Apr 14, 2026
When resource‑strapped nonprofits lean too heavily on AI to generate appeals and donor communications, they risk trading away long‑term donor trust for short‑term efficiency. In today's episode, Russ Phaneuf and narrative strategist Josh Gryniewicz explore best practices for using AI in fundraising while avoiding ethical pitfalls. Tune in to learn how to set practical guardrails around AI use, update storytelling practices to respect your constituents, avoid “AI sameness” that weakens your messaging, and operationalize "the human touch" so your fundraising remains both effective and trustworthy.
Want to suggest a topic, guest, or nonprofit organization for an upcoming episode? Send an email with the subject "NPFX suggestion" to contact@ipmadvancement.com.
Additional Resources
[NPFX] How a $10M Mindset Can Break
the "Who You Know" Funding Barrier
https://www.ipmadvancement.com/npfx/how-a-10m-mindset-can-break-the-who-you-know-funding-barrier
[NPFX] Leveraging AI as Your
Nonprofit Thought Partner
https://www.ipmadvancement.com/npfx/leveraging-ai-as-your-nonprofit-thought-partner
[NPFX] AI Tools for Grant Writing,
Prospecting, and More
https://www.ipmadvancement.com/npfx/ai-tools-for-grant-writing-prospecting-and-more
Guest
Josh Gryniewicz is
the founder and Chief Narrative Strategist at Odd Duck,
a storytelling-for-social-change creative consultancy focused on
impact-driven organizations. Josh is the co-author of the
award-winning national bestseller, Interrupting Violence. For over a decade, he
has worked in nonprofit communication. In 2018, he founded Odd Duck
to combine his passions for storytelling and social change. The
agency’s Navigating Misinformation for Community Health framework
has been shared with over a thousand community health
organizations. Odd Duck has worked with nearly a hundred
change-making organizations and advised hundreds more, including
the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the Harvard School of
Public Health, and the White House.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgryniewicz/
https://oddduck.io/
https://www.interruptingviolence.com/
Host
Russ Phaneuf, a
co-founder of IPM Advancement, has a
background in higher education development, with positions at the
University of Hartford, Northern Arizona University, and
Thunderbird School of Global Management. As IPM's managing director
& chief strategist, Russ serves as lead fundraising strategist,
award-winning content creator, and program analyst specializing in
applied system dynamics.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russphaneuf/
https://www.ipmadvancement.com/
Connect with NPFX
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/npfx/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/npfxpodcast