Digital Tools and Platforms for Nonprofits

This unit surveys and compares AI-enabled fundraising, donor research, grant discovery, collaboration, and security tools used by nonprofit organizations. Students will evaluate platforms, apply productivity and authentication workflows, and design ethically informed, data-driven engagement strategies to prepare for implementation and governance in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze AI-enabled fundraising, donor research, and grant discovery platforms (e.g., Classy, DonorSearch, Dataro, Instrumentl, Grantable) and recommend appropriate solutions based on organizational size, budget, and programmatic goals
• Apply collaboration and productivity tools (Microsoft 365, Google for Nonprofits, GitHub) and identity/security solutions (Okta) to set up shared workflows, version control basics, and single sign-on access for a hypothetical nonprofit team
• Demonstrate creation of ethically informed donor engagement and content workflows using AI writing and meeting tools (Causewriter.ai, Fundwriter.ai, Fireflies, The Prompt) while ensuring privacy, accessibility, and equity best practices from sector guidance (NTEN, Charity Digital, NetHope)
• Evaluate metrics and reporting capabilities across fundraising and engagement platforms (Classy, Engage, Dataro, Candid.org) to design a data-informed campaign plan with defined KPIs and continuous-improvement recommendations