The Future of Fundraising
Welcome to the Future of Fundraising.
In today’s philanthropic landscape, donors expect to feel seen, valued, and connected to the causes they support. The traditional approach to donor engagement—one reliant on managed gift officer portfolios—has long struggled to extend the personal, relationship-driven experience to the majority of donors.
Relational fundraising is the key to donor retention, re-engagement, and increased giving. It provides donors with meaningful interactions that foster loyalty and inspire greater generosity. This week, I shared a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article with my team, emphasizing the importance of bringing relational fundraising to more donors.
In a recent LinkedIn post, the article’s author, Allison Fine, President of Every.org, says, “The ‘relational’ part means pivoting away from the default habits of one-size-fits-all appeals with its corresponding low response rates. Being ‘relational’ means being in conversation with your donors and treating every donor as an individual with their own unique strengths, gifts, social networks and, of course, financial capital to contribute. The ‘at scale’ part requires the smart, strategic use of technology, including AI, to segment and customize communications and appeals to potential and current donors…”
Executing a relational fundraising strategy for the 95% of donors who aren’t in managed portfolios has essentially been impossible—until now. Autonomous Fundraising, powered by Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs), revolutionizes how institutions connect with their donors in a personalized, authentic way.
The results speak for themselves:
- 30% of donors who gave through the VEO increased their giving from last year—demonstrating that deeper engagement leads to greater generosity.
- VEOs are recapturing lapsed donors up to 3x faster than traditional approaches, proving the power of timely, personalized outreach.
- Nearly 500 re-engaged donors who did not give last fiscal year have now contributed under VEO management.
- Almost 4,000 positive engagements show that donors appreciate and respond to meaningful, relational interactions.
- A 54% retention rate—with more than three months left in the fiscal year for most partner organizations—demonstrates the power of relational fundraising at scale.
- Major milestone of exceeding last years’ portfolio performance achieved by multiple organizations.
Autonomous Fundraising allows organizations to move beyond the limitations of traditional gift officer portfolios. It expands relational fundraising to more donors to give them the personalized attention they deserve. As the sector continues to evolve, those embracing Autonomous Fundraising will be the ones who build deeper donor relationships, drive greater impact, and secure a sustainable future for their organizations.
The future of fundraising isn’t just about technology—it’s about using technology to bring donors closer than ever before. The shift to Autonomous Fundraising isn’t just an innovation; it’s a necessity for organizations that want to thrive in the modern philanthropic landscape.
Autonomous Fundraising Progress Update
As the need for scalable, high-impact donor engagement continues to rise, Autonomous Fundraising is proving to be a powerful ally for teams looking to expand their capacity. Rather than replacing fundraisers, digital labor is enhancing their efforts—helping teams reach more donors, secure more gifts, and create more meaningful touchpoints without additional strain on staff.
This week’s Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO) update highlights the continued impact:
- $567,696 raised through AI-driven outreach
- 3,823 donor engagements (as defined by CASE)
- 68,000+ personalized fundraising activities executed
- 2,374 gifts secured
- 463 donors re-engaged
- 129 seamless transitions to human fundraisers
Week by week, VEOs are demonstrating how digital labor can extend fundraising capacity and elevate donor engagement—at scale.
Track our live progress and latest metrics here.
[Podcast] High Impact Uses of AI with Adam Martel
Fundraising teams are stretched too thin, leaving over 90% of donors without direct engagement. In the latest episode of Advancement Amplified: AI for IA, host Dan Giroux sits down with Adam Martel, CEO of Givzey and Version2.ai, to explore how Autonomous Fundraising is transforming donor engagement—not by replacing fundraisers, but by expanding their capacity. They discuss how institutions like William & Mary and Bucknell are integrating AI into multi-year staffing plans and using it to drive personalized donor outreach at scale.
Fundraising is being redefined—will your institution adapt or be left behind? Listen in to discover how AI is already reshaping donor engagement. [LISTEN NOW]
Your Newest Team Member: The Virtual Engagement Officer
The Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO) is the world’s first AI-powered autonomous fundraiser, helping organizations scale 1:1 donor engagement, re-engage lapsed donors, and build lasting relationships at a fraction of the cost of hiring.
In our latest blog, you’ll not only learn how VEOs are transforming fundraising operations—you’ll also meet John, La Salle University’s VEO, and hear how he’s already expanding fundraising capacity and delivering real results.
Ready to see it for yourself?
