Charity fundraising expert Darren Richards has been selected as one of the Foundever AI 100 UK 2026, a list curated by Digital Leaders to recognize individuals who are effectively utilizing AI for social good in the UK. Richards, founder of Charity AI Partners and a leading authority on AI for charity fundraising, was chosen for his significant contributions to the field.
In its announcement, Digital Leaders stated that the list “recognizes 100 people making a real difference with AI” and includes individuals from various sectors such as business, government, academia, and the third sector. The list highlights those who are using AI to make a positive impact and showcases the potential of AI in practice.
With over 24 years of experience in charity fundraising and leadership, Darren Richards is dedicated to helping charity CEOs and boards utilize AI to raise more funds, acquire more donors, and maintain their support for a longer period of time. His framework, Humans Lead, AI Scales, emphasizes the importance of human decision-making in utilizing AI for fundraising.
“I am honored to see charity fundraising represented on this list. My role is to guide charity leaders in making decisions about how AI is used in their organization, ensuring that it does not compromise the trust of their supporters. As I always say to boards, AI is not a strategy – leadership is,” said Richards.
At the Charity Recruit boardroom, where he was addressing charity chief executives on the day of the list’s announcement, Richards emphasized the limitations of AI and highlighted the importance of human empathy, judgment, and relationships in the fundraising process.
The People’s Choice award is open for public voting until October 5th at awards.digileaders.com/AI100-2026. The final rank of the list and the category winners will be announced at a ceremony on October 16th, hosted by Lord Ranger of Northwood at the House of Lords.
Richards will also be speaking at AI Week 2026 from October 12th to 23rd, where he will deliver a talk titled “Robot Surfers, 007 and the Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln.” The event is free to join and will showcase the latest developments and innovations in the field of AI.
The news of Richards’ selection as one of the Foundever AI 100 UK 2026 was distributed by a reputable news source, but the name of the source is not mentioned in the final text.
