WAJD Learning

AI at work, by industry · Trustees, chief executives, fundraisers, communications staff and volunteers in charities

AI in charities and fundraising: trustees, donors and honest appeals

What the Fundraising Regulator's guidance asks before a tool writes an appeal, picks a donor or answers the public.

  • 2modules
  • 1.5CPD hours
  • 90guided minutes
  • Freeto study

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About this course

Charities run on trust. A donor gives because they believe what an appeal tells them, and a tool that can write the appeal, generate the photograph and choose who receives it can damage that trust faster than anything a charity has used before.

On 8 December 2025 the Fundraising Regulator published guidance on using AI in fundraising. It applies the Code of Fundraising Practice: fundraising must be legal, open, honest and respectful however it is produced. The Charity Commission has said it does not plan separate AI rules, and that trustees remain responsible for decisions whatever tools informed them.

This course covers what trustees must have in place, and then the day to day: honest content, donor data, chatbots, and agencies working in the charity's name.

What you will be able to do

  • State who is accountable for a charity's use of AI in fundraising
  • Explain why an AI policy and a risk assessment come before any tool
  • Apply the regulator's test for when to be transparent about AI
  • Explain the human check required before AI content is used
  • Protect donor data when using a tool
  • Keep automated tools such as chatbots under review
  • Hold agencies and partners to the same standard
  • Say what the Charity Commission expects of trustees

Modules

  1. 1 Trustees, policy and risk: what comes before the tool 45 min study · 2 min script · 5 question knowledge check
  2. 2 Honest appeals, donor data and people working in your name 45 min study · 2 min script · 5 question knowledge check

Assessment and certificate

Knowledge check after each module and a final assessment at 80 per cent, with unlimited attempts.

A digital certificate, issued the moment you have passed and paid, showing 1.5 CPD hours with a verification code. It evidences knowledge of the published position. It is not a regulated qualification, it is not legal or professional advice, and it is not endorsed by the Fundraising Regulator or the Charity Commission. Whether it counts towards your own CPD requirement is for you to judge against your body's rules.

Questions

Who is accountable when a charity uses AI in fundraising?

The charity, and ultimately its trustees. The Fundraising Regulator's guidance says you are responsible and accountable for your use of AI for fundraising purposes, including that of your third-party fundraisers.

Do we have to label AI generated content?

Not always. The guidance says the amount of transparency should be in proportion to the risk of misleading donors: the greater the risk, the more transparent you should be.

Do we need an AI policy?

The guidance says to develop one before using AI tools, and recommends publishing how you use AI in fundraising accessibly on your website.

Has the Charity Commission issued AI rules?

No. It has said it does not anticipate producing specific new guidance and encourages trustees to apply existing guidance. It has also said trustees remain responsible for decision making, which must not be delegated to AI.