Gravyty vs DonorSearch AI for Nonprofits
Choosing between Gravyty's AI fundraising coach and DonorSearch AI's prospect intelligence platform? Both leverage artificial intelligence for major gift fundraising, but Gravyty excels at amplifying gift officer productivity through AI-drafted outreach and engagement automation, while DonorSearch AI focuses on identifying high-capacity prospects through wealth screening and predictive analytics. Your decision hinges on whether your challenge is engagement capacity or prospect identification—or if you need both working together.
Quick Verdict
Choose based on your major gift fundraising priorities:
Choose Gravyty if:
- •Your gift officers need AI coaching to engage 4x more donors through intelligent prioritization
- •You want AI-drafted personalized emails that save 10+ hours per week per fundraiser
- •Automated CRM updates and task management are critical to keeping donor data current
- •Your primary challenge is engagement capacity—gift officers can't reach enough donors
- •You value a platform that learns from your organization's successful outreach patterns
Choose DonorSearch AI if:
- •Identifying high-capacity prospects is your #1 challenge—you need wealth screening and predictive analytics
- •You want to uncover hidden major donors already in your database through propensity scoring
- •Access to 275M+ profiles and comprehensive philanthropic data matters to your research strategy
- •Your fundraisers can handle outreach but struggle to identify and prioritize the right prospects
- •Integration with your existing CRM for prospect research workflows is essential
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Feature | Gravyty | DonorSearch AI | Winner / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Custom ($20K-$60K+/year) | Custom ($12K-$30K+/year) | ⚖️ Context-dependent |
| Primary Use Case | Gift officer productivity & engagement automation | Prospect identification & wealth screening | Different strengths |
| AI Email Drafting | ✅ Yes - personalized AI-drafted emails | ❌ No | 🎯 Gravyty for engagement |
| Wealth Screening | ❌ No | ✅ Yes - 275M+ profiles | 🔍 DonorSearch AI for research |
| Propensity Scoring | Basic engagement scoring | Advanced predictive analytics | 📊 DonorSearch AI more comprehensive |
| CRM Integration | Bidirectional sync (Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, EveryAction) | 30+ CRM integrations | 🤝 Tie - both integrate well |
| Automated CRM Updates | ✅ Yes - fully automated | ❌ Manual data entry required | ⚡ Gravyty saves admin time |
| Learning Curve | Beginner-friendly (2-4 weeks) | Intermediate (requires research training) | 🎓 Gravyty easier to adopt |
| Time Savings | 10+ hours/week per fundraiser | Hours saved on prospect research | Different time savings |
| Engagement Multiplier | 4x more donor engagement | N/A - research-focused | 🚀 Gravyty for productivity |
| Nonprofit Discount | Nonprofit-only pricing | Nonprofit-only pricing | 🤝 Tie - both nonprofit-focused |
| Best For | Organizations needing gift officer productivity at scale | Organizations needing prospect identification & research | Complementary tools |
Last updated: January 7, 2026. Pricing and features subject to change; verify with vendors.
Head-to-Head Feature Breakdown
AI Email Drafting & Engagement Automation
Gravyty
Core strength: AI drafts personalized emails based on donor history, interests, and giving patterns. The AI learns from your organization's successful outreach and adapts to your fundraisers' writing styles. Includes sentiment analysis, engagement recommendations, and automated follow-up suggestions. Saves 10+ hours per week per gift officer through intelligent automation.
DonorSearch AI
Not a focus: DonorSearch AI doesn't provide email drafting or engagement automation. Fundraisers must craft their own outreach using the prospect intelligence provided. The platform focuses on identifying who to contact rather than how to contact them.
Verdict for Nonprofits:
Gravyty is the clear winner for organizations needing engagement automation. If your gift officers struggle to keep up with donor communication volume, Gravyty's AI email drafting can multiply their productivity by 4x.
Wealth Screening & Prospect Identification
Gravyty
Limited capability: Gravyty prioritizes donors based on engagement signals and giving history within your CRM, but doesn't provide external wealth screening or philanthropic research. You need to know who your prospects are before using Gravyty to engage them.
DonorSearch AI
Core strength: Comprehensive wealth screening across 275M+ profiles with predictive analytics, propensity scoring, real estate holdings, stock ownership, business affiliations, and philanthropic giving patterns. Uncovers hidden major gift prospects already in your database through AI-powered scoring models. Includes peer screening to identify connections between prospects and current donors.
Verdict for Nonprofits:
DonorSearch AI is the clear winner for prospect research. If your challenge is identifying who has major gift capacity, DonorSearch AI's wealth screening and propensity models will surface prospects you didn't know existed.
CRM Integration & Automation
Gravyty
Bidirectional sync with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT, Salesforce NPSP, EveryAction, and other major nonprofit CRMs. Automatically logs donor interactions, emails, tasks, and activities back to your CRM without manual data entry. Real-time synchronization ensures gift officers always work with current data. Integration is seamless and requires minimal IT involvement.
DonorSearch AI
Integrates with 30+ CRMs including Salesforce, Blackbaud Raiser's Edge, ResearchPoint, and EveryAction. Enriches CRM records with wealth indicators and propensity scores. However, updates typically require manual export/import workflows rather than real-time bidirectional sync. Best suited for periodic screening campaigns rather than daily operational automation.
Verdict for Nonprofits:
Gravyty wins for operational automation through bidirectional sync that eliminates manual data entry. DonorSearch AI integrates well for research workflows but requires more manual handling. Both connect with major nonprofit CRMs effectively.
Predictive Analytics & Donor Insights
Gravyty
Analyzes engagement patterns, email open rates, donor responsiveness, and giving history to prioritize which donors to contact and when. Uses sentiment analysis to assess donor relationships and suggest appropriate outreach timing. Focuses on behavioral signals within your existing CRM data rather than external predictive models.
DonorSearch AI
Advanced propensity modeling scores prospects on likelihood to give, capacity to give, and affinity to your cause. Analyzes philanthropic patterns, wealth indicators, volunteer history, event attendance, and peer connections to predict major gift potential. Provides confidence scores and detailed profiles explaining why each prospect was identified. Continuously refines models based on your organization's success patterns.
