Meaningful Donor Engagement with Trusted Digital Labor: Meeting Fundraising’s Highest Standards

As fundraising evolves, so does the way we think about engagement.

What once was defined by volume (How many contacts did we reach?), is now defined by action. What did the donor do in response?

At Version2, we developed our Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) around this question. If a VEO is part of your team, it’s held to the same rigorous standards as all fundraisers. Successful engagement isn’t about the number of messages sent, it measures all of the activities that move relationships forward. The VEO is measured by this same clear and well-respected benchmark.

Autonomous Fundraising is revolutionary for nonprofit organizations of all types, and we use the Global Reporting Standards established by CASE for engagement, which come from higher education. As a team of former fundraisers, we chose CASE standards because the underlying principals behind them are universal. Long term relationships with supporters and future giving pipeline is built on the sum of ways an individual interacts with the organization.

To date, the VEO has facilitated 5,407 donor engagements for nonprofit organizations in virtually all verticals, as defined by CASE standards:

Philanthropic engagement involves financial or in-kind contributions that advance the organization’s mission. It represents a clear and measurable expression of commitment.

Volunteer engagement reflects the contribution of time, expertise, or leadership in a defined, mission-aligned role—such as mentoring, advocacy, board service, or committee participation.

Experiential engagement captures a donor’s participation in events or programs that strengthen their connection to the institution. These experiences may be in person or virtual, but are always designed to foster meaningful involvement.

Communication engagement is demonstrated through two-way interactions initiated by the donor. This includes replying to outreach, providing feedback, or engaging meaningfully with content—whether through email, surveys, or social media platforms.

To build donor relationships that last, we have to measure all of the conscious and intentional ways that donors engage with our organizations both in and outside of philanthropic giving.

Trusted digital labor through Autonomous Fundraising increases our capacity as fundraising leaders to make engagement, in the rigorous sense of the word, finally possible at scale.

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Learn more about how trusted digital labor is helping organizations meet today’s engagement standards—and set the pace for what’s next.