Autism Insights picked Zeffy from the beginning. They’ve never paid a single fee, saving over $1700.

According to the Autism Insights Foundation website, over 80% of adults with autism are un- or underemployed. For founder and executive director Shelly Davidson, that is an unacceptable statistic. 

Autism Insights works on both ends of the employment equation to change the culture. They offer executive training so that leaders of organizations can establish and implement practices that support neurodiverse employees. They also train job seekers with autism, helping them practice interviews, polish resumes, and know what to expect once they’re on the job.

“Autism Insights Foundation works to promote autistic employment opportunities through neurodiverse job coaching and academic, impactful research.” — Autism Insights Foundation Mission

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Background

Shelly Davidson has learned a lot about both life and life with autism from her granddaughter, Hannah. But Shelly’s heart broke a little when Hannah started talking about her concerns for the future one day. 

Hannah and her mom were headed to the grocery store, and seemingly out of nowhere, Hannah said, “I don’t think I’ll ever have a job. I can’t picture it. No one’s going to hire me. I stim too much. I won’t answer the interview questions right.”

Of course, Shelly wanted to comfort her granddaughter in the face of a world that didn’t understand her. But more than that, Shelly wanted to change that world.

“That one comment captured so much of what countless autistic individuals feel: unseen, underestimated, and unsure of their future,” she says. “As her grandmother, I felt heartbroken. As a family, we felt called to act.”

Shelly knew Hannah wasn’t alone in her fears, so she and Hannah’s mom, Jackie, founded Autism Insights. 

“My daughter, who now serves as our board president, and I founded Autism Insights Foundation with one goal: to create real, practical pathways to employment for people on the spectrum — not just the exceptionally gifted, but everyone,” Shelly says.

Having a job isn’t an idle concern or just a way to stay busy. It’s the foundation for independence. When people can’t work, they have to depend on others for money, housing, and general stability. And Shelly knows that the right boss has just as much to learn from employees like Hannah as Shelly has herself, so their first nonprofit endeavor is training both neurodiverse job seekers and top-level executives.

Autism Insights is Shelly’s and Jackie’s first nonprofit after decades in corporate and educational settings, so they were starting from scratch on the logistics side. 

“The experience of launching the nonprofit has been both humbling and energizing,” Shelly says. “From navigating nonprofit logistics to forming partnerships and fundraising, every step has been guided by a personal mission to make the working world more inclusive and more human.”

Their first big challenge was finding the right fundraising platform. The pair spent ages digging through different sites, comparing platforms like Paypal and GoFundMe, and plugging different fee structures into their projected budget. 

None of them made sense. As a brand-new nonprofit, they needed an agile, affordable way to raise money, and none of the major donation sites fit their new budget.

Eventually, Shelly and Jackie found Zeffy. The zero-fee fundraising platform seemed to align with their values as an organization, but Shelly was initially a little skeptical.

“Honestly, we were cautious at first,” she says. “A platform with zero fees sounded too good to be true. But once we understood the model and saw the user-friendly interface, we felt confident moving forward.”

The board agreed to give Zeffy a try, and that was all it took. Autism Insights had found its perfect fundraising partner in one shot. 

“Zeffy was our first fundraising software we used because when we priced it out we couldn't afford fees,” Shelly says. “We were so happy when we finally stumbled upon Zeffy.”

Autism Insights has never paid fees on a single dollar of funds raised. That means Shelly and the team have been able to focus on real impact from the very beginning, instead of waiting for a critical mass of funds to come in. 

“We are a newer nonprofit, and we have already saved over $1,500 by using Zeffy,” Shelly says. “This is almost 2 full sponsorships for 2 individuals to get intensive and life-changing neurodiversity job coaching.”

For Autism Insights, Zeffy isn’t the fix to a faulty fundraising system. Zeffy is the foundation of their fundraising system.

Shelly and Jackie feel the effects of the zero-fee system, of course, but it’s more than just that. With attractive donation pages, simple event ticketing, and effortless auctions, Zeffy has become one of Shelly’s favorite partners throughout the early days of founding Autism Insights. Overall, it’s both more agile and easier to use than many of the expensive systems Autism Insights considered in the beginning. 

“For a young nonprofit, every dollar matters. The fact that Zeffy allows 100% of donations to support our programs made all the difference. The tools are intuitive, beautifully designed, and easy to implement — no tech staff required. Zeffy lets us focus on what we’re here to do: open doors for neurodivergent talent,” Shelly says. 

Thanks to Shelly and Jackie’s dedication, plus Zeffy’s frictionless, zero-fee fundraising system, Hannah’s impromptu comment is already changing lives. 

“Autism Insights Foundation may have started with one girl’s voice, but it’s become a call to action for a better, more inclusive world. We’re proud to walk that path — and grateful that Zeffy is walking it with us.”