How Kessler Foundation increased its impact with AI-powered outreach
Key stats
+233%
New gifts
233% increase in new gifts
+35%
Donors
35% increase in total donors
+29%
Donors
29% increase in new donors and donors that increased their gift
$636,121
Raised
Raised $636,121 in total giving, a 26% increase over the previous year
About Kessler Foundation
With the support of their generous donors, Kessler Foundation drives positive change for adults and children with disabilities through groundbreaking rehabilitation research to improve daily functioning, disability employment research, and innovative employment grantmaking to create genuine economic opportunities for people with disabilities.
The challenge: Increase gifts from mid-level donors and build a pipeline of future donors
Kessler Foundation has a small team of three fundraisers pulled in many directions.
With a strong major gifts program already in place, they sought a more effective strategy to qualify and cultivate mid-level donors. Their goal was to enhance giving and build a robust donor pipeline while adding time back to their busy schedules.
The solution: Increase productivity and do more with less with a powerful tech stack
Kessler Foundation’s “small but mighty” team found a solution in Gravyty’s AI-powered fundraising platform, enabling them to engage with lapsed donors, increase touch points with their mid-level donors, and identify potential major gifts candidates.
With the use of AI-powered donor prioritization to help focus on who to reach out to and when and automated email prompts to create a first draft quickly, the team at Kessler Foundation has been able to build outreach in their day-to-day work. Gravyty has removed the guesswork, saving precious time that can now be used to focus their efforts where they matter most—building relationships. They regularly send emails, create opportunities for connection and schedule future follow-ups that dynamically sync with their CRM, and are more strategic with their next steps.
Shelby Nielsen,
Development Manager, Kessler Foundation
The increased efficiency in their work has allowed the team at Kessler Foundation to maximize touch points with donors, giving them more portfolio saturation while increasing portfolio sizes.
The Kessler Foundation team has also tapped into the power of personalized video, leveraging Gravyty’s video messaging tool to share impactful patient stories and steward their donors at the same time. The real-life testimonials of those whose lives have been improved thanks to the foundation’s research highlights the importance of donor support. To strengthen the stewardship outreach, the fundraising team often adds a heartfelt thank you to donors in a video reel format.
The outcome
Since implementing Gravyty, Kessler Foundation quickly began to see results. Through AI-powered donor prioritization, the team has been able to focus on the segments they wanted to engage and use automated email prompts to easily create touch points. The Kessler Foundation team has seen notable increases in total giving and a 35% boost in donors. Their donors appreciate the smart and meaningful outreach, too. They are renewing and increasing their gifts at higher rates.
Shelby Nielsen,
Development Manager, Kessler Foundation
Solution spotlight
Gravyty’s AI-powered fundraising solution helps fundraisers 4x their donor outreach, significantly improving outcomes. Create a sustainable, scalable pipeline through AI-powered donor discovery, integrated digital giving data, portfolio saturation and omnichannel donor outreach. Reach the right people at the right time with smart prompts, video messaging, and donor communications that write themselves.
