Momentum (by Virtuous) Software Review for Association Executives: AI-Powered Donor Engagement That Transforms Major Gift Fundraising

For association executives seeking to elevate their development operations without expanding headcount, understanding the emerging category of AI donor engagement platforms has become essential. As member-based organizations face increasing pressure to diversify revenue streams and strengthen donor relationships, tools like Momentum offer a compelling proposition: leverage artificial intelligence to help gift officers manage more relationships with greater personalization than ever before.

What Category Is Momentum AI Found In?

Momentum falls within the AI Donor Engagement Platform (AI-DEP) category, a rapidly emerging segment of nonprofit technology that sits at the intersection of fundraising automation, donor relationship management, and artificial intelligence. This category is sometimes also referred to as AI Fundraising Software or AI-Powered Gift Officer Tools. Unlike traditional Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems that serve as systems of record, AI-DEPs function as intelligent workflow assistants that enhance—rather than replace—your existing donor, CRM, or AMS database [1].

Summary of Momentum AI

Momentum is an AI-powered donor engagement platform designed specifically for mid-

level and major gift officers. The company was founded in 2018 and operates under the legal name Better Good, Inc., headquartered in Oakland, California with 11-50 employees [2]. In August 2025, Momentum was acquired by Virtuous, a leading nonprofit CRM provider, in a strategic move that positions the combined entity as a category leader in AI-powered fundraising technology [3].

According to Virtuous CEO Gabe Cooper, "AI is unlocking new frontiers in precision fundraising, and Momentum gives us the tools to scale personalized engagement with major donors like never before" [3]. The platform integrates seamlessly with major nonprofit CRMs, including Virtuous, Blackbaud (Raiser's Edge NXT), Salesforce, and Bloomerang [1].

The Purpose Statement of the Momentum Software

Momentum's founding mission centers on resolving what they call "the generosity crisis" by empowering fundraisers—not just fundraising. Founder and CEO Nick Fitz articulates this vision: "The secret to effective fundraising isn't just about donor behavior but ensuring that those behind the scenes, the fundraisers, are thriving. Momentum is putting fundraisers front and center, acknowledging their needs, goals, and challenges" [4]. The platform combines behavioral science principles with artificial intelligence to automate administrative burdens and surface actionable insights, allowing development professionals to focus on relationship-building.

What Makes Momentum AI a Fit for the Association Market?

Associations face a unique challenge: many operate lean development teams yet must cultivate diverse funding sources, including major gifts, sponsorships, and planned giving. Momentum addresses this gap by enabling fundraisers to manage significantly larger portfolios without sacrificing personalization. The platform reports that users have achieved a 66% increase in major gift portfolio size, a 400% increase in midlevel portfolio size, 17% growth in major gift donations, and 43% increase in midlevel donations [1].

For associations operating in Tier 2 or Tier 3 of the SmartThoughts AMS Framework [5], major gift fundraising often receives limited technology investment. Many association management systems include basic donation tracking but lack sophisticated donor engagement workflows. Momentum fills this functional gap by providing AI-driven donor plans, predictive outreach timing, and automated activity logging that transforms how gift officers work.

What Are the Functional Goals of Momentum AI?

Momentum delivers functionality across five core areas:

• Inbox Management and Prioritization: Delivers daily prioritized outreach recommendations based on donor activity, recency, and giving potential directly to fundraisers' email inboxes.

• AI-Powered Communications: Generates personalized email drafts, call scripts, and handwritten letter content trained on each fundraiser's writing style and voice—maintaining authenticity while saving hours.

• Custom Donor Plans: Creates individualized engagement strategies for every donor based on giving behavior, capacity indicators, and interaction history that adapt over time.

• Automated CRM Synchronization: Logs all emails, meetings, and calls to the connected CRM automatically, eliminating manual data entry and ensuring accurate records.

• Outreach Campaign Cadences: Enables scalable, personalized outreach sequences with built-in follow-up reminders to move relationships forward systematically [1].

Where Does Momentum AI Fit in the Association Technology Ecosystem?

Momentum AI operates as a specialized "best-of-breed" solution that complements rather than replaces your association's core AMS or donor management system. Think of it as an intelligent assistant layer that sits atop your CRM—it consumes donor data, enhances it with AI-driven insights, and surfaces recommendations while synchronizing all activity back to your system of record.

This integration-first approach proves particularly valuable for associations using AMS platforms with limited development functionality. Whether your organization uses an association-focused system like Fonteva, MemberSuite, or iMIS—or a broader nonprofit CRM like Bloomerang or Blackbaud—Momentum can extend your major gift capabilities without requiring a platform migration [1].

Why May You Need This in Your Technology Ecosystem?

Consider these scenarios where Momentum may warrant investment:

Your gift officers manage portfolios exceeding 150 donors and struggle to maintain meaningful touchpoints. Your development team relies heavily on spreadsheets to track cultivation activities. Major gift outreach happens reactively rather than strategically. CRM data entry consumes hours that should be spent building relationships. Your association has identified major gifts as a growth priority, but lacks a budget for additional staff.

If your AMS or CRM includes basic donation tracking, you might question the need for a specialized tool. The distinction lies in Momentum's proactive intelligence—it doesn't just store data but actively guides fundraiser behavior based on predictive modeling and behavioral science [4].

