Happy New Year and welcome to the first edition of Bottom Line in 2024!
 

In this issue you will find:

✅ Some thoughts on the use of AI in fundraising

✅ Tips and advice on how to make your proposal shine

✅ Global funding opportunities 

✅ Crowdfunding platforms Kickstarter and Patreon

✅ Articles and courses to follow this month

✅ Digital tools for grant writing
 

“Is AI the great equaliser for fundraising?”

Are you incorporating AI into your fundraising proposals? If not, you might be putting yourself at a disadvantage. 

Neema Iyer, a technologist and non-profit founder, has explored the future perspective of funders on AI-generated proposals and its impact on the fundraising landscape in a recent blog.

She makes the point that AI in proposal writing levels the playing field, eliminating the need for nonprofits to heavily rely on professional grant writers or inaccessible networking opportunities. It not only saves countless hours spent on writing and revising but also prevents arbitrary rejections based on factors that historically disadvantage marginalised groups, allowing staff to direct their energy towards more impactful and meaningful work and reducing burnout from bureaucratic obstacles.

As one of Iyer's readers pointed out:

"The grant making system is very exclusive for very certain demographics and when working from a country where there are 12 different languages and a huge digital divide, GPT is a game changer in grant writing… If you train up organisations on how to use it to better highlight their amazing work, not only are you bridging that digital divide but you ensure more equal and better access to funding."

But what to do with all that extra time if we no longer need to spend coffee-induced nights pouring over our funding applications? Camilla Palazzini, senior partnerships manager at BBC Media Action, has a few ideas:

"What if instead of writing proposals we could invest that time in participatory grant making practices?

What if by using AI we could invest time and create space to engage communities/people in a TRUE, meaningful way in the grantmaking process and pave the way to REAL creativity in project design?"

Over the next few months we'll be exploring lessons learned from other development sectors that have embraced AI in their grant writing. In the meantime, drop me a line to share how you plan to integrate AI into your fundraising practices.

Anne Marie Hammer
Director of Membership Services