Understanding Autonomous Fundraising

What is Autonomous Fundraising? How does it help build stronger donor relationships?

Fundraising Is — and Always Will Be — About Relationships. Let’s Lead with that.

Fundraising is about relationships. At Version2.ai, we couldn’t agree more. Donors respond to relational fundraising that is kind, empathetic, and aligned with the mission of your organization. This is why gift officers have portfolios – their goal is to build relationships with donors that inspire giving.

However, not every donor has a personal gift officer to work with. The pure economics of fundraising limit our capacity to practice relational fundraising at scale. Major gift officer portfolios cap out at 100-200 donors, and digital gift officers at 500-1,000. Even if an organization has the budget to hire an extraordinary number of fundraisers, most will never come close to assigning each individual donor. There also simply isn’t a large enough workforce of fundraisers to choose from to achieve that goal. As a result, the vast majority of donors, often 95% or more, lie outside of gift officer portfolios and are managed by marketing and mass communications. 

Autonomous Fundraising was created specifically as a solution for the unmanaged majority. Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs), Virtual Stewardship Officers (VSOs), and Virtual Planned Giving Officers (VPGOs) form a collection of trusted digital labor that practices relational fundraising at scale. Rather than replacing people, VEOs and their counterparts work alongside traditional fundraisers to create relationships with donors organizations simply don’t have the fundraising capacity to reach with relational fundraising. VEOs do not replace human fundraisers — they sit below them, providing personal engagement with donors who have never previously been assigned to a human gift officer. Donors are being upgraded to a VEO from mass marketing emails, hopefully on their way to an eventual upgrade to human gift officer management. By delivering timely, relevant, and mission-aligned outreach to donors who would otherwise be left out, the VEO expands your organization’s presence — so more supporters feel seen, valued, and connected.

95% or More Donors Don't Have a Relationship Manager. You Can Change That.

Fundraising teams know what a healthy donor pyramid looks like: annual giving at the base, a strong mid-level segment, and active major gift donors at the top.

But for most organizations, that pyramid is under strain. Not because anyone’s doing it wrong — but because there just aren’t enough people to cover it all. Roles stay open. Portfolios overflow. Donors fall through the cracks.

Even top-performing fundraisers manage portfolios of around 150 donors — which means thousands of potential supporters are never personally assigned, no matter how qualified or aligned they may be.

Here’s what that looks like for most organizations:

• 1–5% of donors are assigned to frontline fundraisers — and receive 1:1 outreach

• 5–10% are rated and ready — but remain unassigned due to limited capacity

• 75%+ fall into mass communication — often receiving only batch emails or mailers, with no personal engagement

That middle 5–10% — rated, giving, and engaged — sits just below portfolio assignment. Not because they don’t matter, but because there simply isn’t the capacity to connect with them personally and consistently.

This group has never had a dedicated fundraiser or received personalized outreach — they’re not being transitioned from anything. They’re being meaningfully engaged for the very first time.

That’s where trusted digital labor and Autonomous Fundraising come in.

A Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO) extends your institution’s ability to reach these donors — with outreach that’s personal, mission-aligned, and designed to learn about the individual in a way that builds connection over time.

These are donors who’ve always belonged in the conversation. Autonomous Fundraising provides a way to bring them in.

What AI-Powered Autonomous Fundraising Really Does - and Why It is Helping Fundraisers

A Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO) is not a rules-based automation tool or a scripted assistant. It’s a fully autonomous system — powered by artificial intelligence and built to manage personal, ongoing communication with donors at scale.

For the donor, it feels like something new: someone finally knows who they are, what they’ve given, and why they care. They receive a message that reflects their interests — maybe a thank-you, maybe a story that speaks to something they engaged with last year. And when they reply, they get a response. A conversation begins. One that feels thoughtful, personal, and continuous — not like marketing.

Here’s what sets the VEO apart — and what makes it a truly autonomous partner in donor engagement:

• Engages 1:1 across a large portfolioEvery donor is treated as a segment of one — with outreach that adapts to their giving, interests, and interactions in real time.

• Learns from donor signals The VEO adapts over time — adjusting timing and content based on how each donor engages. Every interaction shapes the next one.

• Uses your content to speak in your voice Every message is grounded in your organization’s mission, your values, and your voice — drawn directly from how your organization already communicates.

• Delivers thoughtful engagement at every stage Whether it’s welcoming a new donor, re-engaging someone lapsed, or cultivating toward a next gift, the VEO carries the conversation forward.

• Supports real two-way communication Donors can reply — and the VEO responds. It listens, remembers, and even identifies and executes opportunities to connect donors to human team members. For many donors, it’s the first time they’ve ever been encouraged to respond.

Rather than executing a rigid script, the VEO acts as a responsive communicator — fueled by your content, shaped by real-time engagement, and focused on strengthening the donor’s connection to your organization over time.

