We chat to Chris Khalaf, CEO of Exquitech, a UK-based Microsoft Partner, in collaboration with Charity Excellence, about The Furry Fundraiser – a free AI-powered assistant built to support fundraising and capacity-building for UK charities. (Visit the Charity Excellence website to meet the bunny!)
1. What led you to create The Furry Fundraiser, and who is involved?
The Furry Fundraiser is a brilliant initiative created by Charity Excellence and we were honoured to be invited to collaborate on its development. At Exquitech, we’re deeply committed to advancing technology for social good and this project aligned perfectly. Our role was to build the agentic AI back end bringing automation, intelligence and scalability to an already imaginative and impactful concept. It’s a partnership that blends creativity with cutting-edge tech and we’re proud to support Charity Excellence in delivering something truly unique to the sector.
2. How will it help charities?
The Furry Fundraiser offers charities a fresh, engaging way to connect with supporters and funders. It captures attention and drives donations in a way that’s both fun and effective. Our agentic AI layer adds automation and personalisation, enabling charities to run campaigns with minimal effort while maximising reach and impact. It’s especially powerful for smaller organisations that lack the resources for large-scale digital engagement – this levels the playing field.
3. The Furry Fundraiser uses agentic AI. What potential do you think agentic AI offers for charities?
Agentic AI is one of the most exciting developments in the sector. It allows charities to deploy autonomous digital agents that can handle tasks like donor engagement, campaign management and even reporting without constant human oversight. For charities, this means more time focused on their mission and less on admin. It also opens the door to hyper-personalised experiences at scale, which can dramatically improve donor retention and fundraising outcomes. We see agentic AI as a cornerstone of the next generation of charity operations.
4. One of the aims is to help the sector to scale faster and more effectively. Can you tell us more about this?
Scaling in the charity sector has traditionally been constrained by resources time, people and funding. With agentic AI, we’re removing those barriers. The technology we’ve developed for The Furry Fundraiser enables charities to find and apply for funding with minimal manual input, while still delivering high-quality, personalised experiences. This means charities can grow their reach and impact without growing their overheads. It’s a model for sustainable, tech-enabled growth that we believe will redefine what’s possible for the sector.
5. What AI trends do you see ahead for charities over the next year?
We expect to see rapid adoption of agentic and generative AI across the sector. Charities will increasingly use AI to automate donor journeys, generate content and optimise operations. Predictive analytics will become more accessible, helping organisations anticipate needs and allocate resources more effectively. We also foresee a rise in AI-driven storytelling tools that help charities craft compelling narratives at scale. Crucially, ethical AI will remain a priority, with transparency and trust at the heart of every deployment. The sector is on the cusp of a major transformation, and we’re excited to be part of it.