Who in Your Association May Use This Tool?

This platform serves development and advancement professionals specifically—major gift officers, directors of development, annual fund managers, and planned giving officers. It is not a database for your entire organization; rather, it augments the work of frontline fundraisers who manage donor portfolios.

Development directors gain real-time visibility into team performance and donor engagement metrics, enabling coaching opportunities. Database administrators benefit from cleaner CRM data through automated activity logging. The platform is HIPAA and PCI compliant with SOC 2 certification in progress, ensuring data security meets enterprise standards [1].

Who Are Some Likely Competitors in the Association Market?

Avid AI: Positions itself as "the first AI-powered Fundraising Operating System" with multi-channel campaign orchestration, daily priority surfacing, and pre-built campaign Playbooks. Backed by $6.5M in seed funding from Silverton Partners. Pricing starts at $750/month. Best suited for associations with foundations or PACs generating $500K+ in fundraising revenue [11]. Check out our review here.

Gravyty (Raise): Offers AI-powered fundraising assistance with strengths in video messaging and giving day campaigns. Serves 2,750+ institutions primarily in higher education. May have less nonprofit association focus [6].

EverTrue (Signal): Provides a donor experience platform with AI-enhanced cadences, wealth screening (through DonorSearch acquisition), and ThankView video integration. Strong in higher education advancement [7].

DonorSearch AI: Focuses on predictive analytics and wealth screening rather than workflow automation. Partners with Momentum for combined predictive and generative AI capabilities [8].

What Does the Momentum AI Product Roadmap Look Like?

Following the August 2025 acquisition by Virtuous, the company announced plans to optimize native integration with Virtuous CRM+ while maintaining support for third-party CRM connections. The platform has consistently incorporated AI advancements—currently leveraging GPT-powered content generation for email drafting and donor communications. The Virtuous acquisition signals continued investment in AI-first fundraising capabilities [3].

What Is the Price of Momentum AI Software?

Momentum does not publish pricing publicly. Prospective customers must request a demonstration to receive pricing information. Per their website, they offer a performance guarantee: "If you don't raise the cost of the program (counterfactually-attributed to Momentum), we will cover all costs" [9]. Implementation typically requires 2-4 weeks with dedicated support.

In the end, it is recommended to contact the software vendor directly for the latest pricing information.

What Do Peers Say About This Software?

Momentum is relatively new to the market, and traditional peer review sites (G2, Capterra, Software Advice, GetApp) do not yet feature dedicated profiles for the Givemomentum platform. However, verified client testimonials demonstrate real-world impact:

Nina Bowen, Senior Development Manager at Feed More, reported: "In November of last fiscal year, we had 138 actions logged from our fundraisers. This year, we had 532. Momentum is great!" [1]

Meg Hanson, Donor Relations Manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County, shared: "Momentum has been instrumental in helping me stay connected with my large portfolio of donors, allowing me to keep them updated on the incredible work we're doing while maintaining a personal touch" [1].

Verified clients include Feed More, Radford University, Vail Valley Foundation, Orbis International, United Way of East Central Iowa, Idaho Foodbank, Metro Denver, and Marietta College [1].

Note: Peer reviews are dynamic and may change over time. For guidance on evaluating software reviews effectively, visit SmartThoughts' review methodology [10].

SmartThoughts Expert Analysis and Reasoning

Momentum represents an intriguing evolution in fundraising technology—moving beyond data storage toward intelligent workflow automation. The Virtuous acquisition provides financial stability and integration depth that should benefit users, though acquisition transitions always carry execution risk.

For associations with active major gift programs and stretched development teams, the value proposition is compelling. The platform's behavioral science foundation and fundraiser-centric design differentiate it from competitors focused primarily on data enrichment or donor analytics. However, organizations without dedicated gift officers may find limited utility, and the lack of published pricing requires careful evaluation during the sales process.

The partnership with DonorSearch [8] and integration breadth across major CRMs demonstrate a platform maturing within the nonprofit technology ecosystem.

Where This Fits in Your Technology Ecosystem

This AI donor engagement platform review demonstrates how specialized software extends capabilities beyond your core AMS—but your association management system likely remains the foundation everything else connects to. Before adding new platforms, ensure your core system supports your growth.

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Sources Cited:

[1] Momentum (Givemomentum) Official Website - https://www.givemomentum.com/

[2] LinkedIn Company Profile: Momentum - https://www.linkedin.com/company/givemomentum

[3] Virtuous Blog: "Virtuous Acquires Momentum to Transform Major Donor Fundraising with AI" - https://virtuous.org/blog/2025/08/14/virtuous-acquires-momentum/

[4] Momentum GPT and Resources - https://www.givemomentum.com/gpt

[5] SmartThoughts Membership Software Tiers Framework - https://www.smartthoughts.net/post/membership-software-tiers-where-do-you-fit

[6] Gravyty Official Website - https://gravyty.com/

[7] EverTrue Official Website - https://www.evertrue.com/

[8] DonorSearch and Momentum Partnership Announcement - https://www.donorsearch.net/resources/donorsearch-and-momentum-partnership/

[9] Momentum Steward Premium Services - https://www.givemomentum.com/advisors/steward-premium

[10] SmartThoughts Beyond Review Sites Article - https://www.smartthoughts.net/post/beyond-review-sites-association-software-reviews-fail