Giving Days are intense (and you don’t need another thing to manage)
Giving Days move fast. There’s never enough time, never enough hands, and somehow always one more email, script, or follow-up that needs to be written right now.
That pressure is exactly why more annual giving teams are starting to experiment with AI.
Not to replace their voice.
Not to automate gratitude.
And definitely not to remove the human side of fundraising.
Instead, teams are using AI as a support tool — helping with first drafts, speeding up repetitive work, and making it easier to adapt messaging during a fast-moving Giving Day.
Used thoughtfully, AI doesn’t make Giving Day less human. It gives teams more time to focus on donor experience, stewardship, and momentum.
A quick mindset check before using AI on Giving Day
Before getting tactical, one important framing:
AI works best as a drafting assistant — not a decision-maker.
High-performing teams use AI to:
get past the blank page
speed up repetitive writing
adapt messaging quickly when participation milestones change
They don’t use AI to:
replace human voices
make strategic fundraising decisions
send donor-facing messages without review
Think of AI as an extra teammate quietly helping in the background — not the one speaking directly to your donors.
A few simple guardrails for using AI responsibly
Teams that use AI well tend to follow the same rules:
Always review and edit before sending
Never copy and paste without context
Avoid overly polished or corporate language
Let donor-facing messages stay human and a little imperfect
1. Brainstorming themes and messaging
When teams are planning a Giving Day campaign, AI can help pressure-test ideas and explore different directions — especially when the goal is participation, not dollars.
Use this prompt to generate campaign themes:
We are planning a one-day Giving Day for [ORGANIZATION NAME].
Our primary goal is {PRIORITY} (examples: first-time donor participation, alumni re-engagement, broad community participation).
Our audience is {AUDIENCE SEGMENT} (examples: recent alumni, lapsed donors, parents, faculty/staff).
Please generate 5 Giving Day campaign themes that:
emphasize participation and collective impact over dollar totals
feel inclusive and welcoming, not urgent or transactional
would work across email, social, and stewardship messaging
For each theme, include:
a short campaign name
a 1–2 sentence description
one example headline or tagline
AI gives you options. Your team decides what actually fits your institution and audience.
2. Drafting value propositions by donor segment
AI is especially helpful when you need messaging that feels relevant to different donor groups without rewriting everything from scratch. Use this prompt to draft donor-specific value propositions:
We are writing Giving Day messaging for [ORGANIZATION NAME].
The audience is {DONOR SEGMENT} (examples: first-time donors, donors who haven’t given in 3+ years, consistent annual donors).
Our Giving Day goal is {PRIMARY GOAL} (participation, re-engagement, stewardship).
Please draft 3 distinct value propositions that:
explain why participation matters on Giving Day
focus on belonging, community, and shared impact
avoid urgency language or dollar-based framing
Each value proposition should be 2–3 sentences and written in a warm, conversational tone.
3. Drafting emails without starting from zero
AI can create solid first drafts for you to then refine, personalize, and make your own
Use this prompt for an initial email draft:
Draft a Giving Day launch email for [ORGANIZATION NAME].
Details:
Audience: {AUDIENCE}
Goal: participation over dollars
Length: under 200 words
Tone: conversational, donor-centered, community-focused
The email should:
briefly explain what Giving Day is
emphasize why participation matters
make donors feel like they are part of something bigger
Avoid aggressive urgency, sales language, or phrases like “act now.”
Then use this follow-up prompt to refine the tone:
Rewrite the email below to:
feel more celebratory and appreciative
sound less transactional
emphasize belonging and shared purpose
Keep the message warm, human, and natural — not polished or corporate.
[PASTE DRAFT HERE]
4. Writing ThankView video script starters
One of the most practical uses of AI is drafting short thank-you video scripts — especially when teams need many variations in a short amount of time.
Use this prompt for a single script:
Write a 20–30 second Giving Day thank-you video script for [ORGANIZATION NAME].
Audience: {DONOR SEGMENT}
Tone guidelines:
warm, genuine, and conversational
spoken aloud by a real person
not formal or overly scripted
The script should:
thank the donor for being part of Giving Day
briefly acknowledge the collective impact of participation
feel easy to personalize with a name or small detail
Avoid corporate language or fundraising jargon.
Or use this prompt to generate variations by donor type:
Write three distinct Giving Day thank-you video scripts for [ORGANIZATION NAME]:
One for first-time donors
One for repeat annual donors
One for leadership-level donors
Each script should be 20–30 seconds, warm, appreciative, and sound natural when read aloud.
Avoid referencing specific gift amounts.
AI handles the blank page. Humans bring the heart.
5. Updating messages as milestones are reached
When participation milestones are hit, AI can help you respond quickly, especially for social posts, quick emails, or real-time stewardship.
Use this prompt to adjust messaging on the fly:
Rewrite the message below to reflect that [ORGANIZATION NAME] has just reached {MILESTONE} (example: 50% of participation goal).
Keep the tone:
upbeat and grateful
focused on community effort
non-urgent and non-transactional
[PASTE MESSAGE HERE]
6. Stewardship messaging at scale
Thanking donors throughout Giving Day requires speed and variety.
Use this prompt to generate short thank-you variations:
Generate 5 short, non-repetitive thank-you messages we can use during Giving Day for [ORGANIZATION NAME].
Each message should:
be 1–2 sentences
express genuine gratitude
acknowledge participation without referencing dollar amounts
sound human and unscripted
Avoid clichés and overly formal language.
7. Drafting post-Giving Day follow-up emails
Instead of starting from scratch, use AI to outline and draft a thoughtful follow-up.
Use this prompt for a post-Giving Day email:
Draft a post-Giving Day follow-up email for donors to [ORGANIZATION NAME].
Include:
sincere gratitude for participation
a brief mention of collective impact ({KEY STATS OR OUTCOMES})
a reflective, appreciative tone
Avoid:
asking for another gift
sounding like a formal report
Length: 150–200 words.
8. Turning Giving Day results into donor-friendly stories
AI is also useful for translating results into language donors actually want to read.
Use this prompt to create a short narrative:
Using the following Giving Day results, write a donor-facing story for [ORGANIZATION NAME].
Results:
[PASTE STATS OR BULLETS HERE]The story should:
emphasize participation and community
highlight gratitude and shared momentum
avoid focusing on totals or rankings
Tone should feel reflective, human, and celebratory — not promotional.
AI should support your Giving Day — not run it
AI won’t run your Giving Day. And it shouldn’t.
But used thoughtfully, it can reduce last-minute stress, help annual giving teams move faster with fewer resources, and create more space for meaningful donor connection.
That’s not less human fundraising. It’s better supported fundraising.