Human-Centred Fundraising in the Age of AI: Natasha Bowes’ Community-First Approach

Artificial intelligence is often framed as a tool for efficiency. In fundraising, Natasha Bowes is using it for something more meaningful – to build trust, deepen relationships, and better support people facing food insecurity – an approach shaped by the data-informed, ethics-driven training she developed through continuing education at The Chang School.

We use AI to help us communicate better – not to replace human connection,” Natasha says. “It helps us translate complex fundraising and food-bank language into something donors can actually understand, while still protecting people’s privacy and dignity.

As Director of Development and Marketing at North York Harvest Food Bank, Natasha applies AI to refine grant applications, rewrite communications in plain language, and identify supporters who are most likely to deepen their engagement. Predictive models help her team understand giving patterns and spot opportunities for monthly or legacy giving – without ever using donor names. For the team, every use of technology is guided by a clear principle: AI should support people, not replace them.

Those decisions on where to use AI to assist with elements of fundraising aren’t accidental. They’re rooted in the hybrid skills Natasha developed through fundraising and data-focused courses at The Chang School that are part of the Certificate in Fundraising Management. The skills she learned blend analytics, ethical judgment, and human-centred thinking, shaping how she leads major campaigns, stewards donor trust, and supports long-term community solutions.

Before she was building AI models or leading multi-million-dollar initiatives, however, Natasha was still discovering where purpose and career could intersect.

From Bringing Home a Paycheque to Igniting a Passion

Right out of high school, Natasha was selling industrial tools and machinery – work that paid the bills but didn’t spark passion. That changed when she accepted a receptionist role at a charity. During her first year, she helped organize the organization’s 25th-anniversary gala.

“At the end of that night, I sat in my car and thought, this is exactly what I’m going to do for the rest of my life,” she says.

That moment launched a career in the charity and nonprofit sector – one that would later be sharpened, scaled, and ethically grounded through continuing education at The Chang School.

Learning Fundraising from the Ground Up

Without a university or college background, Natasha built her career by doing. She took night courses in fundraising and event management, moved between organizations, and learned the realities of nonprofit work firsthand. She worked with causes ranging from childhood cancer to autism advocacy, steadily building experience and confidence.

A pivotal – and difficult – moment came just before the pandemic, when she was let go from a role after raising ethical concerns.

“It was hard,” she says, “but I couldn’t work somewhere that didn’t align with my values.”

Not long after, she accepted a role at Second Harvest. She was scheduled to start in March 2020 – just as everything shut down.

A Career Turning Point During COVID

Second Harvest became a defining chapter in Natasha’s career. There, she held the position of Senior Manager, Philanthropy. As the organization rapidly expanded nationally during the pandemic, she found herself navigating fundraising at a scale she hadn’t encountered before.

“That’s when I knew I needed stronger tools and frameworks to support the scale of the fundraising required” she says.

To support that growth, Natasha pursued further professional development, including certifications and fundraising courses at The Chang School. While she had taken theory-heavy courses elsewhere, the Chang School experience stood out for one key reason: immediate application.

“I still recommend these courses to my staff,” she says. “They were practical in a way that made sense right away.”

Using Data to Scale Impact

One course in particular, Data Analytics for Fundraising, which focuses on data and fundraising analytics, arrived at exactly the right time.

Second Harvest had expanded from a regional organization to a national one, but its donor base was still concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area. The challenge was clear: how do you responsibly and effectively find donors across the country?

Rather than guessing, Natasha turned to data.

Using skills from the course, she analyzed donor patterns, worked with data from a Canadian market research firm, and identified shared characteristics among existing supporters. From there, she helped design targeted acquisition strategies, including direct mail, telemarketing, and digital outreach, which were based on evidence, not assumptions.

Within a year, Second Harvest had donors in every province and territory across Canada, and significantly increased its monthly donor base.

“That course helped me connect the dots,” she says. “It wasn’t just data – it was data you could do something with.”

From Donor-Centric to Community-Centric

Another Chang School course challenged Natasha to think deeply about the philosophy behind fundraising itself.

Rather than focusing solely on donor tiers or gift size, she learned to differentiate between donor-centric and community-centric models – and to consciously choose the latter.

Today, in her role at the food bank, that philosophy shapes everything.

“We treat donors who give time the same as donors who give money,” she explains. “Everyone is supporting the organization, and everyone deserves the same respect.”

That approach shows up in small but meaningful ways: handwritten thank-you notes, personal phone calls, tours of the warehouse, and even stickers tucked into cards that connect donors to the organization’s theory of change.

“These are the touchpoints that really matter,” she says. “They build trust.”

Leading Food Security Through Data and Relationships

Speaking of community, after nearly five years at Second Harvest, Natasha made another intentional shift – this time to a smaller, community-focused organization closer to home.

At North York Harvest Food Bank, she’s leading their transformational capital campaign. The organization is preparing to open a new 30,000-square-foot community food hub in Toronto. The hub will change how food is distributed across Ontario, supporting school food programs, libraries, shelters, and partner agencies.

Here again, Natasha applies a data-informed mindset – this time beyond fundraising.

By analyzing years of operational data, the organization is identifying gaps in food supply, over-reliance on certain vendors, and imbalances between donated items and what families actually need.

“It’s not just about how much food you have,” she says. “It’s about what food, where it comes from, and how it supports real meals.”

Keeping Community at the Centre

Despite her strong belief in data and technology, Natasha is clear about one thing: numbers alone are never enough.

North York Harvest integrates community voices at every level – through surveys, roundtables, open houses, community consultations, and even board representation. Clients, volunteers, and partner agencies all play a role in shaping decisions.

Her advice to other fundraisers?

“Step away from the screen,” she says. “Go talk to people. Stay connected to the communities you serve.”

That commitment to staying grounded in real community relationships also shapes how Natasha approaches technology—and where she draws the line.

Using AI – Carefully and Ethically

As technology evolves, Natasha is also exploring how AI can support fundraising without replacing human connection.

“We never use names,” she emphasizes. “Confidentiality and trust are non-negotiable.”

At the same time, the organization has drawn clear boundaries. It does not use AI-generated images, prioritizing transparency and authenticity – especially when working with vulnerable communities.

“Technology should support trust, not undermine it,” Natasha says.