Data and insight are transforming the future of fundraising, helping charities make smarter decisions, improve supporter engagement, and drive greater impact. Speaking at a recent conference, CIOF Chair Harpreet Kondel reflected on how data analytics, AI, and evidence-based strategy are reshaping the charity sector and why insight has become one of the most valuable assets for modern organisations.
CIOF Chair Harpreet Kondel recently spoke at a conference where every attendee had one thing in common: a belief that insight can lead to better decisions and, ultimately, better outcomes for the causes they care about.
In 2017 The Economist published their front-page headline ‘The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.’ And I believe other than people, data is an organisation’s most valuable asset.
Twenty years ago, insight in fundraising looked very different. In many organisations, it was a function that sat quietly in the background — often reactive, sometimes underutilised, and not always fully understood. During my career I have had the privilege of working with some amazing data analysts: Jon Moxham, Stuart McCoy, Paresh Patel, Ann Carter, Anita Connolly and Mark Ridler, to name but a few.
Fast forward to today, and that picture has changed significantly. Insight is no longer just about reporting what happened. It’s about shaping what happens next. We’ve seen the rise of dedicated data teams, more sophisticated tools, and a growing expectation that decisions — from campaign strategy to supporter experience — are grounded in evidence.
But what’s been most encouraging isn’t just the growth in capability. It’s the shift in mindset. Insight is increasingly seen not as a support function, but as a strategic partner.
That said, we’re also operating in a very different environment.
The past few years have brought a level of complexity that none of us can ignore. Economic uncertainty, changing donor behaviour, increasing scrutiny around data use, and a constant need to do more with less.
And layered on top of that, a rapidly evolving technology landscape — particularly with AI — that promises a lot but also raises important questions.
In this context, the role of insight becomes even more critical.
When things are uncertain, when resources are stretched, and when the stakes are high — good intuition isn’t enough. We need clarity. We need evidence. And we need the ability to turn data into decisions quickly and responsibly.
I believe the real value of insight today sits in three key areas:
Focus – helping organisations prioritise what really matters.
Understanding – going beyond surface metrics to uncover supporters’ motivations and ensure all data is used effectively.
Influence – ensuring insight doesn’t just exist but actively shapes decisions.
Influence is often the hardest – because having great analysis is one thing. Getting it adopted, embedded, and acted upon is something else entirely.
Thinking about my own journey in data and analytics, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that technical skills will only take you so far.
What really makes the difference is the ability to connect insight to real-world decisions. To tell a story. To bring people with you.
Some of the most impactful work I’ve been part of hasn’t been the most complex. It’s been the moments where insight helped an organisation stop and rethink.
Rethink their decisions around GDPR to unlock unused data.
Rethink their supporter segmentation to ensure that great swathes of data are not being excluded in appeals.
Rethink their assumptions about legacy marketing not being worth investing in.
Or even something as simple as making data more accessible — giving teams the confidence to engage with it, question it, and use it in their day-to-day work.
These are the moments where insight moves from being interesting to being gold dust.
I’ve thought long and hard about what I think is the biggest barrier to using insight effectively in organisations today. In my experience, it’s rarely just one thing – it can be a combination of lack of data, lack of tools, lack of skills or something else entirely. But more often than not, it comes down to alignment — making sure that people, processes, and priorities are all pulling in the same direction.
As we look ahead, the opportunity for all of us isn’t just to build better models or adopt new technologies – it’s to continue strengthening the role of insight as a connector: between data and decision-making, between teams, and between organisations and the people they serve.
Because ultimately, insight isn’t just about numbers. It’s about understanding people. And in the context of fundraising, that couldn’t be more important.
The future of insight in fundraising depends on embedding it deeply into organisational culture, asking the difficult questions, and using technology responsibly without losing sight of the human context. There’s also a growing need to support lone fundraisers and to build shared sector knowledge so that insight benefits not just individual charities, but the whole ecosystem.
If we can address these issues, then the next 20 years won’t just be an extension of what we’ve already seen – they’ll be something even more impactful.
The CIOF recently launched its Data & Insights Hub, a valuable member resource, which is building a library of useful sector insight – and will feature key data analysis, trends, reports and more.