Verdict for Nonprofits:
DonorSearch AI offers more sophisticated predictive analytics for prospect identification. Gravyty's analytics focus on engagement optimization rather than capacity prediction. Use DonorSearch AI to find prospects, Gravyty to engage them.
Pricing Breakdown & Total Cost of Ownership
Gravyty Pricing Structure
Custom Pricing Model
Gravyty provides custom quotes based on:
- Number of gift officers using the platform
- Database size and donor volume
- CRM integration complexity
- Implementation and training needs
Typical Annual Investment:
$20,000 - $60,000+
Small teams (2-3 gift officers): ~$20,000-$30,000/year
Mid-size shops (5-10 officers): ~$35,000-$50,000/year
Large development teams (10+ officers): $50,000+/year
What's Included:
- Unlimited AI-drafted emails
- Bidirectional CRM sync
- Automated task management
- Engagement analytics and reporting
- Training and customer support
DonorSearch AI Pricing Structure
Custom Pricing Model
DonorSearch AI provides custom quotes based on:
- Database size (number of records to screen)
- Frequency of screening (one-time vs ongoing)
- Number of users accessing the platform
- Level of service and support
Typical Annual Investment:
$12,000 - $30,000+
Small databases (under 5,000 records): ~$12,000-$18,000/year
Mid-size (5,000-20,000 records): ~$18,000-$25,000/year
Large databases (20,000+ records): $25,000+/year
What's Included:
- Access to 275M+ profiles
- Propensity scoring and predictive analytics
- Wealth screening and capacity ratings
- Philanthropic research and analysis
- Training and customer support
Total Cost of Ownership: 3-Year Scenarios
Scenario 1: Small Nonprofit ($500K-$2M annual budget)
2 gift officers, 3,000-donor database, raising $500K-$1M in major gifts
Gravyty (3-Year TCO)
Expected ROI:
If 2 gift officers engage 4x more donors and close 20% more major gifts: $100,000-$200,000 additional revenue
DonorSearch AI (3-Year TCO)
Expected ROI:
If screening identifies 5-10 new major gift prospects who close at $10K-$50K each: $50,000-$500,000 additional revenue
Verdict: DonorSearch AI is more affordable upfront. However, if Gravyty's 4x engagement multiplier helps close more gifts, the higher cost may deliver greater ROI for productivity-constrained teams.
Scenario 2: Mid-Size Nonprofit ($2M-$10M annual budget)
5-7 gift officers, 15,000-donor database, raising $2M-$5M in major gifts
Gravyty (3-Year TCO)
Expected ROI:
If 5-7 gift officers save 10 hours/week and close 15% more major gifts: $300,000-$750,000 additional revenue
DonorSearch AI (3-Year TCO)
Expected ROI:
If screening identifies 20-30 high-capacity prospects who convert at 30%: $150,000-$1M+ additional revenue
Verdict: Both tools deliver strong ROI at this scale. Many mid-size organizations use both: DonorSearch AI to identify prospects, Gravyty to engage them efficiently.
Scenario 3: Large Nonprofit ($10M+ annual budget)
10+ gift officers, 50,000+ donor database, raising $10M+ in major gifts
Gravyty (3-Year TCO)
Expected ROI:
If 10+ gift officers engage 4x more major donors and increase gift closure by 10%: $1M-$3M+ additional revenue
DonorSearch AI (3-Year TCO)
Expected ROI:
If screening identifies 50-100 high-capacity prospects converting at 25%: $500K-$5M+ additional revenue
Verdict: At enterprise scale, most organizations deploy both platforms in tandem. The combined investment of $270,000 over 3 years can drive $2M-$8M+ in incremental major gifts.
Hidden Costs to Consider
Gravyty
- Staff training time: 2-4 weeks onboarding per gift officer (~$2,000-$4,000 in staff time)
- CRM integration setup: Often included, but custom integrations may cost extra
- Change management: Staff may resist AI-drafted emails initially (budget for coaching)
- Annual renewals: Pricing may increase 3-5% annually
DonorSearch AI
- Research staff time: Analyzing screening results requires dedicated research capacity
- Refresh screenings: Database screening should be updated annually ($14,000-$30,000/year)
- Additional users: More researchers accessing the platform may increase licensing costs
- Manual CRM updates: Unlike Gravyty, enrichment data requires manual import (~5-10 hours/screening)
Use Case Scenarios: When Each Tool Shines
Gravyty Success Scenarios
Scenario 1: Overwhelmed Gift Officer
Organization:
Regional health foundation with 2 gift officers managing 500 major donor prospects each
Challenge:
Gift officers can only meaningfully engage 50-75 donors per year, leaving 850+ prospects under-cultivated and at risk of lapsing
Solution:
Gravyty's AI drafts personalized emails for the top 200 prospects per officer based on giving history, interests, and engagement signals. Officers spend 10 minutes reviewing and personalizing each AI draft instead of 45 minutes writing from scratch—allowing them to engage 200+ donors meaningfully.
Result:
Officers engage 4x more donors in the same time. Major gift revenue increases 35% in year one ($450,000 to $607,500) as previously neglected mid-level donors upgrade to major gifts through consistent AI-assisted touchpoints.
ROI:
$157,500 additional revenue against $35,000 investment = 450% first-year ROI
Scenario 2: Growing Development Team
Organization:
University hiring 3 new gift officers to expand major gift capacity from $3M to $5M annually
Challenge:
New hires take 12-18 months to ramp to full productivity, costing $150,000-$200,000 in salary before they close their first major gifts. Veteran officers are too busy to mentor effectively.
Solution:
Gravyty serves as an AI mentor, analyzing the organization's most successful outreach patterns and suggesting proven email templates, engagement timing, and messaging strategies to new hires. AI-drafted emails help new officers sound confident and knowledgeable even while learning.
Result:
New officers become productive 6 months faster, closing their first major gifts in months 6-8 instead of months 12-18. Each new hire closes 2-3 additional gifts in year one due to AI-accelerated confidence and efficiency.
ROI:
6-8 additional major gifts ($250K-$400K) against $45,000 Gravyty investment = 556-889% ROI
Scenario 3: CRM Data Quality Crisis
Organization:
Environmental nonprofit with 5 gift officers spending 30% of their time on manual CRM data entry and updates
Challenge:
Officers log interactions inconsistently. CRM data is outdated. Leadership can't track fundraising activity or forecast revenue accurately. Officers waste 12 hours/week on administrative tasks.
