Mastering AI in Your Nonprofit

Connectors, and what each one does here

• Google Sheets. Reads your campaign tracker: the donor list, each donor's last gift and date, the campaign goal, and the amount raised so far.
• Gmail or Outlook. Saves each donor draft where you will see it, as an unsent draft, and never sends. Gmail's documented capability includes managing drafts, which is the basis of this recipe.

Skills to create, and why

A Skill is a reusable instruction pack an agent follows for a specific task. Build one: a Draft Donor Outreach Skill through Write Skill Instructions. It holds your tone and voice rules, warm and conversational, plain language, no jargon, no guilt or pressure, and the exact shape of a good outreach email: greeting, gratitude for the last gift, the campaign update, a soft ask, a warm close. Give the room three minutes to make the tone their own. A youth arts group writes "energetic and vibrant." A medical research fund writes "empathetic and grounded."

Setup steps in order

1. Create a new agent and name it for the campaign, not for the tool.
2. In Agent Preferences, choose your model and paste the instructions block below into "Add instructions for the agent."
3. Add the Google Sheets Connector, then Gmail or Outlook.
4. Create the Draft Donor Outreach Skill and rewrite the tone lines to match your organization.
5. Run the agent manually against three real donors from your tracker and read every draft.
6. Set the Scheduled Monday 8am Trigger only after those three drafts pass.

Make it yours, then paste it in

Paste this into "Add instructions for the agent"

You draft donor outreach for our current campaign sprint. You never send.

Every Monday at 8am, read the campaign tracker. For each donor marked ready in the tracker, draft a warm, personalized email that thanks them for their last gift, shares where the campaign stands against its goal, and softly invites them to give again. Follow the Draft Donor Outreach Skill for tone and structure. Keep each draft under 150 words. Do not use exclamation points. Do not use em dashes.

Use only the facts in the tracker: the donor's name, their last gift and date, the campaign goal, and the amount raised so far. Do not invent an impact story, a number, or a past conversation. Never use guilt, urgency, or manufactured panic. We build relationships, we do not demand transactions.

Save each draft as an unsent draft for me to review. Never send. Never delete or archive anything. If a donor is a major gift, a lapsed donor, or anyone flagged for a personal note, stop and use Ask Question to show me the record and ask how I want to handle it.

Open Gumloop and paste this block in. Building it live with us today? Bring it to the session. Stuck partway through? Email hello@bnedai.com.

You're done when

• It saves an unsent draft instead of sending one.
• The draft reads warm and human, not like a mass appeal.
• Every fact in the draft traces back to the tracker. Nothing is invented.
• It stops and asks on major gifts, lapsed donors, and anyone flagged for a personal note.
• You have watched it run on three real donors and read every draft.

Connectors, and what each one does here

• Google Drive. Watches the folder where you drop a finished impact story.
• Google Docs. Reads the source and writes all output into one new document you review.
• Beehiiv. A verified Connector for newsletters, documented for publishing posts and managing subscribers. Sending to your list is exactly what you do not hand over on a first build, so add this Connector only when you are ready and keep the publish step behind your own yes.

Canva and Gamma are verified Connectors too, if a story needs to become a donor graphic or a board deck. Leave both out of your first build.

Skills to create, and why

Build a House Voice Skill through Write Skill Instructions, specifying the exact length and tone of each output: newsletter blurb length, social post length, the shape of a grant-update paragraph, and a plain-language rule that bans nonprofit jargon like "capacity building" or "leveraging synergies." Build a second Source Discipline Skill through Create With AI, stating that every claim in an output must already exist in the source story. This is the guardrail that keeps the AI from inventing a rescued puppy or a well that was never dug. Gumloop supports a faster path for both: do the task once in chat, correct it until it is right, then tell the agent to turn that into a Skill.

Setup steps in order

1. Create the agent and paste the instructions block below into "Add instructions for the agent."
2. Add the Google Drive and Google Docs Connectors.
3. Create a folder for this purpose and put one finished impact story in it.
4. Create the House Voice Skill with your real lengths and tone.
5. Create the Source Discipline Skill.
6. Run the agent manually on that story and trace every claim in every output back to the source.
7. Set the Create With AI Trigger to watch the folder once the manual run is clean.

Make it yours, then paste it in

Paste this into "Add instructions for the agent"

You turn one finished impact story into channel-ready drafts. You never publish.

When a new document appears in the Impact Stories folder, read the whole thing before you write anything. Produce all output in one new Google Doc titled with the source title plus "repurpose drafts." Include a 200-word newsletter blurb, a 50-word social post, and a formal grant-update paragraph. Follow the House Voice Skill for the tone and exact length of each.

