How Fundraising Teams Are Building Support for Virtual Engagement Officers

Over the past six months, working alongside our Innovation Partners, we have seen firsthand that donors and nonprofits are not just ready for autonomous AI in fundraising— they need it. The numbers are too compelling to ignore: fundraising teams are stretched too thin, staff-to-donor ratios are unsustainable, and donors themselves are signaling that they want more engagement, not less. As we work to shape the future of fundraising, here’s what we’ve learned about successfully building champions for Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) with internal and external communities:

1. Industry Acceptance: The Readiness is Real

One of the biggest insights from our Innovation Partners is that the nonprofit industry isn’t just open to AI-driven engagement—it embraces it. The results speak for themselves: 4k+ engagements that are overwhelmingly positive, $573k generated just from the first cohort of 13 partners, and opt-out rates at only .1%. Donors are not only willing to engage with VEOs – we hear over and over how proud they are that the organization they support is pioneering new ways to foster connections and build sustainable funding to drive its mission. Dan Freeman, Chief Development Officer at Gaston College, the first community college to introduce a VEO, posted last week to give context and data that shows there is a demand from alumni for more connection. This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about meeting donors where they are and providing them with meaningful engagement at scale.

2. Transparency Builds Trust

For any organization introducing a VEO, full transparency is the key to success. Boards should be engaged early and encouraged to experience firsthand how VEOs work. Our Innovation Partners find that when boards and internal teams have direct exposure to a VEO’s portfolio, skepticism turns into enthusiasm. The same applies to the broader community—our partners have seen great success when they proactively introduced their VEO and communicated why their organization chose to lead in AI-driven donor engagement. A recent example comes from the University of Oklahoma Foundation’s introduction of "Rose," their VEO, as a valued member of their fundraising team. Their LinkedIn post is a model for how to integrate a VEO into an organization’s public identity.

3. Educate on the Staff: Donor Ratio Problem

A common challenge in introducing a VEO is helping internal and external audiences understand why digital labor is necessary. Those who are not part of an advancement team may not realize just how stark the numbers are: 95% of donors are not in a human gift officer’s portfolio. No budget will ever be large enough, and no talent pipeline wide enough, to provide direct human engagement to every donor. Framing the conversation around these numbers is powerful.

Do the math for your own organization:

• How many donors do you have in your database?

• How many fundraisers do you have?

• How many donors are actively managed versus left unengaged?

  
  

The reality is undeniable—this is a problem in desperate need of a solution, and digital labor is here to provide the  answer.

Organizations that embrace this change will not only solve today’s fundraising challenges but will also position themselves as forward-thinking leaders in philanthropy.

Interesting in seeing how your team could benefit from Autonomous Fundraising? Let's connect.