AI in Fundraising: transparency, trust and cancelled direct debits
Over a third of donors say they would consider cancelling their donation if they found out an appeal they had donated to was created using Generative AI.
Trust is the most valuable asset we have as fundraisers, it’s what sets us apart and what inspires & encourages people to donate to our causes. In fact, according to a recent government report, charities are one of the most trusted organisations - second only to doctors!
And yet, 79% of charities are now using AI tools, but just 18% having an official AI policy (Source: Charity Digital Skills Report 2026). Clearly things are moving fast in the world of AI and charities, but are we considering the potential implications that our AI use could have on donor trust and propensity to donate?
That’s why this summer, DTV surveyed 300 charity donors across the UK to understand what they actually think about charities using Generative AI* for fundraising. The data that came out of the research was truly striking.
*Generative AI: AI that can create content - such as text, images, audio, video, or code in response to a user's written or spoken request.
Nearly half of respondents said they would be less likely to donate if AI was used in appeals. And, more than a third would consider, or definitely, cancel their donation if they found the appeal they had supported was created using AI.
When we dug a little deeper, it became clear that some uses of generative AI were more acceptable than others:
Nearly 70% of donors said it would be acceptable for charities to use generative AI to write educational or update comms. However, just 43% said it would be acceptable for charities to create fundraising appeal videos using generative AI.
These insights are just a brief introduction to a far larger piece of research, but they already begin to paint a picture of the potential implications that using Generative AI could have on donor trust for charities.
So, what does this mean for us as fundraisers? Of course, there should be a place for AI in the world of fundraising. But, this research shows us that using it to generate imagery that depicts the world we serve (the people, animals, fauna and beyond that our charities help) - there is a strong risk that donors will not ‘accept’ it, or more tangibly - will not donate.
If you’d like us to send you the full research report with more data and qualitative insights directly from donors then please do get in touch: hello@dtvgroup.co.uk.
We know that AI is changing quickly, and donor opinion will change too. That’s why we want to keep this research going.
We’re inviting charities across the UK to get involved with our 'Donor Attitudes to Generative AI Fundraising' Benchmarking Report. It will span donors across the UK, through different cause areas and even your own supporter base. The project exists to provide a meaningful picture of:
How donors really feel about Generative AI being used for fundraising
The implications it has on trust and propensity to give for the sector and your organisation specifically
How do we move forward with our own fundraising & Gen AI policies
To find out more about how you can get involved with the benchmarking project and access data and insights bespoke to your donors, please get in touch: helloresearch@dtvgroup.co.uk.
Bio
Poppy is a Creative Strategist at DTV and has worked in fundraising for more than 6 years. Poppy works closely with a large range of charities globally, developing creative propositions and approaches for a variety of campaigns and products in the sector.