[Live Webinar] More Engagement, More Giving: How Autonomous Fundraising Expands the Surface Area of Luck
Fundraising doesn’t have a giving problem—it has an attention problem. Most donors don’t give because they’re not engaged in a meaningful way. Autonomous Fundraising expands the Surface Area of Luck by using AI-powered Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) to scale personalized outreach, ensuring more donors feel seen, valued, and inspired to give.
Join us on March 27 at 2 PM ET to learn how AI-driven engagement captures donor attention, builds stronger relationships, and unlocks more giving.
Recommended by LinkedIn
[Live Qamp;A] Top 10 Questions about Autonomous Fundraising Answered
Join Jason Robbins from the Version2.ai team on April 3 for a live Q&A answering the 10 most frequently asked questions about AI-driven Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs). You’ll get clarity on questions like:
- What exactly is a VEO?
- What are the best use cases of a VEO?
- Which donor demographics and segments see the most success?
And more!
You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of how autonomous fundraising actually works—and how it could work for you.
Meet Version2 at NEAGC
We’re excited to be attending this year’s Northeast Annual Giving Conference (NEAGC)! If you’re joining us in Baltimore, we’d love to connect.
Be sure to catch Renee Quinn (Version2.ai) and Amanda Glann (St. John Fisher University) as they present "What We've Learned From Fully Autonomous AI Fundraising & Where We're Going Next" on Tuesday, March 25 at 2:45 PM.
Learn how autonomous fundraising is reshaping donor engagement and what we’ve discovered from real-world deployments of AI-powered Virtual Engagement Officers.
Stop by and connect with our team to explore how AI can add trusted digital capacity to your fundraising strategy!
Meet Version2 at CASE V
We’re excited to be attending this year’s CASE District V Annual Conference 2025! If you’re joining us in Chicago next weekend, we’d love to connect.
Meet Reilly Conroy at our booth and learn how our Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) are helping institutions overcome staffing gaps, scale donor engagement, and expand capacity with trusted, AI-powered digital labor. Plus, join the team Sunday, March 30th for an informal cocktail hour where you can network and dive deeper into these innovations. Get the details and RSVP below!
[RSVP]
Meet Version2 at CASE CUF
We’re looking forward to attending the 2025 CASE Conference for College and University Foundations! If you’ll be in Chicago next weekend, we’d love to connect.
Stop by our booth to meet Casey Maloney and see how Autonomous Fundraising is helping institutions overcome staffing gaps, scale donor engagement, and expand capacity with trusted, AI-powered digital labor.
Plus, join the team to kick off night 1 of the conference on Sunday, March 30 for an informal cocktail hour—network with peers and explore how innovative fundraising teams are expanding donor engagement at scale. Details and RSVP below!
[RSVP]
Fundraising Jobs
Our featured jobs always come from our amazing subscribers. If you have jobs you would like posted in the Future of Fundraising newsletter, please email hello@givzey.com with your requests.
- Director, Annual Giving and Engagement $150,000 -$165,000 | Parkland Health and Hospital System | Dallas, TX | APPLY>>>
- Philanthropic Advisor $100,000 -$110,000 | Parkland Health and Hospital System | Dallas, TX | APPLY>>>
- Annual Giving Officer $70,000 - $80,000 | Parkland Health and Hospital System | Dallas, TX | APPLY>>>
- Director of Development $110,00-130,000 | St. John’s Preparatory School | New York City, NY | Apply >>>
- Director of Development, Department of Medicine $130,000 | John Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | APPLY >>>
- Executive Director of Development for Faculty and Undergraduate Education $132,800 - 170,000 | Dartmouth College | Lebanon, NH | APPLY >>>
Wow! 30% of VEO donors increased their giving and 54% retention rate. incredible early results. Yes to relational fundraising at scale.
Director of Human Resources at Givzey
8moJust shows what increasing fundraiser capacity through digital labor can do. So impressive. ..."Nearly 500 re-engaged donors who didn't give last fiscal year have contributed with the VEO."
Givzey | Version2.ai
8mo“Executing a relational fundraising strategy for the 95% of donors who aren’t in managed portfolios has been impossible until now. Autonomous Fundraising, powered by VEOs, revolutionizes how institutions connect with donors in personalized, authentic ways.” Imagine the results for your organization!!
Once you can engage in a one-to-one data-informed conversation with a donor, you significantly increase the chances of a positive fundraising outcome. We are proving that everyday with the successes of Version2.ai's Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs)!