Avatar Video FAQs
Internal Reference for Advancement & Communications Teams
What are avatar videos, and how are they used?
Avatar videos are short, AI-generated videos featuring the Virtual Engagement Officer (VEO). They are used to help donors understand what the VEO is, how it works, and how they can interact with it. They can also be used to share content too lengthy to include in an email or text message, such as the details of an upcoming signature event.
Avatar videos are typically delivered via a link in an email or text message and hosted on institution-specific subpages of the partner's .ai domain landing page. They are not sent automatically as embedded video messages, and visitors will experience them most prominently during the introductory experience.
After introductions, donors typically receive 1-2 videos per year across various engagement opportunities. The avatar serves as a content delivery tool for specific moments, not as the face of the organization.
Common use cases for avatar videos include:
- Birthday messages
- Thanksgiving or holiday messages
- Stewardship updates and giving day follow-up
- Homecoming or reunion outreach
- Institutional anniversaries (bicentennials, milestone celebrations)
- Conference or event messaging
- Custom board presentation or video message (ask your CSM for more information!)
Avatar headshots can also be incorporated onto a partner's staff directory or team page on their website.
Your Customer Success Manager can help you explore which use cases align best with your engagement strategy.
What avatar videos are not
Avatar videos are not interactive and do not currently engage in two-way conversations. They are pre-recorded, one-directional messages. While donors can still reply to the message containing the video link (just as they would with any VEO outreach), the avatar itself does not engage in real-time dialogue or adaptive responses.
Avatar videos are also not intended to replace human relationships or staff outreach. They serve as a content delivery enhancement within your VEO's broader engagement strategy.
Have avatar videos already been sent to donors?
In most implementations, donors receive one introductory message from the VEO that includes a link to a landing page with an avatar video. This introduction explains:
- That the VEO is AI-powered
- What its role is
- How donors can interact or reply
This is the standard introduction used to ensure transparency at launch, if your organization has chosen to use an avatar to represent your VEO.
Can we pause or delay avatar video usage?
Yes. Institutions can:
- Pause avatar videos entirely
- Keep an avatar video only on the trust/landing page
- Forgo the use of an avatar initially, and add one into the program later
Do donors need to opt in to receive avatar videos?
There is currently no mechanism to track donor-level preferences for receiving video versus non-video content.
If an institution wants to minimize video usage initially, recommended options include:
- Requesting avatar video only be used on the introduction VEO landing page
- Proceeding with text/email-only outreach, forgoing an avatar entirely at launch, and reassessing later
Can avatar scripts and landing page content be customized?
Avatar introduction scripts for the VEO landing page can be fully customized. Your onboarding specialist will provide your landing page, including avatar video, to you for review and feedback. You can customize some or all of the introduction script before going live. You can also email support to request changes any time after your VEO launches.
Once your VEO is live, avatar scripts can be customized in some circumstances. Avatar scripts can be reviewed and customized for planned communications, such as videos generated for board presentations, and videos generated by customer request for certain activities or events.
Other avatar videos may be generated and sent Autonomously, such as for personalized stewardship messages.
What is the recommended size for avatar background images?
For the best visual quality, we recommend providing avatar background images at 1920 × 1080 pixels (1080p).
Using this standard widescreen resolution helps ensure backgrounds appear sharp and properly formatted in avatar videos.
Can we see examples of avatar videos from other institutions?
Yes. Examples are available across a range of use cases, including those listed above. Your Customer Success Manager can share relevant examples upon request.
Do institutions have to use an avatar?
No. Avatars are optional, not required.
Most partners choose to use them, but a small number do not, for reasons such as:
- Difficulty finding consensus on avatar selection
- Internal change management considerations
- Organizational preference for a lower-profile rollout
Importantly, institutions that do not use avatars show similar engagement and revenue outcomes to those that do.
Does using an avatar improve results?
Aggregate data shows that portfolio quality and content relevance are the primary drivers of success and do not correlate with avatar usage.
Strong results are most closely associated with:
- Portfolios with current or recently lapsed donors
- Consistent, high-quality content the VEO can use to engage its donors
Avatar videos are best understood as a content delivery enhancement, not a performance requirement.
Why use avatar videos at all?
Avatar videos have proven helpful for:
- Transparency—clearly explaining that the VEO is AI-powered
- Clarity—helping donors understand they can reply and engage
- Content depth—delivering richer stories than text alone
- Variety—preventing outreach from feeling repetitive over time
They add dimension to donor communication but are not intended to replace human relationships.
What if faculty or staff raise concerns about avatars?
Common concerns include:
- Representation (name, image, gender)
- Perception of AI replacing humans
- Content of the VEO's avatar video message
Successful responses typically focus on:
- Education around the purpose of a VEO, and the donor:staff ratio that prevents most donors from receiving direct human engagement
- Emphasizing that avatars are used to provide transparency around AI
- Adjusting scripts to reflect institutional tone and values
Who should we contact with questions or to make changes?
Customer Success Manager (CSM):
- Script changes, examples, rollout strategy, reporting
Version2 Support:
- Urgent issues or technical concerns
If there is uncertainty, it's always appropriate to pause and revisit the approach collaboratively.