From Curiosity to Confidence: A Year of Growth in Autonomous Fundraising

What a difference a year can make.

At last year's CASE Summit - the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s premier summer conference that brings together senior advancement leaders from across the country - the Version2.ai team brought a new idea into the room: What if nonprofits could lead the way in autonomous AI by applying it to fundraising first ? What if we could be at the bleeding edge of this technology and use it for social good, rather than fall in line behind for-profit tech?

At the time, we had a trusted digital gift documentation platform and a vision we were just beginning to build. The conversations that week were energizing, with many leading champions getting behind its research and development. But there was also much uncertainty. People were curious. Many were intrigued. Some were skeptical. And all of them were asking the same question: could this really work?

This year told a very different story.

An incredible number of leaders in the room had already taken hold of the opportunity, and it seemed everyone else was getting ready to. Rooms were packed. The questions were sharper. And across every conversation, the tone had shifted. There’s still curiosity, but now it’s paired with confidence — and a growing sense of possibility.

One of the clearest signs of progress came during our panel session during the second day of the conference. What was once an unfamiliar concept is now being leveraged and championed by some of the most forward-thinking leaders in the field. I had the privilege of hosting a conversation with Matthew Lambert from William & Mary, Brooks Hull from Texas State University, Jennifer Shimp-Bowerman from Bucknell University, and Jason Diffenderfer from Baylor University.

Each of them shared not only what initially drew them to Autonomous Fundraising, but what they're seeing today with their own Virtual Engagement Officers: more donors in active portfolios, stronger pipelines, and, most importantly, new ways to engage meaningfully without increasing the load on already stretched teams.

That's how you shift an industry—by turning vision into reality.

It has been nearly a year since Autonomous Fundraising made its debut. In that time, organizations using Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) have raised nearly $2M and more than 75 partners and counting have launched or expanded their use of the technology.

What we’ve seen in just one year makes it clear: we’re building the most consequential technology in nonprofit fundraising. And we’re doing it alongside the people who are ready to reimagine how we approach this work.