Inside the Donor Journey with a VEO: How Technology Is Reimagining Moves Management

Moves management is how we, as fundraisers, guide our donors toward giving. We strategically map each step of the donor journey—identification, cultivation, engagement, solicitation, stewardship—to measure and track progress with donors.

Moves management has long been a strategic focus, especially for donors identified with capacity. But for much of the pipeline, consistent outreach and engagement has been difficult to sustain. First-time givers, warm prospects, lapsed supporters may go untouched simply because there hasn't been enough capacity for personalized engagement at scale.

Until now.

Autonomous Fundraising introduces a new kind of donor journey—one where every supporter can receive the same care, attention, and follow-through that used to be reserved for a select few.

Beyond Blasts: Why Marketing Automation Isn’t Enough

Email and text campaigns will always have a role in fundraising—they’re fast, scalable, and great for event pushes. But mass marketing doesn’t inspire or move donors in the way relational fundraising does. Personalization has it’s role, but many of us see it and recognize it for what it is – automation.

Autonomous Fundraising changes that. At its core, Autonomous Fundraising is trusted digital labor, such as the Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO) that scales relational fundraising through autonomous AI technologies. The end result is that Autonomous Fundraisers treat every donor interaction as one-on-one. It’s not just about outbound messaging—it’s focus is on building two-way meaningful conversations to deepen and grow relationships.

The VEO Difference: Personalized at Scale

Most fundraisers would personalize every message if they had the time. VEOs make it possible—tapping into a strategic mix of donor data, organizational assets, and real-time signals to craft truly one-to-one communication.

Rather than working from a static template, VEOs draw from:

Institutional websites and social media for current messaging and tone,
Event and giving calendars for relevant timing,
Internal update emails and campaign content seeded directly from the organization,
And, most importantly, their direct conversations with donors.

Each message is grounded in real context—past giving, recent engagement, preferred channels, and the organization’s own language. The result? Trusted outreach that’s similar to your top-tier frontline fundraisers who know your organization, your mission, and your donors inside and out.

Conversations, Not Campaigns: Real-Time Engagement in Action

What truly sets the VEO apart is its ability to engage in real-time. It doesn't just send messages—it listens. It replies. It keeps the conversation going.

At St. John Fisher University, for example, a donor responded to a Giving Day message by saying the school had made a real difference in their life. The VEO, Quinn, responded immediately with a personalized thank-you, referencing their specific contribution and reaffirming their impact. The donor replied again within seconds—having already made their gift.

That kind of response isn’t typical of a marketing campaign. It’s the outcome of a relationship that feels personal, authentic, and reciprocal.

Moves Management, Reimagined

In traditional moves management, donors move through a series of predetermined stages: identify, qualify, cultivate, engage, solicit, and steward. But in practice, that journey is rarely linear. Donors give unexpectedly. They go silent for long stretches. Life happens—and engagement becomes unpredictable.

VEOs don’t force donors through a rigid pipeline. Instead, they respond in real time, adjusting the journey based on each interaction. It’s dynamic communication, not static. These engagements lead to the natural outcome of giving.

At San Diego State University, the VEO, Sandy, reached out to thank a donor for their past support and asked what inspired their gift. The donor shared a deeply personal story about their time at SDSU—highlighting a beloved academic program and their trust in how the university uses donations. The VEO responded with affirmation, appreciation, and a tailored stewardship message that echoed the donor’s words back to them—making the interaction feel authentic and seen.

This kind of flexibility is a game-changer. Instead of relying on broad updates or delayed follow-ups, the donor experiences instant acknowledgment and meaningful dialogue—at the exact moment they’re emotionally engaged.

That’s the magic of AI moves management, powered by Autonomous Fundraising. It’s responsive, relational, and always-on.

Results That Speak for Themselves

When every message is grounded in personal context and delivered with care, donors respond.

VEO-powered outreach consistently outperforms traditional mass communication. While typical direct mail and email campaigns yield modest engagement, VEO messages achieve a 0.1% opt-out rate—because they don’t feel like campaigns. They feel like conversations.

Donors respond to messages that are relevant, timely, and aligned with their history and interests. Whether it’s a campaign update, a thank-you note, or a check-in on fundraising progress, the communication feels like it came from someone who knows them—and values them.

For fundraising teams, the result is increased capacity—more relationships nurtured, more pipeline activated, and more meaningful engagement across the entire donor base.

Fundraising Without Tradeoffs

For years, fundraisers have had to choose: personalization or scale. Deep relationships or broad outreach. But with the rise of Autonomous Fundraising, that tradeoff is no longer necessary.

VEOs, (and their counterparts like Virtual Stewardship Officers and Virtual Planned Giving Officers) engage donors with empathy, relevance, and real-time responsiveness—while expanding an organization’s capacity to cultivate thousands of relationships at once. And they do it in a way that’s rooted in your mission, your voice, and your values.

The donor journey has changed. It’s faster, smarter, and more connected than ever—and the organizations embracing this shift are building stronger pipelines, deeper loyalty, and more resilient fundraising programs.

Want to see it in action?

Schedule a demo to experience how a Virtual Engagement Officer could manage your donor journey.