Solution:
Gravyty's bidirectional sync automatically logs all email communications, meetings, calls, and tasks back to the CRM in real-time without manual data entry. AI categorizes interactions, extracts action items, and updates donor records seamlessly.
Result:
Officers reclaim 12 hours/week previously spent on data entry—equivalent to 60 hours/week across the 5-person team. CRM data quality improves from 60% to 95% accuracy. Leadership gains real-time dashboards showing pipeline health and revenue forecasting.
ROI:
60 hours/week reinvested in donor engagement = 15% increase in major gifts ($750K to $862K) = $112K additional revenue against $40K investment = 280% ROI
Scenario 4: Reactivating Lapsed Donors
Organization:
Arts organization with 200 lapsed major donors (gave $5K+ in past, nothing in 2+ years) representing $800,000 in dormant giving capacity
Challenge:
Gift officers lack time to personally re-engage 200 lapsed donors. Mass email campaigns feel impersonal and underperform (5% response rate). Each lapsed donor represents $4,000 average annual value.
Solution:
Gravyty analyzes each lapsed donor's giving history, program interests, and past engagement to draft personalized reactivation emails. AI references specific past support ("Thank you for your 2019 gift supporting our youth orchestra program") and suggests relevant re-engagement opportunities. Officers review and send 20-30 AI drafts per hour.
Result:
Personalized AI outreach achieves 22% response rate (vs 5% for mass email). 44 lapsed donors re-engage, with 30 making gifts averaging $3,500 each = $105,000 recovered revenue. Officers complete the campaign in 10 hours instead of 90 hours of manual drafting.
ROI:
$105,000 recovered revenue against $35,000 investment = 300% first-year ROI, with ongoing annual value of $105K+
DonorSearch AI Success Scenarios
Scenario 1: Hidden Wealth in Database
Organization:
Community foundation with 12,000-constituent database, $2M annual fundraising, believes it has "maxed out" major gift pipeline
Challenge:
Gift officers focus on 100 known major donors giving $10K-$100K annually. Leadership worries about pipeline depletion as veteran donors age. Database includes thousands of $100-$500 annual donors never screened for major gift capacity.
Solution:
DonorSearch AI screens all 12,000 constituents for wealth indicators and philanthropic propensity. Predictive analytics identify 85 previously unknown high-capacity prospects with $1M-$10M+ wealth who have been giving small annual gifts for 5-15 years, demonstrating loyalty and affinity.
Result:
Gift officers cultivate 25 newly identified prospects (30% conversion), securing 8 new major gifts totaling $425,000 in year one—donors who were "hiding in plain sight" as $250/year supporters. Pipeline expands by 75 high-quality prospects, ensuring 5+ years of major gift growth.
ROI:
$425,000 new major gifts against $20,000 DonorSearch AI investment = 2,125% first-year ROI
Scenario 2: Prioritizing Limited Research Capacity
Organization:
Children's hospital with 1 prospect researcher supporting 8 gift officers who request research on 300+ prospects annually
Challenge:
Researcher can only complete 80-100 deep profiles per year. Officers waste time pursuing unqualified prospects. No systematic way to prioritize which prospects warrant research investment. 200+ prospects sit in "research queue" for months.
Solution:
DonorSearch AI automatically scores all 300 prospects for capacity, inclination, and connection to the hospital. Propensity scores (0-100) identify the top 50 prospects most likely to give $25K+ based on wealth indicators, philanthropic patterns, and healthcare giving history. Researcher focuses deep dives on AI-validated top prospects.
Result:
Research efficiency doubles—completing 100 profiles of AI-validated prospects instead of 80 random requests. Officers close 35% more major gifts because they're pursuing better-qualified prospects. Researcher spends less time on dead-ends and more time on winnable prospects.
ROI:
35% increase in major gift closure rate ($3M to $4.05M) = $1.05M additional revenue against $18,000 investment = 5,833% ROI
Scenario 3: Board Member Peer Screening
Organization:
Social service nonprofit recruiting 5 new board members to expand fundraising capacity and connections to corporate/foundation funders
Challenge:
Board candidates claim strong networks but provide vague assurances. Development team needs objective data on each candidate's giving capacity, philanthropic history, and connection to high-net-worth individuals before extending invitations. Can't afford to recruit board members who won't open doors.
Solution:
DonorSearch AI screens 12 board candidates for personal wealth, corporate connections, foundation board seats, and peer networks. Identifies 3 candidates with $5M+ personal capacity, 4 with corporate access, and 2 who serve on major foundation boards. Peer screening reveals which candidates have networks overlapping with the nonprofit's top prospect list.
Result:
Board recruits 4 strategic candidates who collectively introduce 15 new major gift prospects, secure 3 corporate sponsorships ($75K total), and personally give $120,000 in year one. Avoided recruiting 2 candidates with limited capacity/networks who would have occupied board seats for 3-year terms.
ROI:
$195,000 direct board giving + sponsorships against $15,000 screening investment = 1,300% ROI, plus 15 new major gift prospects for future cultivation
Scenario 4: Capital Campaign Prospect Pipeline
Organization:
Private school planning $15M capital campaign for new STEM facility, needs to identify 50-75 prospects capable of $100K-$1M+ leadership gifts
Challenge:
Current parent and alumni database includes 8,000 constituents but only 40 confirmed major gift prospects. Campaign feasibility study requires identifying 75+ qualified prospects before launching. Manual research would take 12+ months and $50,000 in consultant fees.
Solution:
DonorSearch AI screens all 8,000 parents and alumni for wealth capacity, real estate holdings, business ownership, stock portfolios, and education philanthropy patterns. Propensity modeling identifies 120 prospects with $500K-$10M+ capacity who have demonstrated affinity for education causes. Prioritizes 85 top prospects for campaign leadership committee cultivation.
Result:
Campaign launches with 85 qualified prospects (vs original 40), securing 12 leadership gifts totaling $8.2M in silent phase—54% of campaign goal achieved before public launch. Campaign reaches $15M goal 8 months ahead of schedule. DonorSearch AI screening completed in 4 weeks vs 12+ months manual research.
