How to Practice Donor Conversations With AI

Why practice donor conversations?

Fundraising is personal. You’re building trust, communicating your mission, and navigating emotions, all in real time. Yet most fundraisers receive little formal training or opportunity to practice donor conversations in advance. 

Too often, fundraisers are thrown into high-stakes moments with major donors, board members, or corporate partners and expected to just know what to say. When they freeze, it’s not because they don’t care. It’s because they’re overwhelmed.

For fundraisers who feel nervous, underprepared, or out of practice, Practivated offers a safe, supportive space to build confidence without pressure.

“The coaching from Practivated was eye-opening. It helped me identify overlooked points in my conversations, giving me a clear path to improvement.”
– Matt, fundraiser and Practivated beta user

Meet Practivated and Tivy

Practivated is an AI-powered tool that allows fundraisers to practice donor conversations before they happen. Created by nonprofit expert and consultant Mallory Erickson, it’s designed to improve communication skills, build confidence, and help fundraisers meet their goals by rehearsing donor interactions through realistic simulation.

At the heart of Practivated is Tivy, your personal AI fundraising coach. Tivy guides you through practice sessions that mirror everyday fundraising conversations, from making an ask to handling objections to following up after a declined gift. You also get a transcript of your conversation so you can review what you said, reflect on Tivy’s feedback, and continuously improve.

Practivated is a private, pressure-free environment to practice and prepare in a way that works for you. Fundraisers report less stress during conversations and stronger donor relationships after working with Tivy.

Practice for the moments that matter to you

Whether you’re an individual fundraiser preparing for a major donor meeting or a team leader building consistency across your staff, Practivated helps you practice the donor conversations that drive generosity.

Common donor conversations

Practivated includes an array of prebuilt scenarios you can choose from. Each scenario is a lifelike simulation, allowing you to try different approaches, including:

• A first-time meeting with a major donor
• A conversation about unrestricted giving
• A pitch to re-engage a lapsed donor
• An ask to upgrade a monthly donation
• A respectful follow-up after a declined gift
• A call with a new supporter
• An unexpected thank-you call

Custom scenarios based on your donors

Go beyond prebuilt simulations, and create your own scenarios using donor profiles and data from your DonorPerfect system. You can tailor sessions to prepare for real-life conversations using your supporters’ giving history, communication preferences, and past interactions.

For example, you have a donor who gave a mid-level gift last year but hasn’t responded to this year’s outreach. You can turn that donor’s profile into a Practivated persona, allowing Tivy to act as a stand-in so you can practice the donor conversation you want to have.

Donor stewardship strategy

Practivated is for more than just practicing gift asks. Use it to improve donor engagement by testing different stewardship approaches, from timing and tone to how you recognize and thank your supporters.

Tivy can help you explore questions like:

• How frequently should I reach out to repeat donors?
• What kind of message strengthens long-term loyalty?
• How do I follow up after a gift without sounding transactional?

By experimenting with different donor touchpoints in a realistic setting, you’ll build a more thoughtful, consistent strategy and avoid guesswork.

Watch how Tivy helps a nonprofit fine-tune its frequency of donor outreach >>

Major giving preparation

When it comes to major gifts, the ask is just one piece of the puzzle. The right preparation starts well before the meeting. Use a wealth screening and prospect tool like DonorSearch to identify and qualify your top potential donors, then bring those insights into Practivated to practice the donor conversation.

Tivy helps you think through gift types, timing, and donor motivations, aligning each conversation with your organization’s goals. Whether it’s your first interaction or part of a longer cultivation strategy, rehearsing with Practivated helps you make the most of every opportunity.

Practivated is different than other AI for fundraisers

Plenty of tools promise better fundraising results, but Practivated is designed with intention and real-world experience, allowing fundraisers to grow their skills and confidence. And confident fundraisers raise more money.

Built by fundraisers, for fundraisers

Mallory Erickson didn’t set out to build tech. She set out to solve a problem she saw firsthand. As a nonprofit coach and consultant, she witnessed how often smart, capable fundraisers felt unprepared for donor interactions. That’s why every scenario and every feature in Practivated is rooted in her proven fundraising techniques.