Donors Are Excited About Autonomous Fundraising at Their Institutions. We've got the Data to Prove it.

When we first introduced Autonomous Fundraising, the most common question wasn’t about the technology itself — it was about the people on the other side: How will donors feel about interacting with AI?

It was a fair question. Would it feel impersonal? Would they feel misled?

What we’ve learned — from managing over 30,000 donor relationships through VEOs — is that donors not only understand they’re interacting with AI, they enjoy it.

Every VEO introduction makes it clear: this is an AI-driven team member. And yet, opt-outs remain incredibly rare — less than 0.1%. That tells us something important: this doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It feels like attention.

The growing embrace of AI in fundraising is not only transforming how institutions connect with supporters—it’s also being met with enthusiasm by donors themselves. When Isla, a Virtual Engagement Officer at DeLaSalle High School, introduced herself to a donor, the response was immediate and affirming: “I’m happy to see De is taking advantage of AI technology.” This brief but meaningful exchange reflects a growing comfort with and appreciation for AI-powered engagement. 

Indiana State University’s VEO, Samantha, received positive responses from over 30 individuals with just one outreach. Donors were eager to ask questions, reminisce about their favorite memories from their time as students, and share philanthropic motivations. One donor corresponding with Samantha via text asked for an email address so she could share the full story of why she chooses to contribute to a scholarship fund. This response is just one of many that make it clear supporters are eager to connect more individually. They also provide incredibly valuable insight that both strengthens and lengthens the relationship between the organization and the donor. 

By blending innovation with personal outreach, Virtual Engagement Officers like Isla and Samantha are showing that technology can open new doors without closing others—creating pathways for donors to stay informed, feel valued, and continue supporting the mission in ways that feel modern, intentional, and genuine. These aren’t scripted chatbot interactions. They’re real moments of connection — delivered consistently, at scale, and with a sense of presence that many donors haven’t experienced in years.

The question is no longer, “Will donors accept this?” The question is, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

Keeping Donors Connected, All Year Long

When a donor hears from a Virtual Engagement Officer, it feels like your organization is showing up with purpose, consistency, and relevance. That’s because VEOs are built for relational fundraising. Unlike direct mail, mass communications, and marketing – which are templated, cold, and one-size-fits-most – Autonomous Fundraising brings relational fundraising to the donors who rarely (if ever) receive personal attention from an organization. 

A VEO’s goal isn’t to have a donor build a relationship with a piece of technology. The VEO’s goal is to deepen the donor’s connection to your mission and the impact they’re part of, with giving as the natural outcome of engagement – just as traditional human fundraisers do.

Every message is part of that larger effort — not just timed to a campaign or appeal, but woven into a year-round experience that makes your organization feel present and personal. These touchpoints are a part of a sustained, personalized experience that helps donors feel seen and valued.

The VEO:

• Celebrates a birthday with a link to something meaningful from your community

• Shares an impact story tied to their past giving

• Informs them of organizational news to start to understand their interests

• Delivers a timely ask that reflects their giving cycle

• Follows up with a thank-you that opens the door to deeper involvement

• Invites them to events to offer a multitude of ways to engage

Each message adds value on its own — but together, they create momentum. The kind that brings donors closer to your mission, deepens trust, and strengthens long-term connection.

And when a donor starts leaning in — replying, showing interest — the VEO knows how to respond. In some cases, it continues the conversation on its own. In others, it signals the moment for a seamless handoff — giving fundraisers the context they need to step in with timing that feels natural.

This is what personal fundraising looks like at scale: consistent, thoughtful communication that meets donors where they are — powered by the VEO, supported by your team.

Built by Fundraisers to Support Fundraisers

The VEO wasn’t designed to replace gift officers — it was built to expand their reach by a team of former frontline fundraisers focused on the kindness, empathy, and gratitude that drives philanthropy.

Fundraisers are doing some of the most mission-critical work inside an institution. But even the best teams can’t personally engage every donor all the time. There simply hasn’t been a way to do that — until now.

With a VEO:

• More donors stay meaningfully connected to your organization and mission

• Pipeline is warm and strong, accelerating qualification and solicitation timelines for frontline fundraisers as donors move into portfolios

• Your organization creates space for more donors to feel seen, included, and connected to the mission they care about

This is how you scale the relationship-driven work that already defines your institution — not by replacing the people doing it, but by extending their reach in a way that’s personal, thoughtful, and aligned with your values.

The VEO was built for one purpose: to help mission-driven teams grow their impact by offering the ability to add trusted digital fundraising capacity that brings donors closer to the cause.

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Want to See the VEO in Action?

Schedule a demo to see how Autonomous Fundraising helps you engage the donors you’ve never had the capacity to reach — without hiring a single new staff member.