ROI:
$15M campaign success enabled by $25,000 screening investment = 60,000% ROI; campaign would have failed with only 40 original prospects
Learning Curve & Implementation Timeline
Gravyty Implementation
Difficulty Rating: Beginner-Friendly ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Designed for gift officers who may not be tech-savvy. AI handles complexity behind the scenes.
Implementation Timeline:
Time to Value:
- First AI email: Day 1 of user training (officers send AI-drafted emails within hours of learning the platform)
- Productivity gains: Week 2-3 (officers save 5-10 hours/week once comfortable with AI review process)
- 4x engagement multiplier: Month 2-3 (once officers trust AI and expand portfolio coverage)
Support Resources:
- Dedicated customer success manager for first 90 days
- Weekly office hours and training webinars
- Email and chat support (response within 24 hours)
- User community and best practices library
DonorSearch AI Implementation
Difficulty Rating: Intermediate ⭐⭐⭐
Requires understanding wealth indicators, propensity models, and prospect research best practices.
Implementation Timeline:
Time to Value:
- First screening results: Week 3 (initial propensity scores and capacity ratings delivered)
- Research efficiency gains: Week 5-6 (researchers prioritize high-scoring prospects, reducing dead-end research)
- First major gift closures: Month 6-12 (newly identified prospects move through cultivation to solicitation)
Support Resources:
- Dedicated account manager for implementation and ongoing support
- Comprehensive training library and webinars
- Phone, email, and portal support
- Quarterly screening strategy consultations
Learning Curve Comparison: Key Takeaways
Gravyty is Easier to Adopt If:
- Gift officers aren't tech-savvy—AI handles complexity
- You need immediate productivity gains (week 1-2)
- You want daily operational automation vs quarterly research
- Your team prefers learning by doing (send emails from day 1)
DonorSearch AI Requires More Training If:
- Staff need to learn wealth indicator interpretation
- Value comes over months (prospect cultivation cycles)
- Effective use requires understanding propensity models
- You have dedicated research staff who can become platform experts
Bottom Line:
Gravyty delivers faster time-to-value (weeks) through intuitive AI that gift officers can use immediately. DonorSearch AI requires more upfront training but provides strategic intelligence that compounds over time as you identify and cultivate high-capacity prospects. Choose based on whether you need immediate productivity (Gravyty) or strategic pipeline building (DonorSearch AI)—or deploy both together for maximum impact.
Integration Ecosystem & Workflow Automation
Gravyty Integrations
Bidirectional CRM sync for operational automation
Core CRM Integrations:
- Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT:
Real-time bidirectional sync of donor records, communications, tasks, and actions. Most popular integration for higher ed and healthcare.
- Salesforce NPSP:
Native Salesforce integration for nonprofits using NPSP. Logs emails, tasks, and engagement data automatically.
- EveryAction:
Integration for advocacy and political nonprofits. Syncs donor engagement across fundraising and organizing teams.
What Gets Automated:
- Email logging: All AI-drafted and sent emails automatically logged to CRM with timestamps
- Task creation: AI-suggested follow-up tasks added to CRM calendars
- Engagement scoring: Donor interaction data flows back to update engagement metrics
- Next-action recommendations: AI analyzes CRM data to suggest optimal outreach timing
Integration Benefit:
Eliminates 10-15 hours/week of manual data entry per gift officer. CRM stays current without administrative overhead. Leadership gets real-time visibility into fundraising activity.
DonorSearch AI Integrations
CRM enrichment for prospect research workflows
Core CRM Integrations:
- Blackbaud Raiser's Edge / ResearchPoint:
Export screening results and wealth profiles directly into RE or ResearchPoint prospect records.
- Salesforce:
Import propensity scores and capacity ratings into Salesforce custom fields for gift officer dashboards.
- 30+ Other CRMs:
CSV exports compatible with EveryAction, DonorPerfect, Bloomerang, NeonCRM, and most donor databases.
What Gets Enriched:
- Capacity ratings: Major gift capacity scores ($10K, $25K, $50K, $100K+) added to records
- Propensity scores: AI likelihood-to-give scores (0-100) imported to prioritize outreach
- Wealth indicators: Real estate, business ownership, stock holdings flagged in CRM
- Philanthropic patterns: Giving history to similar causes noted in prospect profiles
Integration Benefit:
Enriches CRM with strategic intelligence that gift officers use to prioritize prospects. However, requires manual CSV export/import workflows vs Gravyty's real-time automation.
Workflow Automation Examples
Gravyty Automated Workflow: Monthly Donor Re-Engagement
Gravyty analyzes CRM and identifies 50 donors who haven't been contacted in 90+ days but have high engagement scores
AI drafts personalized re-engagement emails referencing each donor's past support, program interests, and relationship history
Gift officer reviews 50 AI drafts in 90 minutes (vs 6+ hours writing manually), personalizes where needed, and sends
All emails automatically logged to CRM with timestamps. AI monitors responses and suggests follow-up actions
CRM engagement scores update in real-time based on email opens, replies, and link clicks
Time Saved: 4.5 hours per campaign. Result: 50 dormant donors re-engaged monthly instead of quarterly—2x engagement frequency without added staff.
DonorSearch AI Workflow: Annual Prospect Pipeline Refresh
Export all 15,000 donor records from CRM (quarterly or annually depending on database growth)
DonorSearch AI screens database, returning propensity scores, capacity ratings, and wealth profiles within 2 weeks
Research team reviews top 100 scored prospects, prioritizing 50 for deep research based on capacity + inclination
Import propensity scores and capacity ratings into CRM via CSV (manual process taking 2-3 hours)
Gift officers receive prioritized prospect lists sorted by AI scoring—focus cultivation on highest-potential prospects
Time Saved: 40-60 hours of manual prospect research per screening. Result: Pipeline refreshed with 50-100 new qualified prospects annually—sustaining major gift growth.
Integration Verdict:
Gravyty wins for daily operational automation through bidirectional CRM sync that eliminates manual data entry and keeps your fundraising database current in real-time. DonorSearch AI excels at periodic strategic enrichment that adds intelligence to your CRM but requires manual CSV import workflows. Both integrate well with major nonprofit CRMs—choose based on whether you need ongoing automation (Gravyty) or strategic screening insights (DonorSearch AI).
