Episode 55: Human-Centered Fundraising In The Age Of AI with Peggy Maher

May 14, 20253 min read

Overview

AI continues to prove its potential to enhance human touch in an era where technology often feels like it’s replacing it. Most leaders are finding out that instead of replacing, AI can enhance empathy, streamline communication, and strengthen donor relationships. Using AI thoughtfully can help people reduce time-consuming work, clarify complex messages, and personalize outreach in a way that truly resonates with donors. The promise of AI is not to replace us, but its ability to enhance our humanity.

Meet Peggy Maher, Vice President & Chief Development Officer, CHSLI and the St. Francis Hospital Foundation. Catholic Health is a $3 billion comprehensive healthcare system that serves the entire Long Island community. With a renowned career in fundraising, Peggy has held leadership positions at institutions including Stony Brook University, Columbia University, and the University of Arkansas in New York.

In today’s conversation, Nathan and Peggy dive into the following topics regarding embracing AI with intention in the nonprofit landscape: leading with facilitation, from resistance to experimentation with AI, the benefits of voice technology, the importance of maintaining human connection, the balance between human connection and technological advancements, leadership responsibilities in adopting and using AI, and more.

Cover art for episode 55: Human-Centered Fundraising In The Age Of AI with Peggy Maher

Episode highlights

05:18 The potential of AI to imitate a human voice.
12:43 Leadership, facilitation, and AI adoption.
16:15 Embracing curiosity and activating the experimentation stage with AI.
20:48 Moving from resistance to experimentation.
27:08 NotebookLM and the benefits of voice technology.
30:05 Maintaining human connection and trust in using AI.
34:36 Balancing technological advancements with human connection.
37:44 Keeping the relationships at the center of work.
40:00 Leadership responsibilities of adopting and using AI.
43:08 Showing impact through action.

Tips and tools to implement today

Normalize not knowing. Build a culture of experimentation and shared problem-solving.
Be a facilitator, not a gatekeeper.
Let curiosity lead and invite others to explore alongside you.
Challenge your own assumptions. AI can support, not replace, your creativity.
Use AI as a drafting partner for speeches, donor letters, or emails.
Create space for your team to talk about AI use cases, concerns, and questions.
Solve a nagging problem with using AI. Show how it saves time, improves outcomes, and reduces stress.

Favorite quotes

“It's not so much the ability to draw donor attention to up that concerns me, because I think AI will do that very well. It's how we ensure that donors feel paid attention to, how we deliver that chemical, or the ambassadors of that wonderful feeling of connection that rewards people for being part of our effort and part of our community of humans who are trying to exceed something through fundraising.” – Peggy Maher
“A certain point you've hit these moments where you can start to feel in your career like rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. AI is one of these opportunities to get out of that cycle and have something fresh, exciting, and a little bit terrifying to think about.” – Peggy Maher
“The thing that triggers generosity in the healthcare sphere is gratitude experience.” – Peggy Maher
“I don't feel like I am going to be able to solve the puzzle of AI for my team. It's going to take my full team working together, truly bringing insights from annual fund, from prospect management, from frontline fundraising, from the events perspective, from the gift processing perspective, all of these teams are going to have to chime in in order for us to actually succeed with AI.” – Peggy Maher
“Fundraising is not manipulative when we're putting the donor at the center of the relationship.” – Nathan Chappell
“We have the ability to rethink and reimagine things that we've done in the past and really use technology in this way that has never been possible before.” – Nathan Chappell
“When this comes down to success or failure in the hundreds of clients that we've worked with over the last few years, it has very little to do with data models and has everything to do with people and culture.” – Nathan Chappell
“AI is not measured in days, weeks, months, or years. It's measured in cycles.” - Nathan Chappell