Episode Details

Somewhere right now, a corporate giving team is deciding whether your organization is even worth a meeting, and increasingly, an AI tool is making that first cut before a human ever reads your name. This episode digs into how corporate social responsibility teams are using AI to screen nonprofit partners, match volunteers, and quantify impact — and what that means for who gets chosen and who gets filtered out before anyone's even in the room.

Sean breaks down two real shifts reshaping corporate giving this year: a new tax change pushing companies from cash gifts toward skills-based volunteering, and a pullback from politically sensitive causes toward priorities like food security, affordability, and digital inclusion. Then, the practical part: five concrete steps to make your organization's impact "legible," to a person and to the systems now doing the first round of screening.

Sean is the founder of Magnolia Philanthropic Services, advising nonprofits nationwide on development strategy, with 25+ years in the field.