Overview
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Potential outcomes
The Development Agent helps you engage constituents to increase involvement and fundraising results. It focuses on mid-level donors (likely to give $500–$9,999 in the next 12 months) and logs interactions automatically so you can focus on strategy.
How it works
Before generating communications, the agent checks constituent details (recent donations, volunteering) and ensures:
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Consent for the communication channel, either email or SMS
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The constituent is active and not assigned to a human fundraiser
After onboarding, you’ll customize settings and scale the number of constituents managed.
Engagement plan
Each constituent gets a personalized 12-month plan with up to eight interactions, spaced at least seven days apart. Engagements are generated in batches of 25 for performance and scalability.
The agent intelligently creates schedules based on the following criteria:
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Engagement history: Reviews the constituent's past interactions
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Optimal timing: Selects the best outreach windows.
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Contact frequency: Ensures no contact within the last 7 days
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Date sensitivity: Avoids holidays and weekends, which are less effective for fundraising.
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Balanced distribution: Spreads engagements evenly across the year.
Engagement types
Each constituent's plan draws on the interaction types you selected in Engagement Options to create a journey that moves from relationship-building to a meaningful ask and beyond.
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Cultivation — Build relationships and trust before making an ask. These messages introduce your mission, share stories, and establish a connection.
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Engagement — Invite constituents to get involved beyond giving, such as attending events, joining programs, or participating in opportunities aligned with their interests.
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Information Update — Share timely news and updates about your organization to keep constituents informed and connected between other touchpoints.
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Solicitation — Encourage giving when the time is right. The agent evaluates engagement signals to determine when a solicitation is appropriate rather than following a fixed schedule.
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Stewardship — Thank and recognize donors after they give. These messages show appreciation, reinforce impact, and help donors feel valued and connected to your mission.
Sample donor engagement journey
The following illustrates how a constituent's plan might combine interaction types across the year to build toward a meaningful ask and sustain the relationship afterward.
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Introduction — A welcome message establishes the relationship. This message is always sent automatically and cannot be disabled.
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Cultivation — Early messages share your mission, values, and stories to build familiarity and trust before any ask is made.
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Engagement — An event invitation or program opportunity deepens involvement and shows the constituent how they can connect with your work beyond giving.
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Information Update — Timely organizational news or impact highlights keep the constituent informed and reinforce their connection to your mission.
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Solicitation — When engagement signals indicate readiness, the agent makes a personalized ask aligned with the constituent's interests and giving history.
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Stewardship — After a gift, acknowledgment and impact messages reinforce the relationship and lay the groundwork for future giving.
Note: When a situation calls for a personal touch, the agent escalates to your staff for follow-up.
Solicitation timing
The agent continuously evaluates engagement signals throughout a constituent’s journey. These signals help the agent understand how the relationship is progressing and when a solicitation is likely to be well‑received.
This means the agent doesn’t treat every constituent the same. Some may receive a solicitation sooner, while others may continue in cultivation longer—based on how they engage. The goal is to make each ask feel thoughtful, personalized, and aligned with the constituent’s demonstrated interest.
Workflow
Each plan follows a repeatable process: the agent verifies constituent eligibility, schedules communications, and queues outreach for optional staff review before it's sent. For a detailed walkthrough, see What to Expect.
Communication channels
The agent communicates with constituents via email and SMS.
Communication schedule
The agent sends communications on a set schedule. By default, communications are sent once every six weeks.
When reviewing the scheduled or past date and time of a communication, the agent automatically adjusts to the time zone set in your browser. If your browser reflects your current time zone, the times shown will match your local day and time.
Consent
The agent tracks and records consent to receive emails and SMS to ensure compliance. Before the agent can send outreach, constituents must have an active consent record for the applicable channel (such as email or SMS). Consent is managed using the organization’s configured consent codes and tracked on the Consent tile of the constituent record.
When consent is required, such as for SMS communications, the agent includes a clear opt‑in call to action, and no messages are sent until the constituent explicitly confirms their consent.
If a constituent opts out at any time, the agent immediately stops outreach on that channel. This ensures all agent communications align with policies and consent and compliance requirements.
Performance metrics
The Performance section of the Development Agent dashboard provides a high‑level snapshot of your agent’s overall activity and outcomes. This overview helps you quickly understand how your agent is engaging constituents and contributing to fundraising efforts.
The overview includes the following metrics:
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Total raised - The total amount of fundraising revenue attributed to agent‑supported engagements.
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Constituents who responded - The number of constituents who replied to messages sent by the agent.
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Escalation rate - The percentage of conversations that required escalation to a staff member for follow‑up.
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Messages sent - The total number of messages the agent sent to constituents during the reporting period.