The Blackbaud Institute report says that 84% of Gen Z support a cause or nonprofit, but not in the way you might expect.
They’re not waiting for a year-end gala or a tax write-off.
They’re:
→ Moving money on Venmo.
→ Organizing fundraisers on TikTok & Instagram.
→ Sharing bail funds on Instagram stories.
In fact, 50% of Gen Z share causes or fundraisers at least once a week.
And they’re three times more likely than Boomers to publicly advocate for the organizations they support.
It's not just a new style of giving; it's a power shift.
They’re turning away from the donor class model.
And leaning into community-led support, impact investing, and mutual aid.
→ No gatekeeping.
→ No slow-moving boards.
→ Just action—fast, visible, and values-aligned.
So I’ve been wondering…
↳ What if Millennials and Gen Z don’t want to be philanthropists at all?
↳ What if they’re not looking to tweak the system but to build an entirely different one?
One where generosity doesn’t require status.
And the impact doesn’t wait for permission.
Do we see the end of the donor class or the start of a new giving economy?
AI is only as powerful as the problems it solves.
For nonprofits, one of the most fundamental challenges is knowing how much to ask for, and when. Ask too high, and you risk discouraging a gift. Ask too low, and you leave potential impact on the table.
That’s why we’ve taken Intelligent Ask Amounts to the next level for GoFundMe Pro partners.
Grounded in deep user research and powered by GoFundMe’s AI models, this improved version gives nonprofits the ability to dynamically optimize campaigns for what matters most: one-time revenue, conversions, recurring gifts, or a balanced mix. The ask amounts adapt in real time to donor behavior and campaign goals—helping nonprofits drive more sustainable giving.
The best part? These improvements are to a product that has already delivered results. For example: the National Civil Rights Museum used Intelligent Ask Amounts during key giving moments and saw a 62% increase in average gift size on December 31st year-over-year, along with other strong gains. (I’ll link the case study with more details in the comments!)
What makes me proud isn’t just the AI, it’s the teamwork behind it. Three product pods, Applied Science, Research, CX, Legal, Marketing, Comms and more all came together to turn a complex fundraising challenge into a solution that’s both powerful and practical.
Because at the end of the day, innovation is only meaningful when it helps nonprofits raise more with less friction—so they can focus on their mission.
👉 Learn more here: https://gfme.co/47CvtSc
Welcome Emily Groccia, VP of Customer Success at Givzey to talk about AI at Version2.ai on this episode of 🔥 The Lantern 🔥
What is Version2?
Version2 is the world’s first autonomous fundraiser. Announced less than a year ago, this product directly addresses the labor shortage in non-profit fundraising.
Their team creates trusted digital labor that can be applied to donors who are not managed by humans in non-profit donor portfolios.
In September of 2024 they launched their first cohort of 13 innovation partners. Each partner assigns a portfolio of 1,000 donors to a virtual engagement officer responsible for executing a series of 8-12 touchpoints throughout the course of a year to lead those donors to a gift. Just like an institutional giving officer!
👀 How is that impacting the donor experience? 👀
Only 1-5% of the top donors are usually managed by a human gift officer so most of the donors served by Version 2 lie outside of a major gift portfolio. Every organization would love to manage every individual donor in a 1:1 relationship, but it’s just not possible.
Version 2 is allowing organizations to reach that other 95% with a much more personalized experience.
📈 What are some of the highlights from Version2 thus far? 📈
Version2 publishes a dashboard of autonomous fundraising 2x per week. VEOs (virtual engagement officers) have raised >$500k in gifts, 3k+ engagements, and 45k+ donor activities.
Their opt out rate is only 0.13%! Donors want to hear from these organizations more, in a deeper way, with the ability to reply. They value personal engagement.
🤔 Why is autonomous fundraising working? 🤔
San Diego State is a customer using Version2 for their planned giving portfolio, serving older donors. This portfolio has the highest engagement of any partner because personalized interactions that connect to donors resonate with their customers.
🔍 What is the roadmap ahead for Version 2? 🔎
Now that they’ve proven autonomous fundraising works, they are leveraging their learnings to further define use cases and apply digital labor to more aspects of advancement in the non-profit space. More to come!!
The Lantern is brought to you by Givzey & MGMT Boston this March
Welcome to the Future of Fundraising.