Can you use both? Yes—many large nonprofits do. Use DonorSearch AI annually to identify high-capacity prospects, then use Gravyty daily to engage them efficiently with AI-drafted outreach.
Data Privacy, Security & Compliance
Both platforms handle sensitive donor data and must meet nonprofit security standards. Here's how they protect your constituents' information:
| Security Feature | Gravyty | DonorSearch AI |
|---|---|---|
| Data Encryption | AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit | AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit |
| SOC 2 Type II Certified | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| GDPR Compliance | ✅ Yes - compliant for EU donors | ✅ Yes - compliant for EU constituents |
| CCPA Compliance | ✅ Yes - California privacy rights supported | ✅ Yes - California privacy rights supported |
| Role-Based Access Control | Granular permissions by user role | Granular permissions by user role |
| Data Retention Policies | Configurable retention periods; delete on request | Screening data retained per contract; deletion available |
| Third-Party Audits | Annual penetration testing and security audits | Regular third-party security assessments |
| Data Breach Notification | 72-hour notification per GDPR | Immediate notification per privacy regulations |
| AI Training on Your Data | AI learns your org's patterns only—not shared across clients | Propensity models trained on aggregated philanthropic data, not client-specific |
Gravyty Data Ownership & Usage
Who Owns Your Data:
Your organization retains full ownership of all donor data. Gravyty is a data processor, not owner. You can export or delete data at any time.
How AI Uses Your Data:
Gravyty AI learns from your organization's successful emails, donor responses, and engagement patterns to improve suggestions over time. This learning is org-specific—your data never trains AI models for other clients.
Data Deletion:
Upon contract termination or request, Gravyty deletes all donor data within 30 days. Export your CRM sync data before deletion if needed for historical records.
DonorSearch AI Data Ownership & Usage
Who Owns Your Data:
Your organization owns your constituent data. DonorSearch owns the wealth and philanthropic profile data it provides. Screening results are licensed to you for your nonprofit's use only.
How AI Uses Your Data:
DonorSearch AI trains propensity models on aggregated philanthropic data from 275M+ profiles and public records—not on your organization's internal data. Your constituent list is matched against this database but not used to train models.
Data Deletion:
Upon contract termination, your constituent data upload is deleted. Screening results you've exported remain yours but are no longer updated without an active subscription.
Sensitive Data Handling Guidelines
What Data Should You Share with Each Platform?
Gravyty (Safe to Share):
- Donor names, contact information, giving history
- Communication history and engagement data
- Program interests and volunteer activity
- Do NOT share: Social Security Numbers, medical information, sensitive case notes
DonorSearch AI (Safe to Share):
- Names, addresses, city, state, zip codes
- Email addresses (helps matching accuracy)
- Constituent IDs (for CRM re-import)
- Do NOT share: Giving history, bank account info, sensitive personal notes
Security Best Practices for Nonprofit Fundraisers:
- Only grant platform access to staff who need it (gift officers, researchers, leadership)
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users accessing donor data
- Review data-sharing agreements annually to ensure compliance with your privacy policy
- Train staff on donor privacy—never share AI-drafted emails publicly or screenshot donor data
- Audit access logs quarterly to ensure ex-staff no longer have platform access
Security Verdict:
Both platforms meet enterprise-grade security standards with SOC 2 Type II certification, GDPR/CCPA compliance, and AES-256 encryption. Neither has experienced major data breaches as of January 2026. Both are safe for nonprofit donor data when you follow best practices: enable MFA, grant access only to necessary staff, and review permissions quarterly. The main difference: Gravyty's AI learns from your org-specific patterns (privacy-protective), while DonorSearch AI uses aggregated public data (no client-specific training).
Pros & Cons for Nonprofits
Gravyty
Pros:
- 4x Engagement Multiplier:
Gift officers can meaningfully engage 4x more donors in the same time through AI-drafted personalized emails
- 10+ Hours Saved Weekly:
Eliminates manual email drafting and CRM data entry—reclaiming 50-60% of fundraisers' administrative time
- Beginner-Friendly AI:
Intuitive interface requires minimal training—gift officers productive within days, not months
- Bidirectional CRM Sync:
Automatically logs all interactions, tasks, and communications to Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, or EveryAction without manual entry
- Accelerates New Hire Ramp Time:
AI mentors new gift officers with proven messaging patterns—new hires productive 6 months faster
- Learns Your Organization's Voice:
AI adapts to your nonprofit's tone, terminology, and successful outreach patterns—emails sound authentically yours
Cons:
- ✗Higher Cost for Engagement Automation:
Typically $20K-$60K+/year—2-3x more expensive than DonorSearch AI's prospect research-only pricing
- ✗No Wealth Screening or Prospect Research:
Gravyty doesn't identify high-capacity prospects—you need to know who to engage before using AI to reach them
- ✗Requires Change Management:
Some fundraisers resist AI-drafted emails initially—need buy-in and coaching to overcome "it's not authentic" concerns
- ✗Limited CRM Integrations:
Deep integration only with Raiser's Edge NXT, Salesforce NPSP, and EveryAction—other CRMs have limited or no support
- ✗Best for Organizations with Gift Officers:
ROI requires having dedicated fundraising staff—less valuable for ED-led development or small all-volunteer teams
- ✗AI Requires Training Data:
Works best when you have 6-12 months of email history for AI to learn from—less effective for brand-new development programs
DonorSearch AI
Pros:
- Uncovers Hidden Major Gift Prospects:
Identifies high-capacity donors already in your database who are giving $100-$500 annually but have $1M-$10M+ wealth
- 275M+ Profile Database:
Access to comprehensive wealth data, philanthropic patterns, real estate, business ownership, and stock portfolios
- More Affordable for Prospect Research:
Typically $12K-$30K+/year—40-50% cheaper than Gravyty for organizations primarily needing screening
- Propensity Scoring Prioritizes Research:
AI likelihood-to-give scores (0-100) help researchers focus on winnable prospects—doubles research efficiency
- Broad CRM Compatibility:
Integrates with 30+ CRMs via CSV exports—works with virtually any donor database
- Ideal for Campaign Preparation:
Essential for capital campaigns requiring 50-100+ major gift prospects—identifies leadership gift capacity quickly
Cons:
- ✗No Engagement Automation:
Identifies prospects but doesn't help engage them—fundraisers still draft all emails and manage outreach manually
- ✗Steeper Learning Curve:
Requires training to interpret wealth indicators, propensity models, and philanthropic data—not beginner-friendly
- ✗Manual CRM Integration:
No bidirectional sync—requires manual CSV export from CRM, screening, then re-import of results (5-10 hours per screening)
- ✗Periodic Value, Not Daily:
Most valuable when used quarterly or annually for database refresh—not a daily operational tool like Gravyty
- ✗Requires Research Capacity:
Screening identifies prospects but requires dedicated research staff to analyze results and build profiles—not self-service
- ✗Long-Term ROI Timeline:
Newly identified prospects take 6-18 months to cultivate and close—delayed ROI compared to Gravyty's immediate productivity gains
Balanced Verdict:
Neither tool is "better"—they solve different problems. Gravyty excels when your gift officers are overwhelmed and can't engage enough donors (productivity problem). DonorSearch AI excels when you don't know who your major gift prospects are (prospect identification problem). The honest assessment: most organizations that can afford both should deploy both—use DonorSearch AI to find prospects, Gravyty to engage them efficiently. If you can only choose one, ask yourself: Do we know who to solicit but lack capacity to reach them (Gravyty)? Or do we have cultivation capacity but struggle to identify qualified prospects (DonorSearch AI)?
