Who Decides? What 1,452 Blinded Fundraising Decisions Reveal About AI, Judgment, and Authority in Philanthropy

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Nov 16, 2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET

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Most AI conversations in advancement start with the wrong question: “Should we use it?” Kindsight’s new Fundraising Judgment Benchmark asked a harder one. When 363 experienced fundraising professionals compared human and AI recommendations without knowing which was which, what did they judge stronger, what did they judge riskier, and how much authority were they willing to give AI? For advancement teams, the findings raise important questions about donor intent, gift policy, and portfolio management.

In this session, report author Cherian Koshy, CFRE, CAP, ACFRE, EVP of market insights at Kindsight, walks through what the data shows and what it means for your institution. Then, Michelle Bates, VP, Information Technology, Purdue for Life Foundation, shares how her team is approaching AI across advancement.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Cherian Koshy, CFRE, CAP, ACFRE, EVP, Market Insights, Kindsight

Bridging the gap between behavioral science and fundraising strategy, Cherian Koshy, ACFRE, CFRE, CAP®, helps organizations transform how they engage donors. With over 25 years of experience advancing social impact and innovation, he is a globally recognized keynote speaker and the USA Today bestselling author of Neurogiving. Cherian currently serves as VP of Market Insights at Kindsight.

Michelle Bates, VP, Information Technology, Purdue for Life Foundation

Michelle Bates joined the Purdue for Life Foundation in 2019 and is currently the Vice President for Information Technology. She oversees the day-to-day technical services and sets and drives the long-term technical strategy for the Foundation.

Michelle has held various technical and leadership positions over twenty years in both the higher education and financial services sectors. Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in management from Purdue’s Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business while minoring in information systems, and she earned a master’s degree in technology leadership and innovation from Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute. She also holds an MBA certificate and maintains a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.