AI Engineer - Fundraising Innovation

AI Engineer – Fundraising Innovation & Digital Transformation
Position Title: AI Engineer – Fundraising Innovation & Digital Transformation Reports To: Development Director Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Hybrid Preferred) Status: Full-Time, Exempt Organization: Shepherd's Heart Fellowship
About Shepherd's Heart
For more than 30 years, Shepherd's Heart has provided compassionate care, housing, support services, meals, and pathways to stability for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness and Veterans in the Pittsburgh region. We believe every person deserves dignity, hope, and the opportunity to thrive. We were recently awarded the Best Places to Work Award by the Pittsburgh Business Times.
As we look toward the future, we are embracing responsible and ethical uses of artificial intelligence to strengthen donor relationships, improve operational efficiency, increase fundraising revenue, and expand our impact on the people we serve.
Position Summary
Shepherd's Heart seeks an innovative and mission-driven AI Engineer to help transform how we fundraise, engage supporters, and tell our story.
This is not a traditional IT role. We are looking for someone who understands technology, communications & fundraising and can bridge the gap between them. The successful candidate will design and implement AI-powered systems, automations, and workflows that help our fundraising team work smarter, deepen donor relationships and communications, increase revenue, and scale our impact.
This position will work closely with the Development Director, Executive Director, program leaders, and external technology partners to build a best-in-class AI-enabled fundraising operation. The role is modeled after emerging nonprofit positions that combine fundraising expertise, communications, AI implementation, automation, CRM strategy, and digital transformation leadership.
Primary Responsibilities
AI Strategy & Innovation (30%)
● Serve as Shepherd's Heart's internal AI champion for fundraising and donor engagement.
● Develop and maintain an organizational AI roadmap aligned with fundraising goals.
● Evaluate emerging AI technologies and identify opportunities for implementation.
● Create policies and best practices for responsible, ethical, and mission-aligned AI usage.
● Educate staff and leadership on AI capabilities and opportunities.
● Lead pilot projects and innovation initiatives.
Fundraising Systems & Automation (20%)
● Design and implement AI agents and digital assistants that support donor cultivation, stewardship, prospect research, campaign planning, and solicitation workflows.
● Develop specialized fundraising assistants for donor engagement, meeting preparation, donor journey planning, and campaign execution.
● Develop AI-supported engagement strategies for churches, faith communities, denominational partners, and faith-motivated donors.
● Build automations that reduce administrative burden and improve fundraising efficiency.
● Develop AI-powered donor segmentation and personalization strategies.
● Create systems that support major gifts, planned giving, annual giving, grants, and corporate partnerships.
● Integrate fundraising technologies to create seamless donor experiences.
● Support data-driven fundraising decision-making.
● Design and optimize donor journeys across all forms of fundraising.
● Create scalable donor engagement pathways that strengthen relationships and increase lifetime donor value.
● Identify high-potential donor prospects, upgrade opportunities, lapsed donor reactivation candidates, and major gift prospects through predictive analytics and AI-supported modeling.
CRM & Data Intelligence (20%)
● Manage and optimize fundraising technology systems including CRM platforms.
● Develop dashboards and predictive models to identify donor opportunities.
● Analyze donor behavior, giving patterns, and engagement trends.
● Ensure data integrity and quality across fundraising systems.
● Build reporting tools for staff, leadership, and board members.
Content Creation & Donor Communications (15%)
● Develop AI-assisted workflows for:
○ Grant proposals
○ Donor reports
○ Impact stories
○ Stewardship communications
○ Email campaigns
○ Social media content
○ Annual reports
○ Videos
● Create prompt libraries and content-generation frameworks.
● Ensure all AI-generated content reflects Shepherd's Heart's voice and values.
● Maintain high standards of accuracy, ethics, and donor-centered communication.
AI Governance, Agents & Knowledge Systems (15%)
Including:
● Design, build, and maintain AI agents and digital assistants that support fundraising and communications.
