AI is doing to digital what digital did to marcomms and fundraising 20 years ago

A familiar wave of technological anxiety

At a recent event, I was struck by how negatively many practitioners spoke about artificial intelligence. Almost entirely, they derided its output quality and felt certain that machines could not replicate their expert craft. This defensive stance felt deeply familiar to those of us who have worked in charity communications for decades.

20 years ago, we saw similar arguments when websites, email and digital marketing began to emerge. Specialists fiercely defended traditional channels like quarterly print newsletters, direct mail packages and outbound telephone campaigns as the only genuine ways to build relationships. They worried that these new digital spaces would dilute the quality of their communications and alienate supporters.

Over time, we learned that the best marketing actually happens when we work across all channels together. It is not a battle of digital versus print, but a matter of combining old and new tools to support a cohesive user journey. This historical shift shows us that defensive reactions do not come from a lack of talent, but from a place of genuine human fear.

When faced with structural uncertainty, people naturally worry about their job security, professional value and place in a shifting world. Leaders must recognise this anxiety and help their teams navigate the cycle of change safely. By looking back at what worked during the digital transition, we can find a clearer path forward.

Shifting our language and our mindset

To help your team move past fear, you must change how you talk about these new systems. We must do our best to avoid making artificial intelligence sound bigger or scarier than it is. Using everyday plain English and avoiding technical jargon at all costs will make the technology feel approachable.

When we introduce a new technology with mysterious acronyms, we build barriers between people. Leaders can set a healthy tone by focusing on the practical tasks that these tools can help us complete. This simple shift in language helps practitioners see the technology as an assistant rather than a threat.

We must also encourage people to ask questions without feeling like they are falling behind. When leaders normalise curiosity, they create a space where people can safely express their concerns. This mindset allows your team to move from a position of defense to one of active exploration.

Finally, we must do our best not only to rely on data as an objective metric to drive this transformation. Numbers can provide useful insights, but they are rarely neutral or unbiased. Data is almost always shaped by the views and opinions of the people who collect it, which is why human insight must always guide our strategy. When used incorrectly you will again create barriers between people. 

Rethinking team structures

During the previous digital wave, many organisations made the mistake (in my opinion) of setting up isolated teams led by external experts. We learned that these specialist teams often fail because they are disconnected from the core mission. They ended up making people feel like digital was a highly specialised task that only happened in a silo.

The best ideas do not come from external technical experts (often called unicorns 🤮) who do not understand your charity. Instead, they come from the practitioners who already understand your supporters, your mission and your services deeply. 

It might take longer for your existing teams to pick up some of these new skills and use the latest technology, but the results will be more effective, sustainable and scalable.

We must build our new capabilities with kindness and curiosity

If a colleague does not see the value of these new tools, we should not write them off as old-fashioned luddites. We should ask ourselves and them why they feel this way, creating a space where people can safely explore the tools together. 

Designing structures that integrate these tools into existing roles prevents the friction of separate reporting lines.

Prioritising collaboration to build confidence

The most effective way to demystify new technology is to establish cross-functional working groups. At William Joseph, we call these communities of practice because they bring different departments together informally to tackle shared problems. This collaborative structure helps your organisation break down silos and build collective confidence.

Leaders should encourage their teams to express curiosity and experiment openly rather than pretending they have all the answers. By working out how to use these systems together, you ensure that the people closest to your users remain in control of the outcomes. Trying to squash variation too early in the name of strict uniformity can kill momentum.

While an external agency shouldn’t be the people giving you the answers, we definitely can help your teams collaborate to try and find your own solutions. Drop me a line on james@williamjoseph.co.uk if you’d like to chat