Among the 5 Trends That Will Shape Fundraising in 2025 (https://lnkd.in/eJj_BRhG) highlighted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Autonomous Fundraising stands out not just as a trend but as a transformative solution to the sector’s most pressing challenges, thanks to the evolution of AI Agents.
While artificial intelligence has already redefined what is possible in other industries, for-profit companies have traditionally reaped the earliest benefits, leaving nonprofits to shoehorn tools designed for other purposes. This time, however, nonprofits are leading the charge. Thanks to the work of my team at Givzey’s Version2 Innovation Lab and our Innovation Partners in building the world’s first Agent AI layer for nonprofits via the autonomous fundraiser, there’s now a purpose-built solution that addresses the unique needs within Social Good.
Although The Chronicle notes that donors are hesitant about the use of AI, citing concerns over impersonal interactions, autonomous fundraisers like Version2’s Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO), are designed to do the opposite. Unlike predictive AI, which can feel cold or transactional, the VEO prioritizes donor trust and engagement - it uses donor history and previous interactions to deliver highly personalized organization-aligned content selected specifically for each individual to inspire connection rather than alienation. Consider this example from one of our innovation partners, whose VEO reached out to a donor who was lapsed for nearly a decade but who felt inspired to re-engage with the institution.
“It means a lot to hear such kind words about my journey and to know that [my university] values staying connected with alumni. My time as a student definitely played a foundational role in shaping my path, and it’s exciting to see how I can now give back in meaningful ways.”
The Chronicle also warns of declining donor participation, particularly among small-dollar donors, which threatens organizations’ long-term sustainability. This is where the VEO excels. Click inside for an example of a communication received from one of our partner’s donors after a VEO reached out to help facilitate their end of year gift renewal and secured an upgrade.
As nonprofits navigate shrinking donor pools, economic volatility, evolving donor expectations, and the fact that there will always be a labor shortage of fundraisers, it’s incredibly exciting to add trusted digital labor that compliments the work of human counterparts. Advances in machine learning, predictive analytics, and natural language processing have given my team the opportunity to lead the development of Autonomous Fundraising to drive sustainable success in an ever-evolving landscape.
Organizations that adopt Autonomous Fundraising aren’t just keeping up with trends - they’re among the first to use Agent AI in the world. And for the first time, nonprofits aren’t adapting to innovation - they’re leading it.
AI is eating the world… but nonprofits are still serving sandwiches.
While startups sprint ahead with AI, most nonprofits are stuck debating if ChatGPT is “ethical.”
AI is NOT optional. It’s the single biggest force multiplier in history.
Yet, most nonprofits are:
Drowning in admin work
Burning out on low-impact tasks
Struggling with donor engagement
Meanwhile, AI-driven orgs are:
Automating back-office work
Personalizing donor outreach
Running impact programs with 10X efficiency
Let’s talk about what nobody tells nonprofits about AI (with real evidence).
1. AI can 10X donor engagement.
Most nonprofits still send generic mass emails. AI changes that.
Harvard research shows personalized donor messaging increases retention by 80%.
How?
AI tools like Rasa and Drift tailor responses in real time.
ChatGPT-style assistants craft hyper-personalized donation asks.
AI sentiment analysis ensures every message hits the right emotional tone.
Nonprofits using AI in fundraising see a 44% increase in donor conversion.
2. AI slashes admin work (so teams can focus on impact).
Nonprofits waste 40% of their time on admin. AI eliminates that.
AI automation can:
Process tax receipts
Automate grant applications
Manage volunteer scheduling
Example? GiveDirectly uses AI to verify beneficiaries, cutting admin costs by 70%.
3. AI predicts & prevents crises.
Most nonprofits react after disasters strike. AI-driven analytics change that.
Example? Red Cross uses AI to predict hurricanes and deploy aid faster.
AI processes satellite data, social media, and weather reports.
Early warnings improve response times by 50%.
More lives saved, less money wasted.
4. AI makes small teams operate like big ones.
Think AI is only for giant NGOs? Think again.
Mama Hope used AI chatbots to handle donor FAQs, freeing 30% of staff time.
Charity: Water automates donor follow-ups to boost retention.
Team Rubicon uses AI logistics to deploy volunteers faster than FEMA.
AI levels the playing field.
5. AI doesn’t replace humans, it amplifies them.
Biggest fear? “AI will take our jobs.”
Reality? AI eliminates low-impact tasks so teams can focus on real mission work.
