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By Harry Lynch
Remember the good old days? Say, way back in … 2024?
That was when you could build a strong website, follow tried-and-true search engine optimization (SEO) principles, and expect donors and prospective donors to find you. And if you really wanted to bolster your online fundraising, you might invest in paid search engine marketing (SEM) on Google or Bing at a relatively low cost.
Website traffic suddenly is in decline for many nonprofits. Google AI Overviews — the artificial intelligence (AI) powered summaries that now appear at the top of most search results — are stopping many users before they ever reach a website. At the same time, organic search is shifting away from traditional search engines like Google and Bing at breakneck speed toward large language model (LLM) tools such as ChatGPT and Claude.
There’s no question: AI is here, and change is happening in the sector at a pace never before seen.
If you’re losing sleep over the future of your online revenue, first take a deep breath. The vast majority of online searches still flow through traditional search engines, with more than 90% handled by Google alone, according to StatCounter. At the same time, search behavior is evolving. AI tools such as ChatGPT have scaled from zero users in late 2022 to hundreds of millions worldwide in just two years. Even so, leading analysts emphasize that this represents a gradual redistribution of search behavior, not an immediate replacement. Business and technology consultancy Gartner has projected that traditional search volume would decline by roughly 25% by this year — underscoring that the transition is unfolding over multiple years rather than arriving all at once.
Is AEO The Answer?
The job of nonprofit leaders, marketers, and fundraisers is not only to understand what is happening, but to act and adapt. There has been a fundamental shift in how donors seek information. Traditional SEO principles and tactics are no longer sufficient to ensure that donors — or prospective donors, even those deeply passionate about your cause — will find your website. Much has been written in recent months about the shift from SEO to AEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).
So, what is AEO, really?
At its simplest, Answer Engine Optimization means structuring your content so that AI-driven tools, whether Google’s AI Overviews, voice assistants, or large language models like ChatGPT, can clearly understand what you’re saying, trust it, and, in some cases, use it when generating answers. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on driving clicks, AEO is about helping machines accurately extract and summarize information.
There are technical aspects to this shift. Clean site structure, schema markup (such as FAQ or organization schema), clear headings, and well-organized HTML all make it easier for AI systems to interpret your content. These are largely behind-the-scenes improvements, and for many nonprofits they overlap with long-standing best practices for accessibility and usability.
There are also simpler, more practical content changes. Pages that answer common questions directly, use plain language, avoid jargon, and clearly explain what your organization does and why it matters are far more likely to be understood by AI systems. Content that gets to the point, rather than burying the answer several paragraphs in, tends to perform better in this new environment.
That said, nonprofits should not expect miracles. Even with a disciplined focus on AEO, the chances of appearing regularly in Google’s AI Overviews or being cited as a named source by tools like ChatGPT remain slim for most organizations. The bar is high, competition is intense, and these systems tend to rely on a relatively small set of highly authoritative sources.
Does AEO still matter? Yes. That’s because clarity still matters. Even when your organization isn’t explicitly cited, AI systems might still draw on the ideas, explanations, and framing found on nonprofit websites. AEO-aligned content also tends to be clearer for human readers, journalists, partners, and donors. It strengthens the foundation for traditional SEO, accessibility, and trust. In other words, AEO isn’t about chasing visibility at all costs; it’s about ensuring your organization’s voice is understandable in a search environment that is rapidly evolving.
Paid Search Still Matters For Nonprofits
With so much attention focused on AI Overviews and large language models, it’s easy to assume that search engine marketing is becoming less relevant. In reality, the opposite might be true — at least for fundraising.
Despite the disruption to organic search, paid search remains one of the few reliable ways to place your organization directly in front of donors at moments of clear intent. Sponsored search ads frequently appear above, or alongside, AI-generated summaries, providing a direct path to your website when someone is ready to act. In a search environment where organic visibility is increasingly filtered through AI, paid search often functions as a method to bypass that layer entirely.
This is especially true for high-intent fundraising queries, searches that include words like “donate,” “give,” or “support.” While AI tools can explain a cause or summarize options, they don’t complete transactions. Paid search remains a powerful and predictable bridge between intent and impact when donors are ready to take action.
SEM also is evolving. The platforms that nonprofits rely on are increasingly powered by AI, from bidding strategies and audience targeting to creative optimization and performance forecasting. These tools are not a cure-all, but when used thoughtfully, they are making campaigns more efficient. The fundamentals still matter, strong landing pages, clear messaging, and disciplined budgets, but the systems supporting SEM are becoming smarter.
This dynamic might feel familiar. Much attention has already been paid to how automation and opacity have changed the relationship between nonprofits and search platforms. What’s happening now is an extension of that same trend: less direct control, greater reliance on sophisticated systems, and a higher premium on strategic oversight.
AI Is the Future … But So Are You
Search alone can’t carry the weight of a modern digital fundraising program. Diversification matters more than ever as the landscape becomes more unpredictable. Strong email programs continue to be a stabilizing force, providing nonprofits with a direct line to supporters that no algorithm can take away. Social fundraising, too, is showing renewed promise for some organizations, in part due to AI-driven tools like Meta’s Advantage Plus, which are improving targeting and performance in certain contexts.
Newer channels are also gaining traction. Short Message Service (SMS) fundraising, once viewed as niche or experimental, is increasingly proving its value as a complementary channel, particularly for urgency-driven appeals and time-sensitive campaigns. Not every channel will be right for every organization, but the broader lesson is clear: resilience comes from balance, not dependence on any single platform.
It’s worth noting an important reality that often gets lost in the noise and disruption: digital revenue is still growing for many nonprofits. The path to that revenue might be less straightforward, attribution is probably messier, and tactics likely will require more frequent adjustment. But, the overall trajectory remains positive. AI has complicated digital fundraising, in some ways enhanced it, but it has certainly not broken it.
Uncertainty is unavoidable. We don’t know exactly how AI-driven search will evolve, how platforms will choose to monetize these tools, or what new models will emerge. It’s entirely possible that AI interfaces will eventually introduce paid placements, just as many once doubted that social media advertising would ever become a viable fundraising channel. History suggests that today’s disruption can become tomorrow’s opportunity.
The challenge for fundraisers isn’t to predict the future perfectly. It’s to stay engaged, stay curious, and stay adaptable. The pace of change might feel daunting, but it has always rewarded organizations willing to test and adjust rather than retreat. In an AI-shaped fundraising landscape, that mindset matters more than ever.
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Harry Lynch is chief executive officer of Sanky Communications in New York City. His email is hlynch@sankyinc.com
