Individual Giving

Drafts a year-end or annual appeal letter to individual donors. Use it for your biggest fundraising mailing of the year, whether that is a printed letter, a PDF, or the body of a long-form email.

## Context
You are helping a development staff member at [ORGANIZATION NAME], a nonprofit that [MISSION IN ONE SENTENCE]. The letter will go to [AUDIENCE DESCRIPTION: e.g., current donors who gave last year, lapsed donors who have not given in two years]. The appeal is for [CAMPAIGN NAME OR PURPOSE: e.g., the 2026 Annual Fund, the Holiday Appeal]. The letter will be signed by [SIGNER NAME AND TITLE].

## Task
Draft a donor appeal letter of approximately [TARGET LENGTH: e.g., one page, 400 words] that includes:
- An opening story or scene that puts the reader inside the work: [STORY OR SCENE: describe a real program moment, client outcome, or concrete image in two to four sentences].
- A clear statement of what the organization does and who it serves, grounded in [KEY PROGRAM FACTS].
- The specific ask: a gift of [ASK AMOUNTS OR RANGE] to support [USE OF FUNDS].
- One or two proof points drawn only from [PROGRAM OUTCOMES PROVIDED].
- A clear call to action naming how to give: [GIVING INSTRUCTIONS: e.g., return the reply card, give online at the URL].
- A P.S. line restating the deadline or matching opportunity if one exists: [DEADLINE OR MATCH DETAILS].

## Standards
- Write to one person, not a crowd. Use "you" throughout.
- The opening must be concrete and human, not a statistics dump.
- All impact figures, program outcomes, and dollar figures must come from [PROGRAM OUTCOMES PROVIDED]. Do not invent statistics, client counts, dollar figures, or program results.
- Do not name specific funders, grants, or restricted funds unless I provided them.
- No hype words: life-changing, transformative, urgent crisis, powerful, incredible, remarkable.
- The letter must close with a specific action the reader can take today, not a vague invitation to consider giving.
- If the story, ask amount, giving instructions, or program outcomes are missing or unclear, ask me before drafting.

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

Dear Margaret,

Last March, a father named David walked into the Riverside Youth Coalition's after-school center with his nine-year-old daughter, Lily. She had not been to school in three weeks. He did not know where else to go.

Our staff sat with both of them for two hours that afternoon. Lily started our tutoring program the following Monday. By June she had caught up to grade level in reading.

That is what your gift makes possible.

The Riverside Youth Coalition runs after-school and summer programs for children in the Eastside neighborhood, where more than 60 percent of kids qualify for free or reduced lunch. Last year our programs served 312 children. Eighty-one percent of students who completed our full-year tutoring track improved at least one grade level in reading or math, based on teacher assessments.

We are asking you to make a gift of $100, $250, or whatever you can manage before December 31. Every dollar goes directly to program staff and materials. Nothing fancy. Just people showing up for kids.

To give online, visit riversidesyouth.org/give. To mail a check, use the enclosed reply envelope.

Thank you for being in our corner.

With gratitude,
Sandra Webb
Executive Director, Riverside Youth Coalition

P.S. Gifts received by December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor, up to $10,000. Your $100 becomes $200 if it arrives by the deadline.

Builds a one-page briefing document on a major donor before a cultivation or solicitation meeting. Use it to prepare a board member, executive director, or development officer so they walk in informed and ready.

## Context
You are helping a development staff member at [ORGANIZATION NAME] prepare for a meeting with [DONOR NAME OR INITIALS]. The meeting is on [MEETING DATE] and the purpose is [MEETING PURPOSE: e.g., cultivation, initial ask, stewardship after a recent major gift]. The person attending from the organization is [ATTENDEE NAME AND ROLE].

## Task
Draft a one-page major donor briefing document using only the information I provide below. Structure it in these sections:
- Donor Overview: giving history, connection to the organization, and any known interests, drawn from [DONOR HISTORY AND RELATIONSHIP].
- Meeting Purpose and Goal: what we want from this meeting, drawn from [MEETING PURPOSE].
- Key Points to Make: two or three things about the organization's work most relevant to this donor, from [PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS AND FACTS].
- Questions to Ask: three to five open questions that will advance the relationship and surface the donor's interests.
- Logistics: date, time, location, and who is attending from each side, from [MEETING LOGISTICS].
- Notes on Approach: one or two sentences on tone, pacing, or relationship dynamics based on [RELATIONSHIP NOTES].

## Standards
- Under one page, approximately 400 words.
- Use only the donor history, program facts, and relationship notes I supply. Do not invent giving amounts, prior conversations, donor interests, wealth estimates, or program results.
- Do not fabricate a connection between the donor and any specific funder, program, or board member unless I stated it.
- Treat the donor's personal and financial information with discretion. The briefing is for internal use only.
- If key fields above are missing or vague, ask before drafting.

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

MAJOR DONOR BRIEFING
For internal use only

Donor: M.R.
Meeting: June 18, 2026, 10:00 a.m., Hartfield Foundation offices
From our side: Sandra Webb, Executive Director

Donor Overview
M.R. has given to Riverside Youth Coalition for four consecutive years. Total giving: $22,500. Most recent gift: $8,000 in November 2025, designated to the after-school tutoring program. First connected to the organization through a board member introduction in 2022. Known interests based on prior conversations: literacy, workforce outcomes for young people, and neighborhood-level data.

Meeting Purpose and Goal
Cultivation meeting ahead of a potential major gift ask later this year. Goal for this meeting: deepen the relationship, understand M.R.'s priorities for the coming year, and share the outcome data from the tutoring program's 2025-2026 cohort.

Key Points to Make
1. The tutoring program served 312 students last year. Eighty-one percent improved at least one grade level in reading or math based on teacher assessments.
2. We are planning to expand the program to a second site in fall 2026, pending funding.
3. We now track six-month outcomes for students who age out of the program.

Questions to Ask
1. What does success look like to you when you give to an education program?
2. Are there other organizations doing this work you have found compelling?
3. How are you thinking about your giving priorities for the rest of 2026?
4. Would seeing the program in action be useful to you, or do you prefer to go off the data?

Logistics
Date: June 18, 2026. Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: Hartfield Foundation, 400 Commerce St, Suite 1200. Parking validated in the building garage.

Notes on Approach
M.R. is direct and data-oriented. Lead with the outcome numbers before the story. Allow silence after the questions. This is not an ask meeting.