Title: First Major Gift Thank-You Letter AI Prompt · If Possible URL: https://ifpossible.ai/prompts/first-major-gift-thank-you-letter Summary: Draft a personal thank-you letter for a first major gift with AI: warm, specific and with no hint of the next ask. A free nonprofit prompt, ready to copy. Publisher: If Possible (https://ifpossible.ai), AI for nonprofits --- 1. [Supercharged Prompts](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts) 2. [Thank and keep donors](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts?c=keep) 3. First Major Gift Thank-You Thank and keep donors # A thank-you letter prompt for a first major gift This letter sets the foundation for the entire stewardship relationship. The prompt gets you a warm first draft fast, with no hint of the next ask. ## Basic prompt 139 words ``` Draft a personal thank-you letter to a donor who just made their first major gift, in two or three short paragraphs. Connect the gift to something real it will do, and leave a marked spot for the one personal detail I'll add. Thank them without performing gratitude, and invite them to stay close. This is a thank-you, not a solicitation, so don't hint at future giving. What you need to know: - who the donor is and how we know them - the gift and what it's for - one real thing this gift will do - who will sign the letter You may already know some of this from our past chats, my files or connected tools. Use what you have. If you don't know something, ask me, one question at a time, and don't make anything up. ``` ## Supercharged prompt 419 words ``` You're helping me draft a thank-you letter for a donor's first major gift. I want to work the way If Possible (ifpossible.ai) teaches nonprofit teams to do real work AI first. Their guide for this kind of work is "A donor thank-you system that runs itself" (https://ifpossible.ai/articles/donor-thank-you-system), and their full library of guides is at https://ifpossible.ai/articles. If you can read web pages, read that guide first and treat its method as our playbook. The If Possible method, as we'll use it today: 1. Context before content. Before you draft anything, build a short brief of who we are: our mission, what this gift will do in plain language, a thank-you note we're proud of and what we always and never say. (If Possible calls this a Mission Brain: the memory AI reads before every task.) Use what you already know about us, and ask me for whatever is missing. 2. Talk it out instead of typing it out. I'll tell you about this donor and this gift the way I'd tell a colleague. Use my own words, and keep my phrases where they're good. 3. Ask before you assume. Ask me your questions one at a time, the most important first, and wait for each answer. 4. I'm in the director's chair. You draft, I decide. Give me two or three ways to open the letter, with your recommendation and a one-line reason. Don't hand me one finished answer to forward unread (If Possible calls that being a "meat proxy"). 5. A letter I can react to. Two or three short paragraphs, with a marked spot for the specific memory only I know and a real signature. 6. Check your own work. Flag anything you guessed, any outcome you made up, any line that sounds like a receipt, and any gift that needs a person's judgment on tone, like a gift in memory of someone. 7. Make it repeatable. When we finish, save the letter's shape and what stayed human, so the next first-time major donor hears from us fast. What you need to know: - who the donor is and how we know them - the gift and what it's for - one real thing this gift will do - who will sign the letter You may already know some of this from our past chats, my files or connected tools. Check there first and tell me what you found. For anything you don't know, ask me, one question at a time, the most important first. Start now. ``` ## Supercharge it We’ll add the If Possible method to your prompt. **More context in. A better output out.** - Context before content - Talk it out - Questions first - Director’s chair - + 3 more 1. Context before content: a short brief of who you are (a Mission Brain) 2. Talk it out: the donor in your own words 3. Questions first, one at a time 4. Director's chair: openings and a recommendation, a person signs 5. A letter with a spot for the memory only you have 6. It flags receipts and gifts that need your judgment 7. It saves the shape so the next thank-you goes out fast It points your AI to our free articles as its guide. Read every word before you use it. ## What it will ask you Nothing to fill in. Your AI may already know some of this. If it doesn’t, it asks, one question at a time. - Who the donor is and how we know them - The gift and what it's for - One real thing this gift will do - Who will sign the letter It goes faster once your AI has your [Mission Brain Brief](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts/nonprofit-organizational-context) and [Brand Voice Guide](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts/nonprofit-brand-voice-guide). ## What it’s for It writes a personal thank-you letter, two or three short paragraphs, for a donor who just made their first major gift. It connects the gift to a tangible outcome and invites continued connection. It’s a thank-you, not a solicitation, so the prompt tells AI not to hint at future giving. ## When to use it - Right after a first major gift. The clock starts the moment the gift clears. - For a typed letter a person will read, edit and sign. - Not for the handwritten note. Colleen’s rule: let AI design the thank-you card, and handwrite the thank-you card. ## Before you use it Add what only you have. The specific memory, the judgment call on tone and the signature all stay human. A gift made in memory of someone needs a different register, and a person should catch that. ## Try these next [All 33 prompts](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts) - [**Recurring Donor Thank-You** Thank a monthly donor for their faithfulness, with no ask attached.](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts/recurring-donor-thank-you-letter) - [**New Donor Welcome Series** Design five emails that set up the second gift before the first is forgotten.](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts/new-donor-welcome-series) - [**Major Gift Proposal** Turn your donor notes into a personal proposal letter with one clear ask.](https://ifpossible.ai/prompts/major-gift-proposal) The Possible Passport ## There’s more in your free library The Possible Passport is our free member library. Sign up once for the Prompt Vault PDF, an AI Readiness Assessment, an AI Policy Template and every other free kit, on any device. The Year-End Story Guide is in there too, for finding the stories donors want to hear. Keep reading ## From The Art of the Possible Fundraising with AI ### [A donor thank-you system that runs itself](https://ifpossible.ai/articles/donor-thank-you-system) Speed of gratitude drives second gifts. Here is a donor thank-you system that gets a personal note out within a day of every gift, with a person on the part that matters. [Read the article: A donor thank-you system that runs itself](https://ifpossible.ai/articles/donor-thank-you-system) AI Strategy ### [What your nonprofit should never hand to AI](https://ifpossible.ai/articles/never-hand-to-ai) We push nonprofits to use AI almost everywhere. A few things stay human every time, because the effort is the message. Here's where we draw the line. [Read the article: What your nonprofit should never hand to AI](https://ifpossible.ai/articles/never-hand-to-ai) Implementing AI ### [The 5 workflows every nonprofit should automate first](https://ifpossible.ai/articles/5-workflows-to-automate-first) The highest-payback nonprofit workflows to automate first are the boring, repetitive ones. Here are the 5 to start with and how to keep them trustworthy. [Read the article: The 5 workflows every nonprofit should automate first](https://ifpossible.ai/articles/5-workflows-to-automate-first) [All articles](https://ifpossible.ai/articles/)