discrimination and prevention of bias,
Representative and high quality data,
Fairness,
Equality,
Inclusiveness in impact,
Inclusiveness in design.

4. Accountability

Share accountability with Fundraising.AI Actors for the AI applications that we develop, deploy, or utilize in the fundraising profession, ensuring that they align with our organization's or client's mission, values, and ethical principles that are;

Verifiable and replicable,
Auditable,
Appealable,
Remediable,
Liable.

Any AI system that makes any critical decisions without human involvement and takes action must be subject to ongoing human review and authorization. Organizations should document review processes and audit trails for all autonomous activity.

5. Transparency and Explainability

Within reasonable efforts to safeguard corporate IP, will be transparent in the development, deployment, and utilization of AI technologies, providing, requiring or requesting clear explanations of AI methodologies, results, reporting, measurement, and potential impacts on participants. In addition, we will provide adequate visibility to consumers of our AI ecosystems outputs when autonomous AI has been utilized.

When agentic AI actions directly affect donors or beneficiaries (e.g., personalized solicitations, autonomous fundraisers), organizations should consider:

disclosing that such interactions were generated or influenced by an AI agent, and
explaining the rationale and data inputs behind AI-driven decisions in accessible language, and provide mechanisms for stakeholders to appeal or inquire.

6. Continuous Learning

Commit to the responsible use of tested and untested resources while staying informed about the latest developments in Responsible and Beneficial AI, incorporating best practices into my work within the fundraising profession, and to share the responsibility of helping educate the broader fundraising community on Responsible and Beneficial AI best-practices.

7. Collaboration

Actively engage with and learn from my peers in Fundraising.AI, sharing my experiences, challenges, and successes in Responsible and Beneficial AI for fundraising.

8. Legal Compliance

Commit to being aware of, and abiding by, applicable laws, regulations, and best practices concerning AI development and operations pertaining to fundraising, data protection, and AI systems.

9. Social Impact

Strive to maximize the positive social impact of AI in fundraising while minimizing any potential harm by focusing on the needs of beneficiaries and communities.

Organizations must ensure training data, objectives, and fine-tuning are aligned with nonprofit ethical standards, including beneficiary dignity, consent, and agency. This must be built in from the outset, not retrofitted later. Fundraising AI systems, especially agentic and autonomous systems, must not exploit donor vulnerabilities or use undue influence, manipulation, deception or coercion. AI agents should be explicitly constrained to align with sector ethical standards, prioritizing trust and dignity.

10. Sustainability

Commit to considering the long-term sustainability and environmental impact of AI technologies and advocate for sustainable AI practices within my organization and the broader fundraising community.

Join the movement

Endorse the Framework

In support of the Fundraising.AI collaboration, we endorse the spirit of the Framework toward Responsible and Beneficial AI for Fundraising to the best of our ability and knowledge.

Individuals and organizations of all kinds are encouraged to endorse.
Not legally binding. Signatories are endorsing the spirit of the Framework.
Your data stays with us. It is exclusively used by Fundraising.AI. Read our privacy policy.

How the Framework works, how it is updated, and what endorsing means.

Why is this called a Framework versus a Pledge?

The Responsible AI framework is intended to be a living document (as opposed to a one-time commitment) that is capable of evolving as quickly as AI technology itself. The clear and comprehensive structure of the Framework helps organizations that fundraise to be able to continually assess and improve deployment of Responsible AI technologies. The Framework is designed to be specific enough for stakeholders to be able to make commitments or pledges to act in ways that promote Responsible AI.

Is the Framework enforceable?

The Framework is not legally binding. Signatories are endorsing the spirit of the Framework to the best of their ability and knowledge.

Is the Framework a static document or will it be updated?

To remain relevant with advances in technology, the Framework will be reviewed and updated quarterly by the Fundraising.AI Advisory Council.

What is the review process for updating the Framework?

Decisions impacting edits or changes to the Framework must be proposed and provided to all current Fundraising.AI Advisory Council members for review, and will take effect upon a documented two-thirds majority vote of the current Council members.

What does it mean to apply the Framework in practice?

At Fundraising.AI, we encourage organizations to treat AI as a distributed responsibility rather than an IT issue. The Framework is intended to serve as a guide for organizations seeking ways to integrate Responsible AI practices throughout their operations, similar to how they might utilize internal policies regarding ethics, privacy, security, and so on.

What do I get if I endorse the Framework?

We believe that Responsible AI is everyone’s Responsibility. As such, the Framework for Responsible AI for Fundraising is open-source and intended to be interpreted differently at different organizations. By intention, we do not ask individuals or entities to “sign” the framework, but instead “endorse” the spirit of the Framework. With this in mind, endorsers may share that they have adopted the Framework. In the future, it’s likely that Fundraising.AI will have a formal accreditation process that endorsers will receive appropriate recognition for having completed necessary requirements.

Is my information shared?

Upon signing the Framework, your personal data will be securely retained and exclusively used by Fundraising.AI. Personal data will not be used or distributed by any of the Fundraising.AI Council Members, their associated businesses, or any external parties. Your data is solely for the internal operations of Fundraising.AI and will never be utilized beyond this scope. Please feel free to review our privacy policy anytime at /privacy-policy/.

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