Develop a fundraising strategy for [ORGANIZATION AND MISSION] to raise [FUNDRAISING GOAL] by [DEADLINE]. Use these program facts, budget needs, and evidence of impact: [CASE FOR SUPPORT]. Use this donor information and relationship history: [DONOR LANDSCAPE]. Account for these capacity, brand, legal, and ethical constraints: [CONSTRAINTS]. Do not invent donors, grant eligibility, past gifts, testimonials, impact metrics, tax treatment, board commitments, introductions, or projected revenue. Mark every assumption clearly and state what evidence would validate it. Do not treat a prospect list as a commitment. Produce a 900- to 1,200-word strategy with: 1. A concise funding need and case-for-support summary, separating verified facts from draft messaging.
2. Three viable fundraising paths, such as major gifts, institutional grants, corporate partnerships, events, digital giving, or a campaign, selected for the inputs provided. 3. A comparison table showing expected lead time, staff effort, gift-size logic, dependencies, risks, and evidence needed for each path. 4. One recommended approach and one contingency approach, with explicit reasoning tied to deadline, donor fit, and organizational capacity. 5. A 12-week action plan with owners, milestones, decision gates, and measurable leading indicators. 6. A gift-range table only if I provide a qualified prospect base; otherwise provide a prospect-research plan rather than fabricated gift amounts. Write in practical nonprofit-development language. Include stewardship and consent considerations, and distinguish restricted from unrestricted funding if relevant. Before answering, check that the total path assumptions can plausibly support the stated goal and flag any arithmetic gap. Also check that every donor claim is supported by the supplied information. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [ORGANIZATION AND MISSION] | Enter the organization name, mission, programs, and who benefits. | Harbor Youth Arts, a nonprofit providing free after-school visual arts classes for middle-school students in Newark |
| [FUNDRAISING GOAL] | Enter the amount sought and whether it is restricted or unrestricted. | $180,000 in unrestricted operating support |
| [DEADLINE] | Enter the date by which funds are needed. | June 30, 2027 |
| [CASE FOR SUPPORT] | Provide the verified problem, program plan, budget, outcomes, and evidence available. | Serve 240 students annually; $150,000 covers instructors and supplies, $30,000 covers transportation; attendance records show 82% average participation |
| [DONOR LANDSCAPE] | Describe current donors, prospects, funders, partners, relationship strength, and past giving where known. | 42 donors gave last year, including 6 gifts above $5,000; two local family foundations previously funded supplies; board members know three local business owners |
| [CONSTRAINTS] | Enter staff capacity, board participation, approval rules, privacy limits, and campaign constraints. | One part-time development manager; board can host meetings but cannot solicit cold contacts; no ticketed event budget; donor data stays in the CRM |
How to use
- Replace the inputs with verified program, budget, donor, and capacity information.
- Paste the strategy into your planning document and test each revenue assumption with the people who own the relationships.
- Confirm the recommended route does not rely on unqualified prospects or grants you cannot apply for.
- Send this follow-up: “Turn the recommended path into individualized preparation briefs for our top [NUMBER] qualified relationships.”
Variations
Major-gift brief
Use this before a meeting with a donor you already know.
Prepare a major-gift meeting brief for [DONOR OR PROSPECT] using [RELATIONSHIP HISTORY], [PROGRAM NEED], and [KNOWN INTERESTS]. Return a one-page brief with verified relationship facts, likely areas of alignment marked as evidence-based or tentative, a meeting objective, three open questions, two impact stories drawn only from my notes, and a proposed next step. Do not assume capacity, political views, family details, or willingness to give. Do not write an ask amount unless I provide a qualified rationale. Flag facts that need confirmation before the meeting.
Grant decision
Use this to decide whether a specific grant opportunity is worth pursuing.
Assess whether [ORGANIZATION] should pursue [GRANT OPPORTUNITY] using [GUIDELINES], [PROGRAM FACTS], and [CAPACITY]. Produce an eligibility checklist with citations to the supplied guidelines, a fit analysis, required attachments, timeline, budget implications, risks, and a go/no-go recommendation. Separate confirmed eligibility from unknowns. Do not claim eligibility, match availability, outcomes, or partnerships without evidence. If the opportunity is a poor fit, propose one better use of staff time. Ask up to 3 questions only if essential information is missing.
Campaign case
Use this to create the foundation for a time-bound donor campaign.
Draft a campaign case for support for [CAMPAIGN PURPOSE] at [ORGANIZATION] using [VERIFIED EVIDENCE] and [AUDIENCE]. Create a 500-word narrative, three proof points, a funding-use table, and a clear call to action. Explain what a gift enables without guaranteeing individual outcomes. Do not invent participant quotes, statistics, urgency, matching funds, or tax deductibility. Keep restricted-fund language precise. Before answering, flag any claim not supported by my evidence and any budget line that does not reconcile to the campaign goal.
Tips
- Build the revenue plan from qualified relationships and real eligibility, not a generic donor pyramid; the gap between those is where plans usually fail.
- Tie each funding request to a defined use of funds and an evidence-backed outcome, while avoiding promises that cannot be measured.
- Set decision gates early for grants and events because they consume capacity long before they produce cash.
- Record donor consent and relationship ownership so AI drafts do not cause duplicate or inappropriate outreach.
FAQ
Can AI identify donors for my organization?
It can help create research criteria and organize public information, but capacity and interest need responsible validation before you treat someone as a prospect.
Should a fundraising strategy include an ask amount for every prospect?
No. Use an amount only when it is based on documented giving history, qualification, relationship context, and your organization’s gift strategy.
Can I use AI to write grant applications?
Yes, as a drafting assistant. Verify every claim, match the funder’s instructions, and have the accountable program and finance owners approve the submission.