AI writes reports—humans build relationships.
AI analyzes data—humans make decisions.
AI sends emails—humans inspire action.
The question isn’t “Will AI replace us?”
The question is “How fast will we fall behind if we ignore it?”
Nonprofits that adopt AI now will dominate the next decade.
The biggest threat to nonprofits isn’t funding, it’s irrelevance.
Want to get started? Pick ONE thing to automate this month:
AI-powered donor messaging? (Try ChatGPT or Jasper)
AI-driven grant writing? (Check out Grantable)
AI for impact measurement? (Look into DataRobot)
The nonprofits that embrace AI will scale 10X. The ones that don’t? They’ll keep serving sandwiches.
With purpose and impact, Mario
I've been paying attention to how donors under 40 are engaging with nonprofits.
And if your fundraising strategy was built for Boomers and Gen X, you're probably missing them entirely.
Here's what I'm seeing:
Younger donors aren't necessarily giving less. They're giving differently. And most nonprofit fundraising systems aren't designed for how they operate.
✅ Pattern 1: They want to give online, easily, now.
If your donation process requires more than 3 clicks or doesn't work seamlessly on mobile, you're losing them. They're not going to mail a check. They're barely going to tolerate a clunky web form.
One organization simplified their donation page to 2 steps on mobile. Conversions from donors under 35 increased 40%.
✅Pattern 2: They respond to peer influence more than institutional messaging.
Traditional direct mail and email campaigns don't land the same way. But when someone their age shares your work on social media or texts them a link? They pay attention.
The organizations reaching younger donors effectively are empowering their young supporters to fundraise on their behalf. Peer-to-peer campaigns. Social sharing tools. Making it easy to spread the word.
✅Pattern 3: They want transparency and impact proof upfront.
They're researching before they give. Checking Charity Navigator. Looking at financials. Reading reviews. The "trust us, we're doing good work" approach doesn't fly.
Organizations winning with this demographic are leading with data. Showing exactly where money goes. Being transparent about challenges, not just wins.
✅Pattern 4: They're less loyal to institutions, more loyal to causes.
Boomers often give to the same organizations for decades. Younger donors are more likely to shift their giving based on what feels most urgent or impactful at the moment.
This doesn't mean they won't be loyal, but you have to earn it constantly, not assume it.
What's working:
1️⃣ Organizations that meet younger donors where they are instead of expecting them to adapt to traditional fundraising methods.
2️⃣ Mobile-first donation experiences. Social media strategies that aren't just broadcasts. Radical transparency about impact and finances. Opportunities to engage beyond just writing checks.
The shift:
If your donor base is aging and you're not intentionally building relationships with donors under 40, you're building a sustainability crisis.
They're not going to start giving the way their parents did. We need to adapt to how they give.
What's your strategy for engaging younger donors? Is it working?
#youngerdonors#millennialgiving#genz#fundraisingstrategy#donorengagement#nonprofittrends#maine#nonprofits#philanthropy
Trust is foundational in this sector. So is access to real data.
Right now, conversations around AI, economic pressure, shifting channels, global volatility feel loud. And it can feel reactive.
But when you look closely at donor behavior, the direction is clearer than the discourse.
- Mobile is now the primary giving environment.
- Social channels are driving stronger recurring conversion than search.
- Digital wallets continue to grow, while one-time gift sizes are tightening.
- Thoughtful AI implementation is producing measurable revenue lift.
These are structural shifts in how generosity is expressed (and explored in the Pulse of the Donor report we published today).
Donor behavior isn’t uniform. What drives recurring growth in one market doesn’t automatically translate to another. Across the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia, we see meaningful differences in payment mix, channel performance, and conversion dynamics. What’s consistent is this: infrastructure decisions are no longer technical details. They are revenue decisions.
AI will increasingly shape donor discovery, personalization, and timing. The Orgs that benefit most will be those with strong data foundations and flexible experience architecture, not just more tools.
We’ve captured the full analysis in this year’s Pulse of the Donor report, based on transaction-level data across thousands of nonprofits.
If you’re responsible for growth, donor loyalty, or long-term resilience, I hope it’s useful.
Get the report here: https://lnkd.in/dyua3zCR
The next generation of donors isn’t who most nonprofits think.
Most nonprofits are still focused on major donors.
But according to the CauseVox Giving Study, the future of philanthropy looks very different.