“You are not alone. After training over 80,000 fundraisers, I can tell you that you have so many more skills and capabilities than you even realize.”
– Mallory Erickson, CEO of Practivated

Focused on confidence, not perfection

Fundraisers don’t need to say everything perfectly. They just need to show up with clarity, empathy, and purpose. Practivated helps you:

• Learn active listening
• Navigate objections and difficult conversations
• Build rapport and trust over time
• Reduce stress before important donor meetings
• Create consistency across your fundraising team 
• Track your growth with built-in progress tools

“(Before practicing with Tivy), I was feeling so inadequate when I talked to people. Now, I feel way more confident in my ask.”
– Traci, Development Officer

Personalized feedback for real-life fundraising

With Practivated, you’re not reviewing scripts or guessing what might happen. You’re rehearsing realistic conversations, using real donor profiles in a judgment-free space so you’re ready for the moments that matter.

Like any other skill, you grow these abilities through guided, thoughtful practice.

Tivy doesn’t just listen—she coaches. After each practice session, you can access a transcript and targeted feedback that highlights your strengths, pinpoints areas for improvement, and offers strategies to grow. From navigating objections to refining your storytelling, you’ll gain clear next steps and renewed direction.

Use the feedback to:

• Spot hesitation or filler language in your delivery
• Strengthen your case for support with tighter messaging
• Reflect on the emotional tone of your conversation
• Improve how you handle tough donor questions

Over time, Tivy’s empathetic guidance and encouragement help you overcome anxiety, allowing you to be more intentional and authentic in your donor interactions.

Meets you where you are

Not every donor conversation is the same, and your practice sessions shouldn’t be either.  With Practivated you can customize the type and complexity of your simulations to match real-world challenges and goals. 

Start with foundational scenarios, like thank-you calls or monthly giving reminders, to build confidence and comfort. Then, move into more sophisticated situations, such as handling objections or discussing legacy gifts.

Tivy challenges your assumptions, asks thoughtful follow-up questions, and even introduces realistic tension, like a hesitant or skeptical donor, so you’re better prepared for what’s ahead.

“Using Practivated to prep for a corporate donor meeting was transformative. The simulation mirrored my actual conversation closely—it was almost scary!”
– Carl, fundraiser and Practivated user

Grounded in responsible AI

Practivated supports human connection; it never replaces it. Tivy uses ethical, transparent AI to provide personalized feedback in a safe, private environment. Fundraisers grow their confidence, and organizations gain valuable perspectives without compromising anyone’s autonomy or privacy.

With Practivated, both new and seasoned fundraisers build skills, no matter their role or experience level. Choose an individual or team plan to fit your organization’s needs.

Pair Practivated with DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect’s partnership with Practivated makes it easy to personalize your practice sessions using your donor data. You can match a Practivated scenario to a donor profile from your system, set a goal for the interaction, and let Tivy walk you through a conversation tailored to that situation.

Using both together helps you move seamlessly from planning to action:

• Build practice sessions in Practivated using real donor profiles, gift history, or campaign goals
• Rehearse thank-yous, asks, or follow-ups with Tivy based on your supporters’ behavior
• Use DonorPerfect to track and segment donors, then refine your messaging before you hit send or pick up the phone

Whether you’re already using DonorPerfect or exploring tools to deepen donor relationships, pairing it with Practivated can help you improve conversations, strengthen connections, and reach your fundraising goals with confidence.

DonorPerfect customers: Get exclusive early access to Practivated and special pricing, available to the first 100 organizations that sign up.

Don’t have DonorPerfect? Request a demo to see how DonorPerfect and Practivated work together to support stronger donor relationships.

Make every donor conversation count

Fundraising takes courage, confidence, and connection. But these skills don’t happen by chance—they’re developed through repetition, reflection, and coaching. 

With Practivated, you’ll walk into donor meetings prepared. You’ll bring clarity, purpose, and the confidence that comes from realistic practice. The result? Stronger donor retention and greater giving.

Looking to go even deeper? Mallory Erickson’s free Donor Connection Guide is the perfect companion to your sessions with Tivy, helping you build lasting donor connections rooted in trust and empathy.