The Human Advantage: Why Storytelling Matters More Than Ever in AI-Powered Healthcare Fundraising
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping healthcare philanthropy from donor research and segmentation to personalized outreach at scale. But as AI becomes more capable, donors are becoming more cautious.
Kindsight's longitudinal research from more than 1,000 healthcare donors reveals a paradox: familiarity with AI is rising fast, yet comfort and trust are not keeping pace. Donors recognize AI’s efficiency, but they are increasingly concerned about privacy, authenticity, and the loss of human connection especially in a sector where trust is deeply personal.
This session explores why storytelling is not a “soft skill,” but a strategic advantage in the age of AI. Drawing on new donor perception data, neuroscience, and real-world healthcare philanthropy examples, participants will learn how storytelling helps preserve trust, reinforce human connection, and guide ethical AI use without slowing innovation.
Rather than asking whether healthcare philanthropy should use AI, this session reframes the question: How do we use AI in ways that make us more human, not less?
Attendees will leave with practical frameworks for aligning AI, storytelling, and donor trust so technology supports generosity instead of undermining it.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
-
- Explain why storytelling becomes more—not less—important as AI adoption increases in healthcare philanthropy, using donor perception data and behavioral science to understand how trust and meaning influence giving decisions.
- Identify the key trust risks donors associate with AI in healthcare fundraising, including concerns about privacy, authenticity, and human connection—and how storytelling mitigates those risks.
- Apply a practical framework for integrating AI into donor communications without eroding trust, ensuring personalization, transparency, and human presence work together rather than compete.
- Evaluate when personalization enhances donor relationships—and when it backfires, based on donor comfort levels and expectations revealed in recent healthcare donor research.
- Design donor narratives that reinforce human values, ethical intent, and mission clarity, even when AI tools are used behind the scenes to support efficiency and scale.
Speaker: Cherian Koshy, CFRE, CAP®,Vice President, Kindsight
Cherian Koshy, CFRE, CAP®, is a globally recognized expert in fundraising strategy, leadership, and innovation. He is the author of Neurogiving: The Science of Donor Decision-Making, a multi-week USA Today bestseller and #1 Amazon bestseller in Nonprofits. As a keynote speaker and advisor, Cherian blends neuroscience, behavioral science, and real-world experience to help organizations inspire generosity ethically and lead with clarity in times of change. He serves on the global board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and on the board of The Giving Institute. His insights have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, CEOWorld, and Yahoo Finance. He is the founder of the AI-powered platform NonprofitOS, which was acquired by Kindsight, where he now serves as Vice President. Cherian’s work at the intersection of ethics, technology, and philanthropy positions him as a trusted voice shaping the future of social impact.