AI in Fundraising: Opportunities, Risks, and Real-World Applications
Panel Session
Artificial Intelligence isn’t replacing fundraisers — it’s expanding what’s possible. From writing grant proposals to building donor pipelines, fundraisers are using AI to work smarter, faster, and more creatively. But as these tools become more powerful, they also demand judgment, equity, and ethics.
Join AFP NYC for a practical, grounded conversation designed to meet you where you are in your AI journey. Together, we’ll explore how fundraisers are using AI as a tool for creativity, strategy, and efficiency — without losing the human touch.
Moderated by Helen Hubacher, Manager of Institutional Giving at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, who has built her own AI tools to streamline prospect research and team workflows, this discussion will feature Rich Leimsider, Director of the AI for Nonprofits Sprint at the Fund for the City of New York, and Bryan Lozano, Director of the Tech:NYC Foundation. Together, they’ll share how nonprofits are embracing AI responsibly — from broad-based literacy initiatives that make these tools accessible to every organization, to hands-on training programs that empower professionals to design their own AI-driven solutions. Expect to leave with concrete takeaways, resources, and a renewed sense of what it means to lead courageously — and ethically — in an AI-powered world.
PANELISTS:
Rich Leimsider
Director of the AI for Nonprofits Sprint
Fund for the City of New York
Rich Leimsider is the founder and director of the AI for Nonprofits Sprint at the Fund for the City of New York, serving 139 nonprofits with 45,000 staff in its first year and targeting 1,000 nonprofits nationally by 2026. Named to Who's Who in Emerging Tech 2025, he's certified in prompt engineering (Vanderbilt) and AI Essentials (Google). Previously, he founded the PSLF.nyc Campaign, helping 70,000 New Yorkers access $4.6 billion in student loan relief, and led Safe Passage Project, quadrupling its size to serve 1,500 child refugees. He's a graduate of NYC public schools, Williams College, and Harvard Business School and serves on Nonprofit New York's board.
Bryan Lozano
Director of the Tech
NYC Foundation
Bryan is the Director of the Tech:NYC Foundation. Bryan is leading the foundation to scale the organization’s K-12 CS education and workforce development initiatives and deepen the tech sector’s support of other economic development and social impact issues. Under Bryan's leadership, the Foundation has launched Decoded Futures, an initiative empowering NYC nonprofits with AI tools and expertise to enhance their social impact. A graduate of Stony Brook University and the NY Coro Fellows Program, Bryan remains passionate about expanding economic equity and believes in the opportunity of AI to empower New Yorkers and the social sector, working hard to serve them every day.
MODERATOR:
Helen Hubacher
Manager of Institutional Giving
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
Helen Hubacher currently serves as the Manager of Institutional Giving at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), where she is directly responsible for fundraising for corporate and foundation opportunities. She has spent her career working in nonprofit development in New York City, primarily in the institutional funding space, and previously served at the Fortune Society and Union Settlement. Helen is passionate about AI and its potential in the fundraising landscape – and believes that it can, and should, be leveraged to further the vital missions of the nonprofits supporting New York City.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Location: Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
(between East 37th and East 38th Streets)
PRICING:
AFP-NYC Young Professional Member: $25
AFP-NYC Member: $50
Non-Member: $75
