I came into this course with quite negative preconceptions about AI and I left feeling confident and skilled. It's been genuinely life-changing in terms of my professional outlook.
Working smarter: how a charity fundraising consultant expanded her services with AI data skills
Rachel Nutting’s starting point was honest and pragmatic. A self-employed fundraising consultant based in Exeter, she works primarily with charities on a project basis, drawing on an MSc in Sports Science and a strong background in research and data analysis. When she heard about the AI Data Science Skills Bootcamp through the Devon County Council e-bulletin, her thinking was straightforward. “Initially, my mindset was very much, ‘AI is coming, and I need to upskill to make sure I stay relevant.’” What she found on the other side of the training was something considerably more expansive than she had bargained for.
Fitting learning around family life is not a small consideration for Rachel, and the course design made a real difference. Sessions starting at 9:30am and delivered online meant she could work around childcare, and materials stored on Moodle meant that when her children were unwell, she could catch up without falling behind. “One of the biggest barriers for me is fitting learning around my children, so the flexibility of the course made a real difference.” The group environment and the quality of the teaching also helped, with the tutors described as excellent and the atmosphere as genuinely welcoming.
The professional impact has been direct and commercially meaningful. Rachel can now offer clients AI-supported data analysis and insight work alongside her existing fundraising expertise and, importantly, she can charge for it. “The course has given me the confidence and skills to articulate and sell my added value to clients. I can now work smarter, take on more complex analytical work, and offer a broader and more commercially valuable service than before.” Beyond direct client work, she has started signposting contacts in her professional network toward AI tools, positioning herself as someone who understands how the technology can serve the charity and non-profit sector.
The training has also opened a new direction she is actively exploring. Off the back of the bootcamp, Rachel has begun thinking seriously about offering charity clients data dashboards and evidence-based insights to support fundraising strategy and planning. She has already discussed this potential new service with a former client. “In many ways, the training acted as a catalyst for pulling these ideas together.” It fits naturally with her scientific background and the analytical work she has always done, but it took the course to help her recognise and articulate it as something she could formally offer.
Her advice to anyone who might be on the fence is quietly emphatic. “You’re never too old to learn something new,” she says. “Without this kind of structured and supportive environment, I probably wouldn’t have explored many of these tools or ideas by myself.” The course, she adds, did not just hand her new capabilities. It challenged the way she thinks about using AI, and that, she suggests, may be the more lasting benefit.