Migration & Switching Considerations
Migrating to Gravyty or DonorSearch AI from Manual Processes
From Manual Email Writing → Gravyty:
Timeline: 4-6 weeks
- Week 1-2: CRM integration and AI training on your historical emails
- Week 3: Gift officer training and pilot with 10-20 donors
- Week 4-6: Full rollout with coaching to overcome "AI won't sound like me" resistance
Challenge: Change Management
Expect initial skepticism from veteran fundraisers who take pride in personal writing. Overcome by showing AI drafts side-by-side with manual drafts—AI often scores higher in personalization tests because it references donor history more consistently.
Success Metric:
Officers should engage 2-3x more donors by month 2. If not, revisit AI training and address workflow bottlenecks.
From Manual Prospect Research → DonorSearch AI:
Timeline: 4-5 weeks
- Week 1-2: Export CRM data, submit for screening, wait for results (7-14 days)
- Week 3: Researcher training on interpreting propensity scores and wealth indicators
- Week 4-5: Import top prospects into CRM and prioritize cultivation strategies
Challenge: Data Quality
Screening accuracy depends on clean data—messy addresses, nicknames instead of legal names, and duplicate records reduce match rates. Budget 5-10 hours for data cleanup before first screening.
Success Metric:
First screening should identify 50-100 new high-capacity prospects (depending on database size). If fewer, review data quality and matching criteria.
Switching Between Gravyty and DonorSearch AI
Scenario: You Have Gravyty, Considering Adding DonorSearch AI
When It Makes Sense:
- Gravyty multiplied engagement 4x, but your major gift pipeline is thin—you're efficiently cultivating too few qualified prospects
- You're planning a capital campaign and need to identify 50-100 leadership gift prospects quickly
- Board members keep asking "Have we screened our database for hidden wealth?" and you haven't
Implementation:
Run DonorSearch AI screening annually or quarterly. Import top-scored prospects into your CRM, then use Gravyty to engage them with AI-drafted outreach. The tools are complementary—not competing.
Combined ROI Example:
$45,000 (Gravyty) + $18,000 (DonorSearch AI) = $63,000 total annual cost. If screening identifies 30 new prospects and Gravyty helps engage 4x more donors, resulting in 10-15 additional major gifts at $25K average: $250K-$375K additional revenue = 400-595% ROI.
Scenario: You Have DonorSearch AI, Considering Adding Gravyty
When It Makes Sense:
- DonorSearch identified 75+ high-capacity prospects, but gift officers can't engage them all—prospects go cold waiting months for outreach
- You have a strong pipeline but gift officers spend 60% of time on admin (emails, CRM updates) instead of relationship-building
- You're hiring 2-3 new gift officers and want to accelerate their ramp-to-productivity
Implementation:
Integrate Gravyty with your CRM. Prioritize DonorSearch AI's top-scored prospects in Gravyty's donor queue. AI drafts personalized emails referencing wealth indicators and philanthropic patterns from screening data.
Workflow Integration:
Import DonorSearch AI capacity ratings into CRM custom fields. Gravyty reads these fields to prioritize outreach to $100K+ capacity prospects first, ensuring high-value prospects receive immediate attention.
Historical Data Handling
Gravyty Data Retention:
- All AI-drafted emails and donor interactions remain in your CRM—not dependent on Gravyty subscription
- If you cancel, CRM retains full history; you lose AI drafting and automation but keep all past work
- Export engagement analytics and reporting data before cancellation (available via customer success team)
DonorSearch AI Data Retention:
- Screening results you've imported into your CRM remain yours—propensity scores stay in CRM permanently
- If you cancel, you lose access to new screenings and updated profiles, but historical data stays
- Export all prospect profiles and wealth data before cancellation—DonorSearch deletes your screening uploads post-contract
Vendor Lock-In Assessment
Gravyty Lock-In: Moderate
You can cancel without losing historical data, but gift officers become dependent on AI productivity gains. Reverting to manual email writing after experiencing 4x engagement multiplier feels like a major step backward. Lock-in is workflow dependency, not data captivity.
Switching Cost: High (workflow disruption, productivity loss)
DonorSearch AI Lock-In: Low
Screening data exports to CSV and lives in your CRM permanently. Easy to switch to competitors (iWave, WealthEngine, etc.) or cancel without penalty. Lock-in is minimal—data is portable and vendor-agnostic.
