Happy Labor Day Monday,

LAST YEAR'S APPEAL DIDN'T FAIL. You were just too busy to perfect it.
Not this year! (Cue dramatic motivational background noise)

This year's different, and the difference is that you have me to help you leverage the power of AI. Last year people read it and said no. They never made it past line two, and you never found out why, because nobody replied to say "hey, this was forgettable." 😅

Colorado Gives Day is December 8th. Early giving opens November 1st. That's 13 weeks, which sounds like plenty until you remember that time flies faster than your weekends, even with Labor Day😣.

And I know your plan, because it's everyone's plan. Open last year's appeal, swap the numbers, change the date, hit send, go to the next wild fire.

I say this with no judgement at all. You're extremely exhausted and it's understandable. But the biggest issue is that you're about to repeat last year's results on purpose, without ever knowing which parts worked. You can't diagnose your own writing. You're too close to it, and you wrote most of it at 11 pm in a November panic.

Not on my watch.
This month, every Monday is one piece of your campaign, in order. Audit, calendar, content, board. Four weeks. Do all four and you'll have the best Colorado Gives Day campaign ever instead of the usual November anxiety attack.

We start here, because you can't fix what you haven't diagnosed.

----------

Audit last year's campaign in minutes.

Step 1: Gather last year's Colorado Gives materials. Emails, social posts, your Colorado Gives profile copy. Two emails is enough to start.

Step 2: Open your AI tool, paste this, and attach the materials:
"You're a donor in Colorado who receives dozens of nonprofit appeals every December. I'm the [TITLE] of [NONPROFIT, WEBSITE].

I'm attaching last year's Colorado Gives Day campaign. Read it from the point of view of the receiving donor, not as a marketing critic.

Tell me honestly:
What is the actual emotional ask here, in one sentence?
Where does this get generic and sound like every other nonprofit?
Which single sentence, if any, would make me stop scrolling?
What would have made me give, or give more, that isn't here?
What did the writer assume I already knew that I don't?

Be direct. Do not soften it to protect my feelings. Then rewrite the three weakest pieces in my existing voice, matching my tone and reading level, not yours. Create a feedback loop and keep editing until you are 95% likely to take action on my call to action"

Step 3: Read it once and get a little defensive, That's normal, but don't flip your desk. Read it again. The line that stings is the true one.

Step 4: Save the rewrites in a folder. You'll use them in week three.

Example use cases:
• Finding out why your open rate slipped and nobody told you
• Testing your Colorado Gives profile before donors land on it
• Auditing a year-end appeal, a grant cover letter, or your homepage

----------

Your appeal didn't perform great last year because the words were weak, its because nobody named and exposed the actual gaps. A few minutes upstream either saves twenty wasted hours or can be the best Colorado Gives Day ever.

You carry so much weight on you shoulders so please let me carry a bag or two...
You just got one piece of your campaign here.
On September 17, I'm giving you something to almost guarantee and amazing CGD.

Two hours. In person. Free. We'll build your Colorado Gives campaign page with AI, write the emails that actually get opened, and I'll hand you the exact ask that gets your board to finally follow through.
You'll leave with work done, not notes to file.

Plus a room full of mutually minded Colorado EDs (or title equivalent) just like you, who understand your world and struggles. That part's rarer than the AI.

Thursday, September 17. 2 to 4 PM. Denver.
For EDs and anyone carrying the ED responsibility, whatever your title says.

Break Your Colorado Gives Day Record -Click here for more information

#ExistToServe

My faith says give ten percent back.

Giving ten percent of your money is hard. Giving ten percent of your time is harder. That's exactly why I HAVE TO GET to do it.

So four hours a week are yours. Tell me the task that's eating you, the question you've been sitting on, or the AI thing you're curious about, but haven't had time to figure out. I solve it on the call. Free.

Not a pitch. Not a demo. Just my tithe.

BOOK YOUR FREE HOUR HERE

Regis Arzu (he/him/his)
[email protected]
ETS AI Consulting | CEO
347.748.5078

---------------------

Mondays are rough. It's scary times for Nonprofits. Your time is scarce. That’s why I created the Monday Motivational Minute. Each week, I’ll send you one high-impact, actionable idea to help you leverage AI and save time. It will always be a 1-minute-ish read. If it adds value, great. If not, unsubscribe, but I’m betting you’ll want to stay. (Challenge Accepted ☺️)