Autonomous Fundraising Recaptures Lapsed Donors Up to 3x Faster than Traditional Approaches

The Virtual Engagement Officer is still less than 6 months into engagement with its very first donors, but in those short few months, Version2 has gathered thousands of data points that allow us to better understand the impact of Autonomous Fundraising. My team has begun to analyze this data and the first question we set out to answer was: How is donor behavior shifting? Are donors giving more? Are current donors renewing? And most importantly, are lapsed donors reactivating?

The results are in, and they reveal a significant transformation:

• 15% of the donors who have given under VEO management were SYBUNTs and lapsed, already well ahead of the 5-10% industry average of recapturing lapsed donors, proving that the right engagement strategy can bring donors back.

• 21% of total giving, over $100k, are gifts coming from these re-engaged lapsed donors, highlighting a renewed commitment.

• 30% of donors have increased their giving since working with the VEO. This increase alone totals over $151k in gifts to our Innovation Partner organizations.

Autonomous Fundraising is recapturing lapsed donors up to 3x faster than traditional approaches.

The fact that 15% of donors and 20% of gifts are coming from re-engaged lapsed donors is more than just a statistic—it’s proof that autonomous fundraising can combat the industry-wide trend of relying on fewer donors each year. Past supporters are ready to reconnect if given the right opportunity. Bringing donors back into a cycle of regular engagement both restores their giving status and re-establishes their long-term commitment to the organization. This is particularly important with donors who have the capacity for future major giving. It directly impacts their lifetime value and warms them for future major gift conversations.

These numbers make one thing clear: digital labor is redefining the future of fundraising. By leveraging AI-powered engagement, automation, and data-driven strategies, we are transforming how we manage donor relationships, build pipeline, and ensure lasting donor connectivity. Fundraising teams now have a path to scale outreach, personalize interactions at unprecedented levels, and drive meaningful engagement—without increasing the human workload.

We are just getting started. If you’re considering strategies for SYBUNTs and lapsed donor engagement, my team and I welcome the opportunity to connect with you to learn more, and stay tuned as we continue to analyze and share more insights into the data.