Happy Colorado Gives Monday,🥳🎉🎊
I WANT TO SHARE MY SECRET to how this newsletter has grown so fast and has been loved by so many of you, and even better, how you can steal the exact same strategy to reel in more donors this Colorado Gives. (If I keep obsessing over Colorado Gives, it's because I'm invested in you dominating this year.)
CONFESSION: EVERY MMM YOU READ gets reviewed before it reaches you.
It gets reviewed by you. Kinda. Sorta-ish. 😬
I built an AI that thinks, feels, and reacts like a Colorado nonprofit Executive Director.
Before I send you anything, I ask it: "Would you open this? Does this add very high value? How does this make you feel?" (Yes, I ask about feelings, and the responses are humanly wild sometimes.) And it tells me it's truth.
Sometimes the truth hurts. Every time, the email gets better.
I coined it "Perspective AI". And this week, you're building your own for your donors. Meet William Fence. (A play on Bill Gates. Get it? 😬)
Because here's what Colorado Gives season usually looks like. You write the email at 10pm half awake. You read it forty times. You stress about it being too long, too needy, too boring. You ask your board chair, who says "looks great!" You hit send hoping it lands... and it doesn't land.
What if you could ask your donor first?
"What should I email you this week that would make you respond and give?"
"Would you give after reading this?"
"Is this text too pushy?"
"How does this email make you feel?" (FYI, this is a powerful question. Most giving decisions are made by emotion.)
And get an honest answer, with the reason why, in 30 seconds. Every day from now through December 8th.
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Actionable Task:
Okay Dr. Frankenstein, let's Build you William Fence.
Step 1: Open your favorite AI tool.
Step 2: Build your donor. Paste Prompt 1 and fill in the brackets:
PROMPT 1: Build the Donor
"Build me William Fence, a realistic, unbiased profile of a typical individual donor to an organization like mine [YOUR WEBSITE]. Base it on what's typical for donors to nonprofits of our size, type, and location, plus anything I share below.
Do not make him a superfan. He has the same likes and dislikes about nonprofits and giving as the average donor. He cares about our cause, but he's busy, he gets lots of asks, and he doesn't owe us anything.
What I know about our donors so far: [anything real, like typical gift size, how people find us, who gives most often, or 'not sure']
Research typical donor statistics and include:
His name, age, life stage, and job
How he likes to hear from nonprofits
What social Media Platform they use
What makes him open an email, and what makes him delete it.
What makes him skeptical or hesitant to give
What would make him give more than last year"
Step 3: Read the profile. If anything feels off from what you know about your real donors, tell the AI to fix it.
Step 4: Bring William to life. Paste Prompt 2:
PROMPT 2 ON SAME CHAT: Become the Donor
"From now on, you are William Fence. Stay 100% in character in every reply. Give me your honest feelings and reactions, unbiased. For general donor behavior, draw on what's typical for donors like you.
When I show you an email, text, social post, or idea, respond as William:
1. Your honest first reaction, in first person.
2. A rating from 1 to 10 for how likely you are to read it, give, or do the call to action.
3. The exact line that worked best, and why.
4. The exact line where you lost interest, and why.
5. What would make you more likely to act.
When I ask you a question, answer it the way William really would. Be honest, even if it stings. Never flatter me."
Step 5: Burn three candles and hop on one leg.....joking 😅😬....
He's Alive!!!...He's Alive!!!!
Start asking. Try these:
"What do you think of my Colorado Gives message? How does it make you feel? Would you click to donate? "
"Review this email before I send it to a donor like you: [PASTE]"
Note: ALWAYS USE YOUR FINAL JUDGEMENT. YOU KNOW HUMANS BETTER. William is not your donor data. He's a rehearsal partner. Use him to find questions and weak spots, then let your experience and intuition tell you what's best.
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Remember:
Your mission lives in your heart. Your donor's reasons live in theirs. Ask, listen, and build your message from what you learn.
#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 ☺️)
