Responsible AI: From Principles to Practice | Donor Experience Summit 2026 - Brooklyn

What does responsible AI look like for nonprofits? Anchor every use of AI to your mission, match governance to the risk of each use case, never put donor data into a system you don't control, and keep a human in the loop on the relationships that matter most. In this panel from Fundraise Up's Donor Experience Summit in New York City, Cheryl Contee, author of AI for Nonprofits, moderates a candid conversation with Jon Thompson of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Josh Hendler of Eric Schmidt's office about how organizations can adopt AI ethically without stalling innovation. Jon, whose team at CHOP is charged with inventing the future of philanthropy, explains how they use data and pattern recognition to help gift officers know when and how to reach out, with the goal of doubling philanthropy without doubling headcount. Josh, who works on preserving institutions and democracy in the age of AI, makes the case that today's AI is already powerful enough to transform every nonprofit, and that the real challenge is adoption, not technology. In this session: → What "technical overhang" means, and why the AI tools that already exist could transform your organization → The shift from AI chatbots to AI agents that take action, and why fixed dashboards may give way to asking your data questions directly → Why evaluating AI investments on a three-year horizon instead of a three-month one changes what's possible → What nonprofits should ask funders for when it comes to AI readiness, and why leaders using the tools matters more than trainings → Minimum viable governance: mapping use cases by risk, planning for shadow AI, protecting constituent data, and knowing the models you use → How to keep humans in the loop as AI becomes more independent, from weekly output reviews to the risk of approval fatigue → Bold predictions for AI in fundraising, and what happens to human relationships as AI gets better at them "A computer will never hug a person. It'll never shake their hand. It'll never look them in the eye." — Jon Thompson, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ABOUT THE DONOR EXPERIENCE SUMMIT The Donor Experience Summit, hosted by Fundraise Up, brings nonprofit fundraising professionals together to rethink how organizations connect with donors. Fundraise Up is an AI-powered fundraising platform for nonprofits. Learn more: https://fundraiseup.com/ Subscribe for more on AI in fundraising, donor experience, and nonprofit leadership. #ResponsibleAI #AIForNonprofits #DonorExperience 0:00 Responsible AI in Practice: Meet the Panel 3:33 Technical Overhang, AI Agents & the End of Dashboards 7:20 Why AI Needs a Three-Year Horizon, Not Three Months 11:15 What Nonprofits Should Ask Funders For 16:22 Minimum Viable AI Governance 21:40 Keeping Humans in the Lead 24:47 Q&A: Bold Predictions for AI in Fundraising 30:13 Q&A: Agentic AI & the Future of Human Relationships