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As we closed the books on 2024, we reflected on the journey our team embarked on this year with our incredible Innovation Partners to prove that autonomous fundraising is not only possible but essential in the nonprofit sector. With portfolios developed to target the specific advancement goals of our R&D partners, the VEO program achieved more than we could have imagined in its first 3 months.
With over 1400 engagements (as defined by CASE), the VEO has proven its ability to adapt to donor preferences and deliver effective, personalized communication at scale. It is on track to raise over $250,000 in giving by the close of the calendar year, which include annual, matching, leadership, donor advised fund and planned gifts. It overcame language barriers. It crossed the digital threshold with robotic handwritten notes and even small holiday gifts that brought magical moments to donors who had previously only received mass marketing appeals and standard acknowledgements.
Check out our roundup of achievements in this year of “firsts” here:
Looking forward to 2025, we anticipate that autonomous fundraising will continue to evolve into an indispensable tool to expand trusted fundraising capacity for organizations of all sizes.
Having already proven its ability to raise individual gifts, the next frontier we will be testing with the VEO is the solicitation of multi-year commitments. We expect that fostering more ongoing donor relationships will mean the autonomous fundraiser will become even more capable at adapting and optimizing its own operations. We also foresee it playing a more prominent role in facilitating handoffs up the fundraising pyramid and ensuring that, when a human fundraiser joins the conversation, they are following up with a “warm” and engaged donor.
As we look ahead, one thing is clear: Autonomous Fundraising is not a futuristic idea. It is a tool for today for every organization ready to reshape the way it connects with its supporters, enabling teams to build more meaningful relationships and raise more funds at all levels.
2025 will truly be the year that human labor and digital labor combine to help organizations achieve fundraising and donor engagement goals never before thought possible.