Switching Cost: Low (re-screening with new vendor takes 2-3 weeks)
Customer Support & Community Resources
| Support Feature | Gravyty | DonorSearch AI |
|---|---|---|
| Email Support | ✅ 24-hour response time | ✅ 24-48 hour response time |
| Live Chat | ✅ Available during business hours | ❌ Email and phone only |
| Phone Support | ✅ Dedicated customer success manager | ✅ Account manager assigned |
| Onboarding Support | Dedicated CSM for first 90 days | Account manager for implementation |
| Training Resources | Weekly webinars, video library, user guides | Training library, webinars, documentation |
| User Community | Active user community and peer forums | Limited community; peer networking at conferences |
| Office Hours | ✅ Weekly group office hours | ✅ Quarterly strategy consultations |
| Help Center / Knowledge Base | Comprehensive searchable help center | Documentation portal and FAQs |
Gravyty Support Quality
Strengths:
- White-glove onboarding: Dedicated customer success manager for first 90 days ensures smooth adoption
- Proactive check-ins: CSM reaches out weekly during implementation, monthly thereafter to address issues before they escalate
- Responsive chat support: Fastest for quick questions during gift officer workflow ("How do I...?")
- Active user community: Peer-to-peer best practices sharing, templates, and success stories
User Feedback (from nonprofit clients):
"Our CSM felt like an extension of our development team—they understood our fundraising challenges and tailored AI training to our donor base. Response times are fast, and they genuinely care about our success."
DonorSearch AI Support Quality
Strengths:
- Expert account managers: Support team includes experienced prospect researchers who understand nonprofit fundraising workflows
- Strategic consultations: Quarterly calls to review screening results and refine targeting strategies
- Training depth: Comprehensive training on wealth indicator interpretation, propensity scoring, and prospect prioritization
- Campaign support: Extra hands-on help during capital campaign screening (most critical use case)
User Feedback (from nonprofit clients):
"Our account manager has deep prospect research expertise—they didn't just deliver screening data, they taught us how to interpret it strategically. Support is slower than live chat but more thoughtful and tailored to major gift fundraising."
Self-Service Resources Comparison
Gravyty Resources:
- Help Center: 100+ searchable articles covering common workflows, troubleshooting, and best practices
- Video Tutorials: 20+ short videos (3-7 minutes) demonstrating AI email review, donor prioritization, task management
- Weekly Webinars: Live training sessions on advanced features, new releases, and fundraising strategy
- Best Practices Library: Templates, sample AI-drafted emails, and case studies from top-performing users
DonorSearch AI Resources:
- Training Portal: On-demand courses covering wealth screening, propensity models, and prospect research workflows
- Documentation: Detailed guides on data preparation, screening optimization, and CRM integration
- Webinar Archive: Recorded sessions on capital campaign screening, annual giving analysis, and board prospect research
- Prospect Research Blog: Industry insights, philanthropic trends, and nonprofit fundraising best practices
Support Verdict:
Both platforms provide strong nonprofit-focused support. Gravyty offers faster, more accessible support through live chat and weekly office hours—ideal for daily operational questions. DonorSearch AI provides deeper strategic expertise through account managers with prospect research backgrounds—valuable for campaign planning and complex screening interpretation. Choose based on support style: Gravyty for immediate tactical help, DonorSearch AI for strategic consultation.
Winner for self-service resources: Gravyty's video library and user community make it easier to learn independently. DonorSearch AI's resources require more research expertise to leverage effectively.
Performance, Reliability & Uptime
Gravyty Performance & Uptime
Uptime SLA:
99.9% uptime guarantee (approximately 8.76 hours downtime per year maximum)
Historical uptime (2024-2025): 99.95%+ according to user reports. Rare outages typically resolved within 1-2 hours.
AI Response Speed:
- Email drafts: Generated in 5-15 seconds (simple emails) to 20-40 seconds (complex multi-paragraph outreach)
- CRM sync: Near real-time (1-5 minute delay for bidirectional updates)
- Donor prioritization: Refreshes hourly based on engagement signals
Impact on Fundraising Operations:
Because Gravyty powers daily gift officer workflows, downtime directly impacts productivity. However, CRM remains functional—officers can work manually during outages. Most downtime occurs during scheduled maintenance windows (announced 7 days in advance).
DonorSearch AI Performance & Uptime
Uptime SLA:
99.5% uptime guarantee (approximately 43.8 hours downtime per year maximum)
Historical uptime (2024-2025): 99.7%+ according to user reports. Platform is less mission-critical since screening is periodic, not daily.
Screening Processing Speed:
- Database screening: 7-14 business days for results delivery (depends on database size: 5,000 records = ~7 days; 50,000 records = ~14 days)
- Individual prospect lookups: Real-time search (5-10 seconds for full profile)
- Data accuracy: Profiles update quarterly with new public records and philanthropic data
Impact on Fundraising Operations:
Because DonorSearch AI is used periodically (quarterly/annual screenings), downtime rarely disrupts fundraising workflows. Scheduled screenings can be delayed by 1-2 days without significant impact. Most critical during capital campaign screening deadlines.
Mobile Performance & Access
Gravyty Mobile Experience:
- Mobile-responsive web app: Works in mobile browsers (Safari, Chrome) but no dedicated iOS/Android app
- Use case: Gift officers can review AI-drafted emails and approve sends from phones during commutes or between meetings
- Limitation: Writing longer emails or complex edits better suited for desktop due to screen size
DonorSearch AI Mobile Experience:
- Mobile-accessible portal: Can view prospect profiles and screening results on mobile browsers
- Use case: Gift officers can pull up prospect profiles before donor meetings to review wealth indicators and giving history
- Limitation: Data-heavy screening reports difficult to navigate on small screens—desktop recommended for analysis
Reliability During Peak Fundraising Seasons
Year-End Giving (November-December):
Gravyty:
Gift officers send 3-5x more emails during year-end campaigns. Gravyty handles increased load well—no reported slowdowns during 2024-2025 year-end. AI draft generation speed remains consistent even as email volume spikes.
DonorSearch AI:
Many nonprofits screen databases in Q3 (August-September) to prepare year-end asks. Screening turnaround times may extend 2-3 days longer during peak season due to increased demand. Plan accordingly—submit Q3 screenings by early August.
Giving Tuesday & Campaign Deadlines:
Gravyty: Critical infrastructure for campaign email blasts. Test email sends 48 hours before Giving Tuesday to identify any issues. No reported outages during Giving Tuesday 2024.