● Build and manage organizational knowledge systems that improve AI accuracy, consistency, and institutional learning.
● Lead staff training, adoption, and change-management efforts related to AI tools and workflows.
● Create documentation, standard operating procedures, prompt libraries, and training resources that support organization-wide AI adoption.
● Build and maintain organizational knowledge bases that enable AI systems to accurately reflect Shepherd's Heart's programs, fundraising priorities, brand voice, and donor engagement strategies.
● Develop and maintain AI governance standards, donor data handling protocols, and responsible-use policies.
● Establish review and approval workflows to ensure AI-generated donor communications meet organizational standards for accuracy, ethics, privacy, and donor stewardship.
● Assess risks related to AI adoption, including privacy, security, bias, hallucinations, and overreliance on automated content.
The AI Engineer will also lead the development of AI governance practices, fundraising agents, donor journey frameworks, predictive donor analytics, and staff training initiatives. This individual will help create a sustainable AI ecosystem that empowers staff, strengthens donor relationships, supports faith-based outreach, and ensures the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence across the organization.
Qualifications
Required
● Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, Marketing Technology, Fundraising, or related field.
● 3+ years of experience in AI implementation, automation, data analytics, fundraising operations, or related work.
● Demonstrated experience with generative AI platforms and prompt engineering.
● Strong understanding of CRM systems and donor databases.
● Experience designing workflows and automations.
● Ability to translate technical concepts into practical business solutions.
● Excellent project management and communication skills.
● Commitment to ethical and responsible AI practices.
Preferred
● Experience in nonprofit fundraising.
● Experience with Salesforce, HubSpot, Bloomerang, Blackbaud, DonorPerfect, or similar systems.
● Experience with (but not limited to):
○ OpenAI tools
○ Microsoft Copilot
○ Claude
○ Zapier
○ Make
○ Airtable
○ Notion
○ Fundraise Up
○ Power BI
○ Tableau
● Familiarity with donor psychology, communications and fundraising principles.
● Experience building AI agents and autonomous workflows.
● Knowledge of predictive modeling and donor analytics.
Key Competencies
Technical Excellence
● AI implementation
● Automation design
● Data analytics
● Systems integration
● Prompt engineering
Fundraising Acumen
● Donor lifecycle management
● Stewardship strategies
● Revenue growth
● Campaign support
● Prospect research
Communications
● Communications best practices
● Social Media
● Videography
Leadership
● Innovation mindset
● Change management
● Collaboration
● Training and coaching
● Strategic thinking
Mission Alignment
● Compassion for vulnerable populations
● Commitment to ethical technology use
● Respect for donor intent and privacy
● Passion for social impact
Success Metrics
Success in this role will be measured by:
Revenue Impact
● Growth in donor acquisition and retention.
● Increased fundraising revenue.
● Increased engagement.
● Increased donor lifetime value.
Operational Efficiency
● Reduction in staff time spent on repetitive administrative tasks.
● Number of successful AI-powered automations implemented.
● Increased fundraising productivity.
Data & Analytics
● Improved donor data quality.
● Development of predictive fundraising insights.
● Adoption of dashboards and reporting tools.
Innovation
● Successful implementation of AI initiatives.
● Staff adoption of AI tools.
● Creation of scalable fundraising and communications systems.
Why Join Shepherd's Heart?
● Help shape one of the most innovative fundraising programs in the Pittsburgh nonprofit sector.
● Build AI systems that directly support Veterans and individuals experiencing homelessness.
● Work alongside a mission-driven team committed to dignity, compassion, and measurable impact.
● Pioneer ethical AI practices in a faith-based nonprofit environment.
● Help create the future of fundraising while changing lives every day.
Salary Range: $60,000–$75,000, commensurate with experience.

We are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support international student work visas for this role.

To apply, send a cover letter and resume to
Dave Tinker, CFRE, FAFP at dtinker@shepheart.org
Shepherd's Heart Fellowship is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds who share our commitment to serving vulnerable neighbors with dignity, compassion, and excellence.