When we surveyed people across generations, one finding stood out: Gen Z and Millennials are redefining generosity. Half of Gen Z respondents said they planned to increase their giving, while Boomers largely intended to maintain their current levels.
These younger donors may not be writing six-figure checks, but they’re active, consistent, and deeply motivated by impact. They give through workplace programs, join peer-to-peer campaigns, and rally their networks to do the same.
The takeaway for nonprofits is clear:
• Make it easy. Fast, mobile-friendly, wallet-enabled giving experiences aren’t optional anymore.
• Be transparent. Younger donors expect to see exactly where their money goes and the results it creates.
• Stay authentic. Real stories and consistent communication build trust far faster than polished campaigns.
The data shows that generosity isn’t fading. It’s shifting. The question is whether nonprofits will shift with it.
Who do you think will define the next era of giving?
#Nonprofits#Fundraising#GenZ#Millennials#CauseVox#DonorExperience
In 2025, Adyen processed €1.4 Trillion in payments. But the most fascinating volume they moved wasn’t retail or e-commerce—it was the ~€25 Million they helped raise for global charities.
And they did it by turning the most transactional moment in commerce (the checkout) into a micro-moment of purpose.
Here is why Adyen Giving is a masterclass in product design and structural elegance for any Fintech PM, Founder, or Operator:
The Problem with "Checkout Charity"
Historically, adding a donation prompt at checkout was a logistical nightmare for merchants:
The Accounting Mess: Mingling merchant revenue with charity funds ruins reconciliation and creates tax headaches.
The Integration Heavy-Lift: Hardcoding new flows into legacy POS terminals takes months.
The Fee Drain: Processing fees (Interchange + Scheme + Acquirer) eat into the donation before it ever reaches the charity.
The Adyen Solution (The Flow)
Adyen looked at these friction points and engineered them out of existence using their single-platform architecture. Here is how the flow works:
🔹 Zero-Friction Setup: Merchants (like H&M or Etsy) turn on "Giving" via their dashboard. It requires zero POS integration and just one API toggle for online checkouts.
🔹 The Split-Routing Magic: When a customer buys a €50 shirt and adds a €2 donation, Adyen instantly separates the transaction. €50 settles to the merchant. €2 settles directly to the charity. Merchant reconciliation is untouched.
🔹 The 100% Rule: Adyen absorbs all the third-party processing fees. Every single cent of the donation goes directly to the nonprofit (like WWF or UNHCR).
🔹 The Multiplier: During global campaigns, Adyen matches the donations euro-for-euro.
The Data & Impact
When you remove friction, scale happens automatically. Look at the numbers from their latest annual report and merchant data:
€10.6 Million was processed directly through Adyen Giving in 2025 alone.
Total donations surpassed €25 Million (amplified by Adyen's corporate matching).
Vue Cinemas turned on Giving for the Ukraine appeal. In just over a year, customers buying movie tickets and popcorn casually donated £250,000.
Most companies treat "Social Impact" as a separate marketing campaign or a corporate CSR checkbox. Adyen treated it as a Product/Engineering problem.
By solving the back-office reconciliation nightmare and absorbing the unit economics of the fees, they removed every excuse a merchant had to say "no."
Purpose doesn't always require a grand, expensive initiative. Sometimes, the most profound impact comes from taking a micro-interaction—like tapping a card—and engineering it flawlessly.
The charity sector is under pressure - we need to reshape what the industry looks like.
One of the biggest challenges charities face right now isn’t awareness or generosity. It’s retaining donors in a system that isn’t designed for how people give.
Nearly half of first-time donors never give again, and around 66% of charity leaders describe the sector as “unhealthy” amid rising demand and financial pressure.
But that gap isn’t about people caring less. It’s about systems lagging behind behaviour. People give on their phones. In short moments. Between messages. When something moves them. The problem is our industry is about a decade behind that reality.
Here’s what needs to change.
Stop assuming:
- Giving happens in long, considered sessions.
- Commitment looks like annual pledges.
- Donors will remember to come back later.
Start designing for:
- Mobile-first, moment-based giving.
- Donors who want to return quickly, without friction.
- Experiences that fit naturally into everyday digital life.
Giving today behaves less like a transaction and more like a habit. The next phase of fundraising won’t come from asking for more. It will come from building systems that respect how people give.
The shift is already happening.
The only question is who adapts in time.