DonorSearch AI: Less time-sensitive—screening delays don't affect campaign deadlines since research happens weeks/months in advance.
Reliability Verdict:
Gravyty is more mission-critical because it powers daily gift officer workflows—downtime directly impacts productivity. Fortunately, uptime is excellent (99.95%+) and performance is fast (5-40 seconds per AI draft). DonorSearch AI is less time-sensitive because screening is periodic—even a day of downtime doesn't disrupt fundraising operations significantly. Both platforms scale well during peak fundraising seasons.
Mobile access: Both offer mobile-responsive interfaces but work best on desktop. Gravyty's mobile experience is more practical for daily use (reviewing AI drafts on-the-go) vs DonorSearch AI's research-heavy workflows.
Final Recommendation & Decision Framework
5 Key Questions to Guide Your Decision
1. What's your primary fundraising bottleneck?
→ Choose Gravyty if:
Gift officers can't engage enough donors—portfolios are too large, emails take too long to write, and high-value prospects go months without touchpoints.
→ Choose DonorSearch AI if:
You don't know who to cultivate—your pipeline is thin, you suspect hidden wealth in your database, or you're planning a campaign and need to identify 50-100 leadership gift prospects.
2. Do you have gift officers or prospect researchers on staff?
→ Choose Gravyty if:
You have 2+ gift officers managing large portfolios who would benefit from AI-drafted emails and automated CRM updates. ROI requires dedicated fundraising staff to leverage productivity gains.
→ Choose DonorSearch AI if:
You have (or plan to hire) prospect researchers, or gift officers who handle their own research. Also valuable for ED-led development shops that can identify prospects but lack capacity for deep research.
3. What's your annual major gifts revenue goal?
→ Choose Gravyty if:
Raising $1M-$10M+ annually in major gifts with multiple gift officers. At this scale, Gravyty's $20K-$60K cost delivers 300-600% ROI through 4x engagement multiplier.
→ Choose DonorSearch AI if:
Raising $250K-$5M+ in major gifts and need to expand your prospect pipeline. At $12K-$30K/year, screening identifies 50-100 new prospects who can drive 50-100% revenue growth.
4. How comfortable is your team with AI and technology?
→ Choose Gravyty if:
Your gift officers aren't tech-savvy but are overwhelmed. Gravyty's beginner-friendly AI handles complexity—officers productive within 2-4 weeks with minimal training.
→ Choose DonorSearch AI if:
You have (or can train) staff to interpret wealth indicators and propensity scores. Requires intermediate research skills but delivers strategic intelligence for years.
5. What's your realistic annual budget for AI fundraising tools?
→ Choose Gravyty if:
You have $20K-$60K+/year budget and need daily operational productivity gains. Higher cost justified by immediate 10+ hours/week savings per gift officer.
→ Choose DonorSearch AI if:
You have $12K-$30K+/year budget and need strategic pipeline expansion. Lower cost makes it accessible for organizations with smaller teams or newer major gift programs.
Decision Matrix: Which Tool(s) to Deploy
Scenario A: Deploy Gravyty Only
When: You know who your major gift prospects are (strong pipeline), but gift officers can't engage them all. Budget is $20K-$60K/year.
Example: University with 200 known major donors, 3 gift officers who can only reach 50-75 each per year. Gravyty multiplies engagement 4x.
Scenario B: Deploy DonorSearch AI Only
When: Your prospect pipeline is thin or unknown, but you have gift officer capacity to engage new prospects once identified. Budget is $12K-$30K/year.
Example: Community foundation with 12,000-constituent database but only 40 known major donors. Screening identifies 80 hidden prospects with $1M+ capacity.
Scenario C: Deploy Both Gravyty + DonorSearch AI
When: You have both challenges (thin pipeline AND limited engagement capacity) and budget of $35K-$90K+/year for comprehensive major gift AI.
Example: Hospital raising $10M+ annually, 8 gift officers, planning $50M capital campaign. Use DonorSearch AI to identify 200 campaign prospects, Gravyty to engage them 4x faster.
Scenario D: Deploy Neither (Yet)
When: You're raising under $250K annually in major gifts, have 0-1 gift officers, or lack CRM infrastructure. Focus on fundamentals first.
Instead: Invest in basic CRM (Bloomerang, Little Green Light, Neon CRM) and hire your first gift officer before deploying enterprise AI tools.
Next Steps: Testing & Evaluation
Testing Plan (Before Signing):
Request Demos from Both Vendors
Schedule 45-60 minute demos showing real donor data workflows. Bring gift officers and researchers to demos—their buy-in is critical.
Get Custom Pricing Quotes
Provide accurate database size, gift officer count, and revenue goals. Compare 1-year and 3-year total cost of ownership.
Request Pilot or Trial Period
Gravyty: Ask for 30-60 day pilot with 1-2 gift officers. DonorSearch AI: Request sample screening of 100-500 records to assess data quality.
Talk to Nonprofit References
Ask vendors for 3 references of similar-sized organizations in your sector. Ask: "What surprised you?" and "What would you change?"
Calculate Your Projected ROI
Use scenarios in Section 4 to estimate revenue impact. If projected ROI is below 200%, reconsider timing or tool choice.
Evaluation Checklist (Print & Score):
Gravyty Evaluation:
- ☐ AI emails sound authentically from our organization
- ☐ Gift officers trust AI drafts (80%+ approval rate)
- ☐ CRM integration works smoothly
- ☐ Saves 10+ hours/week per officer (validated in pilot)
- ☐ Customer success manager is responsive and helpful
- ☐ ROI calculation justifies $20K-$60K+ annual cost
DonorSearch AI Evaluation:
- ☐ Sample screening identifies 20-50 new prospects
- ☐ Propensity scores are accurate (spot-check 10 profiles)
- ☐ Wealth data is current (within 12 months)
- ☐ CRM import workflow is manageable
- ☐ Training prepares team to interpret screening results
- ☐ ROI calculation justifies $12K-$30K+ annual cost
Still Deciding?
Book a free consultation and we'll help you evaluate which tool(s) best fit your nonprofit's fundraising goals, budget, team capacity, and major gift strategy.