The Future of Fundraising

Welcome to the Future of Fundraising.

The best question you can ask yourself when evaluating AI is “Will this directly drive revenue or will this create efficiencies?”

If your answer is revenue, you're probably looking at Autonomous AI. If your answer is efficiency, you’re looking at AI Enablement.

Developing a clear grasp of Autonomous AI versus AI Enablement is a skill all fundraising leaders need to develop now, because today’s choices will drive tomorrow’s growth.

When I co-founded Gravyty almost a decade ago, I was a frontline fundraiser who needed to operate more efficiently to reach more of the donors in my portfolio. What we created was the first AI Enablement tool for fundraisers that could self-write emails for me to edit and send to keep me on top of outreach. This is a great example of AI Enablement, tools that draft emails, summarize insights, predict giving potential, analyze CRM data, or prioritize donor outreach lists. Those key words–draft, summarize, predict, analyze, prioritize–are often akin to AI Enablement.

AI Enablement tools are measured in the efficiencies that they produce, essentially helping employees do their current job well.

Autonomous AI is an entirely different category. Unlike AI-enabled tools, Autonomous AI is responsible for an entire job from start to finish, independent of its human colleagues, as a standalone solution. In fundraising, this critical difference means that it is accountable for the same outcomes as a staff member. Unlike AI Enablement, in our industry, Autonomous AI can be measured on direct revenue generation and pipeline growth.

Autonomous Fundraising, and the work of the Virtual Engagement Officer, exemplifies this difference. Bucknell University’s VEO, Lauren, manages a 1,000 donor portfolio and has raised $450,000 while outperforming a control group on every metric: dollars raised, renewals, participation, and gift increases. The VEO operates just as a traditional gift officer would, using cultivation activities that lead donors to give. For this reason, we can measure the VEO by the same revenue-generating standards as every other fundraiser on the team.

Rather than focusing on doing the current scope of work well, Autonomous AI has the unique ability to be applied to scale areas of growth that were previously thought impossible.

As we evaluate AI and bring it into our organizations to improve fundraising, the donor experience, and ultimately our missions, asking critical questions about outcomes will become increasingly important.

Four Months. 527 Gifts. $47,485 Raised.

At Indiana State University, most advancement resources were tied up in major gifts — leaving the base of the pyramid without consistent attention. This spring, the Foundation became the first in Indiana to launch a Virtual Engagement Officer, with a clear charge: strengthen retention, increase participation, and generate sustainable giving from annual donors.

The early outcomes have been clear. In just four months, the VEO raised $47,485 from 527 gifts, including more than $4,000 from lapsed donors. That’s new revenue, recovered alumni support, and a stronger foundation for the next campaign.

Explore the complete case study to see how Indiana State achieved these outcomes.

(KEEP READING)

Autonomous Fundraising Progress Update

This week, the Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO) secured its largest gift to date: $42,100. Autonomous Fundraising is proving its power to unlock greater generosity and inspire giving at every level.

This week’s VEO by the Numbers:

• $2,806,202 raised
• 28,293 donor engagements (as defined by CASE)
• 321,000+ activities managed
• 20,642 gifts secured
• 999 donors re-engaged
• 220 seamless handoffs to fundraisers
• 6 planned gifts and 3 multi-year commitments surfaced

Every number highlights the growing impact of consistent, relationship-driven engagement.

(LEARN MORE)

Building a Pipeline Beyond Alumni at the Technical College of the Lowcountry

Wednesday, September 24th at 1:00 PM ET

The Technical College of the Lowcountry is showing what happens when you expand fundraising beyond what staff alone can manage. By introducing a Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO), TCL is reaching donors with demonstrated affinity, encouraging increased giving, and strengthening relationships across its community.

The result? A growing donor pipeline that not only builds immediate fundraising momentum but also lays the groundwork for long-term support. This session will spotlight how Autonomous Fundraising is helping TCL deepen engagement, qualify new prospects, and generate real results for fundraising.

(SAVE YOUR SEAT)

Fundraising Jobs

Our featured jobs 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.

• VP, Development $185,000 - 220,000 | Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area | Palo Alto, CA | APPLY >>>
• Director of Gift Planning $107,500 - 137,000 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | Monterey, CA | APPLY >>>
• Associate VP, High Impact Philanthropy $145,500 - 185,000 | Mercy Corps | San Francisco, Seattle, New York, or Washington, D.C. | APPLY >>>
• Development Director $110,000 - 155,000 | Grand Canyon Trust | Flagstaff, AZ  | APPLY >>>