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How VEOs Are Increasing Donor Retention by 25% and Participation by 3+ Points

  • Writer: Sara Montgomery
    Sara Montgomery
  • Mar 19
  • 2 min read

A few weeks ago, we shared that our team was beginning to analyze the thousands of data points collected by the Virtual Engagement Officer to begin to understand the full scope and impact of autonomous fundraising. The first set of data we presented focused on SYBUNTs and lapsed donors. The next question we set out to answer is: How is autonomous fundraising influencing donor participation and retention?


The numbers speak for themselves:

  • The VEO has already increased retention by 25%, with 3.5 months still left to go in the fiscal year for most organizations in the data set. Its retention rate currently stands at 54%. In comparison, overall retention for these same donors between FY23 and FY24 was just 43%.

  • The VEO is on track to surpass last year’s participation by at least 3 percentage points. With a current donor participation rate over 18%, the VEO is targeting a 25% participation rate by June 30. Last fiscal year, these same donors yielded a 22% participation rate, and with multiple Giving Days ahead and June fiscal-year ends, the VEO could even far surpass these projections.


    This early data confirms what we’ve believed all along: consistent, personalized engagement doesn’t just sustain donor relationships—it strengthens them. The true importance of these two metrics is not just what they mean for these organizations this year, but what they mean for the future. Donors who give consistently across multiple years are far more likely to continue giving. They are the pipeline that become an organization’s next major gift donors, and consecutive giving is the leading indicator of planned giving prospects.


    The VEO has proven its ability to increase both participation and retention in a way that the industry has never seen outside of managed gift officer portfolios.  


    If you’re looking to boost participation and retention for your organization’s rated but unassigned donors, the team is happy to connect. Let’s change the future of fundraising together.

 
 
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