Episode 58: Courage: From Fear to Forward Motion in the Age of AI with Mallory Erickson

June 4, 20253 min read

Overview

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of technology, Artificial Intelligence isn’t just another tool but is becoming a part of the framework of how we live and work. But with that realization comes the question: What does it mean to use AI responsibly? How do we balance innovation with impact? And what happens if we let fear get in our way of engaging with AI at all? In this episode, Mallory Erickson and Nathan Chappell will dive into those tensions. Their aim is not to have all the answers but to explore the importance of curiosity, experimentation, and value-driven decision-making.

Mallory Erickson is a former fundraiser, keynote speaker, author, and host of What the Fundraising, and the creator of Practivated, the first-ever AI-powered donor conversation simulator. She helps fundraisers navigate the overlap of strategy, coaching, and behavior design so they can focus on the most human aspects of their work: connecting. She has helped more than 60,000 fundraisers raise more with less burnout, overwhelm, and more alignment. She is also a firm believer that the nonprofit sector has the capacity to address the problems of the world.

In this conversation, Mallory and Nathan find themselves discussing the following topics regarding the use and creation of responsible AI: the role of AI in solving fundraising challenges, the combination of curiosity, collaboration, and experimentation, the balance between innovation and responsibility, the fear of the unknown, the risk of not using AI at all. Mallory further explains the creation of Practivated and its impact on building fundraising confidence.

Cover art for episode 58: Courage: From Fear to Forward Motion in the Age of AI with Mallory Erickson

Episode highlights

04:19 Exploring the potential of AI in solving fundraising challenges.
09:08 Developing responsible AI tools for fundraising.
16:21 Curiosity, Collaboration, and experimentation.
21:27 The development of Practivated, a tool for building fundraising confidence through AI.
29:53 The balance between innovation and responsibility.
36:25 The risk of not trying to use AI at all.

Tips and tools to implement today

Stay curious about new AI tools and possibilities.
Question and explore potential risks that could come with new AI tools thoughtfully.
Focus on finding responsible solutions to integrate AI.
Build tools that align with your values.
Surround yourself with interdisciplinary friends who motivate and challenge you.
Use accessible tools and platforms to prototype.
You may not be able to estimate responsibility fully before you prototype. Build first, then audit.

Favorite quotes

“I feel like I have this mix of that insatiable curiosity and unrelenting worry.” – Mallory Erickson
“I don't really believe that something is good or bad. I'm always like, what does it take to make something good? What does it take to make something responsible, to make something beneficial?” – Mallory Erickson
“It will break my heart if our solution to fundraiser burnout is to replace them with robots.” – Mallory Erickson
“People talk about AI as a black box. But for me, it felt like digestible.” – Mallory Erickson
“The ability for generative AI to have perfect recall, to take in all the context and be able to recall it instantly, is beyond what most people can comprehend.” – Nathan Chappell
I'm not going to be able to figure out what the responsible version of this looks like until I create a version.”