Dare to Care Food Bank strengthens donor engagement with Moore’s SimioAccelerate built on Microsoft Azure

Since its founding in 1969, after the death of a nine-year-old Kentucky boy from malnutrition, Louisville-based Dare to Care Food Bank has worked to connect community support with neighbors facing hunger. Today, the organization distributes more than 25 million pounds of food annually through a network of more than 400 community partners across 13 counties.

In late 2025, Dare to Care experienced an unprecedented surge in donor support. Following the temporary pause of SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown, the nonprofit welcomed more than 1,000 new donors in a single month. “We had an outpouring of generosity from new donors,” says Danielle Densford, Individual Philanthropy Manager at Dare to Care Food Bank.

While the increase reflected growing community concerns about food insecurity, it also created a new challenge. With more than 16,000 annual donors and a small development team, Dare to Care needed a way to engage supporters more strategically while maintaining the personal relationships that drive long-term giving.

At the same time, the organization was placing greater emphasis on nurturing its mid-level donor program. For Dare to Care, these supporters often represent some of the organization’s most loyal advocates and its strongest potential for future growth.

“We believe our best mid-level and major-gift prospects are already giving to our organization,” Densford says. “How do we steward them well? How do we find those hidden gems that are already in our pipeline and already care about our mission?”

Solution

For answers, Dare to Care turned to Moore, joining a pilot program to try SimioAccelerate, Moore’s AI-powered donor intelligence platform built on Microsoft Azure.

Powered by SimioCloud, the largest data source for nonprofits, SimioAccelerate enables organizations to identify high-potential supporters, prioritize fundraising opportunities, and create personalized donor communications. The platform combines donor benchmarking, prospect identification, and AI-assisted outreach recommendations in a self-service experience designed for fundraising teams.

Dare to Care was already working with Moore on direct mail and digital strategy for omnichannel fundraising and other initiatives. When Moore invited Dare to Care to join the pilot, the opportunity aligned with ongoing discussions about how technology could support the team in operating more efficiently without sacrificing personal engagement.

“We wanted tools to build automated processes that were still personal,” Densford says. “What really made my eyes light up was the ability to create customized donor journeys and communication plans.”

One of the platform’s most valuable capabilities enables fundraisers to look beyond traditional wealth indicators. By taking advantage of SimioAccelerate, fundraisers gain visibility into both the financial capacity and philanthropic behavior of donors. With that insight, Dare to Care can identify supporters who have shown a willingness to give and may be ready for deeper engagement. All this is done with the utmost respect for donor information. Moore and Microsoft protect data using secure systems, strict access controls, and industry-standard safeguards. Dare to Care’s donor data is never sold. And all donors can control how their information is used, including opting out at any time.

The platform also streamlines donor outreach planning. Rather than building communication journeys manually, fundraisers receive recommendations for personalized donor journeys that reflect an organization’s priorities and current initiatives.

SimioAccelerate can also draft emails and other donor communications using information drawn from Dare to Care’s website. Staff members can then review, refine, and personalize the messaging to ensure it reflects the organization’s voice and donor relationships. Although AI generates recommended content, Dare to Care staff remain in control of every interaction.

Results

Because Dare to Care joined Moore’s SimioAccelerate pilot just recently, it’s still evaluating long-term outcomes. However, the platform is already changing how the team approaches donor engagement and pipeline development.

For Densford, one of the most immediate benefits is the ability to spend more time identifying and cultivating relationships with supporters who might otherwise be overlooked. “I don’t get to spend a ton of time building our donor pipeline,” she says. “But SimioAccelerate gives us more time to nurture and continue to grow it.”

Densford sees opportunities beyond donor identification. By automating portions of campaign planning and communication development, she thinks SimioAccelerate could create additional capacity for Dare to Care’s small development staff responsible for major gifts, grants, and other fundraising efforts.

Dare to Care views that efficiency as a means to a larger goal: creating more opportunities for meaningful donor engagement. “We very much see it as a tool to build and strengthen donor relationships,” Densford says.

Looking ahead

As the SimioAccelerate pilot continues, Dare to Care aims to identify more supporters with the financial means and interest to increase their involvement while creating a more scalable approach to donor stewardship.

The organization sees technology as a way to strengthen human connections rather than replace them. By combining donor intelligence, personalized outreach, and relationship-focused fundraising, Dare to Care can engage more supporters in its mission and community impact.

“We can’t take the people out of fundraising,” Densford says. “So let’s find tools that are going to help us get more time to grow relationships with them.