Thank you for your replies! We definitely are not trying to replace a FTE with AI or even suggest that is a possibility, so thank you for calling out that that could be inferred by how we present this. We were initially thinking of small administrative tasks that AI could relieve a gift officer from having to champion which would allow them to focus on more high level outreach and donor interaction.
We have yet to utilize AI in creating or executing appeals - but that is an area we are exploring. Same with identifying planned giving prospects. Are there any specific AI tools anyone has successfully used to identify planned giving prospects? This would be an area that would greatly help our program.
Original Message:
Sent: 04-13-2026 10:23 AM
From: Isaac Shalev
Subject: ROI on AI?
I would avoid framing this as a referendum on AI. Instead, identify specific use cases and try to assess their potential impact. AI for prospect research and wealth screening is very different from AI for gift entry automation, for example. Your level of investment, risk, and potential return will be very different across different AI initiatives.
Thank you,
Isaac Shalev
Data Strategy Expert
Sage70, Inc.
(917) 859-0151
isaac@sage70.com
Schedule a 30-minute consultation now:
Original Message:
Sent: 4/13/2026 11:02:00 AM
From: David Woodley
Subject: RE: ROI on AI?
I would suggest it might be easier just to comment on how all of your baseline metrics have changed.
If you used AI in the creation or execution of appeals, how have they performed?
If you used AI in the identification of planned giving prospects, how have your commitments changed?
But if you try to estimate the impact of AI by how many FTE you are "saving" or at best "able to repurpose" you might find yourself going down a pretty dangerous road.
Just out of curiosity, was AI adopted with the mindset of "It will allow us to save expenses on staff salary"? Because that's how analysis might be seen.
Dave Woodley
Unlock*Share*Connect
Chief Data Officer
University of Alaska Foundation
Original Message:
Sent: 4/13/2026 10:15:00 AM
From: Molly Kaszuba
Subject: ROI on AI?
Hello everyone,
Has anyone successfully quantified the ROI of implementing AI within their fundraising program? We're finding it challenging to articulate a concrete figure beyond an estimate that AI could free up roughly 5% of staff time from an FTE perspective.
If you've developed metrics, models, or benchmarks-or even approaches that helped frame the conversation internally-I would greatly appreciate learning from your experience.
Thank you in advance for any insights you're willing to share.
Thank you!
Molly
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Molly Kaszuba
Executive Director of Advancement Operations
New York Law School
molly.kaszuba@nyls.edu
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