You don’t need to be a coder—or even a tech person—to create a bot that helps you fundraise smarter. You do need clarity, ethics, and a process grounded in the real, messy work fundraisers do every day.
In this live, interactive session, fundraising strategist and tool-builder Emily K. Bocking shares how she’s built bots that support everything from campaign readiness to thank-you letters to donor meeting prep—without any formal AI training. Then, we’ll build one together.
*Full participation is applicable for 1 points for Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.*
You'll learn:
- The different types of AI and tools that can support your fundraising work
- The ethical issues we need to consider before building a bot
- The key steps to building a bot, plus five hard-won lessons for doing it well
- How to start building—even if tech isn’t your thing
- You’ll walk away with a behind-the-scenes look at how a real fundraising consultant builds functional, values-aligned AI tools—and maybe your first prototype, too.
About our presenter:
Emily K. Bocking, CFRE is a fundraising strategist, leadership advisor, and the founder of Brazen Fundraising. With over 18 years in the sector, she has led campaigns from $750K to $100M and supported hundreds of fundraisers, executive directors, and boards through major gifts, capital campaigns, and organizational change.
Emily is known for transforming overwhelm into clarity. Her work tackles scarcity mindsets, burnout, and the systemic under-resourcing of nonprofits by pairing strategy with practical tools—like thank-you letter generators, campaign readiness assessments, and Gloria, an AI-powered assistant for donor strategy and mindset support.
She builds what fundraisers actually need: support that’s smart, ethical, and grounded in the realities of nonprofit life. Emily’s mission is to equip fundraisers to lead boldly, ask confidently, and stay in this work for the long haul.