Happy Almost CO Gives Monday,
Ughh, time to Jedi Mind Trick board members to help with CO Gives again.😣
YOUR BOARD ISN'T FLAKY. Your ask is way too big.
Every year they promise to share. Every year most of them don't. And every year you tell yourself they don't care enough, then feel guilty for resenting them, and send the reminder text you hate sending.
Let me offer a kinder read, and a truer one. When you ask a board member to "share our Colorado Gives campaign," you are asking a VOLUNTEER to write something. From scratch. In public. About a mission they support but can't articulate as well as you can. That's not a small ask. That's homework with a social risk attached.
They're not avoiding you. They're avoiding the blank box. Same one that keeps you up at 10pm.
You know this feeling better than anybody. Give you a 'blank page' with a board report due tomorrow and somehow reorganizing the supply closet starts looking productive.....and can I tell you a little secret, your board members feel the exact same way too. They told me this themselves.
This month we audited the campaign, built the calendar, and generated the content. This is the last piece, and it's the one that multiplies everything else, because your reach was never going to come from your account alone.
I do this with my own clients...you. Instead of telling you to go apply for a grant for my services, I find the grant, write detailed instructions; a guide with suggested responses already provided, and hand you the exact steps and answers. I do 95% of the work, because I know you're too busy to do it yourself.
Do the same for your board. You do 95. They'll be ecstatic to just do the last 5.
FYI, I ran this message by a nonprofit board member before sending it. His response was basically: “Yes, totally. If you handed me everything ready to post, I'd be wayyyy more likely to actually do it.🤷🏾♂️
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Actionable Task:
Build your Board Ambassador Kit.
Step 1: Write down each board member's name and one line about them (The more the better). Their job, their circle, how they actually talk. "Maria, real estate, very warm, lots of church contacts" is plenty.
Step 2: Open your AI tool and paste this:
"I'm the [TITLE] of [NONPROFIT, WEBSITE] in Colorado. Colorado Gives Day is December 8, 2026, early giving opens November 1, and our goal is [AMOUNT].
Here is our campaign story and key details: [PASTE THE STORY AND CONTENT FROM LAST WEEK].
Here are my board members and a note on each: [PASTE YOUR LIST].
Build me a copy-and-paste ambassador kit. For each board member, personalized to how that person actually talks:
1 social post they can post as-is
1 short text they can forward to friends
1 email to their personal network
Plus one shared one-page explainer for all of them: what our organization does, what the money funds, and what to say if someone asks a hard question.
Every piece must be usable in under 90 seconds with zero editing. Warm and human, not corporate. No jargon, no em dashes. If you need a fact I did not provide, mark it [NEED] rather than inventing it."
Step 3: Edit for accuracy, then send each person only their pieces. Not a group email with everything. Theirs.
Step 4: Say this exact thing: "You don't have to write anything. Everything is ready. Ninety seconds, and you're done."
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Remember:
One draft they can send. One list they can call. Ninety seconds of their time. A pinch of honest vulnerability, a spoonful of charm. That's the whole recipe. Serve it to your board and watch Colorado Gives Day rise.
#ExistToServe
P.S. Free Office Hours for EDs
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.
Regis Arzu (he/him/his)
[email protected]
ETS AI Consulting | CEO
347.748.5078
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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 ☺️)
