VEO Messaging FAQs

This article answers common questions about how the Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO) communicates with donors, determines messaging cadence, personalizes outreach, and makes solicitations.

Can I dictate exactly what the VEO should say in outreach and responses to donors?

No. The VEO does not operate on word-for-word scripts.

The most effective way to guide the VEO is through context and feedback rather than dictating exact language. Similar to how you would manage a human fundraiser, you can:

• Provide guidelines for tone
• Identify phrases or topics to avoid
• Share examples of preferred messaging through seeded content

This approach allows the VEO to respond naturally and appropriately across a wide range of donor interactions.

Will each donor receive only one touch per month with general content?

Yes. Donors typically receive approximately monthly touchpoints, working toward a total of 8–12 touchpoints per year.

Stewardship messages and birthday outreach are prioritized when applicable. As long as you continue seeding your VEO with content, it can incorporate that content into these messages.

For example, a single message may both:

• Wish a donor a happy birthday, and
• Share information about an upcoming event such as Homecoming

Other than birthdays and stewardship, does the VEO send personalized messages?

Yes. All VEO outreach is personalized.

The VEO predicts the next most effective move for each donor based on:

• Individual giving history
• AI simulations and data generation
• Previous engagement with the VEO

It then uses your organization’s prioritized content along with any Custom Field data you provide to match the right message to the right donor.

For example:

• If School or College data is provided, the VEO can prioritize Law-related content for Law graduates or Nursing-related content for Nursing graduates

The language models powering the VEO are continuously improving, which results in:

• Smaller donor segments
• Increased personalization
• Greater variation between messages over time

What does VEO stewardship look like?

The VEO stewards all gifts made by donors in its portfolio, even if it did not directly ask for the gift.

Key stewardship behaviors include:

• Reviewing the Gifts File on a weekly basis
• Incorporating gift amount and designation when provided
• Combining stewardship when multiple gifts from the same donor appear in the same week

The VEO selects the stewardship channel automatically:

• SMS is preferred when a valid mobile number exists and the message length is appropriate
• Email is used when no mobile number exists or when the message is better suited for email

Handwritten thank-you notes are sent only when a donor makes their first gift since being assigned to the VEO (not their first gift overall).

Can the VEO include a giving link in every message?

No. The VEO determines when it is appropriate to share a giving link rather than including one in every message.

This is intentional because:

• Including a giving link in every message limits the ability to share other meaningful content
• The VEO is designed to feel like personal outreach from a gift officer, not marketing communications

The VEO may instead use language such as “let me know if you’d like to learn more.” If a donor responds, that response can trigger the VEO to share a giving link and related content.

Can the VEO use link shorteners like Bitly or TinyURL?

No. The VEO cannot support third-party link shorteners.

These services are often flagged as spam and can negatively impact deliverability. However, the VEO can use links shortened through your own domain.

When does the VEO make a solicitation?

The VEO makes solicitations based on several factors, including:

• Calendar-based events (Giving Days, Calendar Year End, Fiscal Year End)
• Gift anniversaries (for example, one year since a donor’s last gift)
• AI-driven predictions indicating a donor may be ready to be asked

Natural, non-calendar-driven solicitations are informed by:

• The donor’s engagement history and conversation trajectory
• The organization’s current priorities and needs

Outside of calendar-based events, the Version2 moves management model determines when solicitations occur. The model accounts for solicitation fatigue and will not trigger a solicitation immediately following a calendar-based event or a series of asks (such as Giving Tuesday followed by Calendar Year-End).

When solicitations occur, the VEO draws from content currently highlighted on your website or prioritized in your knowledge base, when appropriate for that donor.

The solicitation model continues to evolve and improve as it learns from successful outcomes.

Can the VEO use a special giving link with tracking (UTMs, etc.)?

Yes, with one requirement: the same link must be used for all VEO solicitations.

At this time, the VEO cannot support different tracked links for different solicitations throughout the year.

How does the VEO decide whether to contact someone by email or SMS?

The VEO follows a channel-priority approach.

• If a valid mobile number exists, SMS is prioritized
• The VEO does not switch channels simply because a donor has not replied

Email is used when:

• No mobile number exists, or
• The message is longer or includes multiple links

This design keeps outreach feeling consistent and natural, similar to how a human fundraiser would stick with a preferred channel rather than alternating unnecessarily.

What does the “Dropped” column in the Data Return File indicate?

A status of Dropped means the VEO did not attempt to send the email because the address has bounced multiple times in the past. After repeated failures, the address is flagged as invalid to protect sender reputation.

This is different from a Bounce, which reflects a single failed delivery attempt. A Dropped status indicates a historical pattern of failed delivery rather than a one-time issue.

Email addresses marked as Dropped are typically candidates for removal or correction in your CRM.

If a phone number was actually a landline, how would we know?

The VEO prioritizes SMS outreach when it detects a valid mobile phone number. If a number is a landline or otherwise unable to receive text messages, SMS delivery will fail.

After an initial round of outreach, you may request a return file that identifies SMS messages that were not delivered due to landlines or other carrier-related errors. This information can be used to clean or update phone number data in your CRM.

Bringing this visibility directly into the platform is on the near-term roadmap. Once available, this will allow the VEO to more dynamically adjust channel selection.

If an email bounced and a cell phone number was available, did the VEO try texting instead?

Not necessarily. The VEO determines the best outreach channel before sending a message.

If an email was sent, it was likely because:

• The message content was not appropriate for SMS due to length, or
• A valid mobile number was not detected at the time of sending

The system does not automatically retry a bounced email by switching to SMS. Channel selection is determined upfront rather than in response to delivery outcomes.

If you have additional questions or would like guidance on optimizing your VEO’s messaging strategy, please contact version2support@givzey.com.