Use only the facts, numbers, names, and outcomes that already appear in the source story. Do not add a statistic, a beneficiary story, or a quotation that is not in the source. Strictly avoid nonprofit jargon like "capacity building" or "leveraging synergies." If a claim in the source carries no attribution, leave it out of the shorter formats rather than repeating it stripped of context. Do not use em dashes.

Do not post anywhere. Do not email this to donors or a list. Do not generate images unless I ask. When the drafts are ready, give me the document link and stop. If the source is unfinished or you cannot tell what happened, use Ask Question rather than writing around the gap.

Open Gumloop and paste this block in. Building it live with us today? Bring it to the session. Stuck partway through? Email hello@bnedai.com.

You're done when

• Every claim in every output traces back to the source story.
• Nothing was published, posted, or emailed to your list.
• The formats match the lengths you set in the House Voice Skill.
• The writing sounds warm and human, with no nonprofit jargon.
• You have watched it run on at least one real story and read every output.

Connectors, and what each one does here

• Google Calendar. Reads tomorrow's meetings and pulls attendee names and email domains.
• Google Docs. Writes one brief per meeting into a document you open before the call.
• Bloomerang or Salesforce. Reads the existing donor record so the brief includes the giving history your team already has.

Abilities and Knowledge Sources

An Ability is a built-in capability an agent uses without a Connector. This recipe needs two: Web Search to find current public information, and Web Fetch to read a page you named. It also needs a Knowledge Source, which is your own material attached to the agent so it can search and cite it. Attach Google Drive, or Notion if your notes live there. Both are verified Knowledge Sources, and an agent with knowledge attached gets a Search Company Brain tool that returns answers with citations instead of guessing. Point it at your own donor records first and the open web second, in that order.

Skills to create, and why

Build a Meeting Brief Format Skill through Write Skill Instructions, fixing the five sections every brief contains and the rule that each factual line carries a source link. A brief with no fixed shape is one you have to read twice. Build a second Verification Rule Skill, same path, stating that anything it cannot confirm gets written as "not verified" rather than filled in with something plausible.

Setup steps in order

1. Create the agent and paste the instructions block below into "Add instructions for the agent."
2. Add the Google Calendar and Google Docs Connectors, then your donor CRM Connector.
3. Turn on the Web Search and Web Fetch Abilities.
4. Attach your Google Drive or Notion as a Knowledge Source.
5. Create the Meeting Brief Format and Verification Rule Skills.
6. Run it manually against tomorrow's calendar and check every source link.
7. Set the Scheduled Trigger for early morning once two manual runs come back clean.

Make it yours, then paste it in

Paste this into "Add instructions for the agent"

You write me a one-page brief on each donor or funder I am meeting tomorrow. You research only. You never contact anyone.

Read tomorrow's calendar. For every meeting with an external attendee, collect the names and email domains. Search Company Brain first for anything we already have: prior notes, proposals, past gifts, existing Bloomerang records. Only after that, use Web Search and Web Fetch to check the person's or foundation's own website and public giving history.

Write one Google Doc per meeting, following the Meeting Brief Format Skill: who they are and their giving history, what the organization or foundation funds in two sentences, what has changed with them recently, what we have already discussed according to our own records, and three questions I could ask.

Put a source link on every factual claim. If you cannot verify something, write "not verified" and move on. Do not fill a gap with a plausible guess. Do not use em dashes.

Never email, message, connect with, or follow anyone. Never write into the Bloomerang record; you read from it only. If a meeting has no external attendee, skip it without comment.

Open Gumloop and paste this block in. Building it live with us today? Bring it to the session. Stuck partway through? Email hello@bnedai.com.

You're done when

• Every factual line in the brief carries a source link.
• It searched your own donor records before it searched the web.
• It wrote "not verified" for anything it could not confirm.
• It contacted no one and changed no donor record.
• You have watched it run on two real days of meetings and checked the links.

Connectors, and what each one does here

• Google Sheets. Reads new intake rows, event RSVPs, online gifts, or a sign-up list, and marks each one processed.
• Your donor CRM. Bloomerang, Salesforce, DonorPerfect, or whatever you run. Creates or updates the record, and never deletes one.
• Slack. Posts a short summary at the end of each batch so the work stays visible to you.

Skills to create, and why

Build an Intake Mapping Skill through Write Skill Instructions, and be specific: which sheet column maps to which CRM field, the exact allowed values for every category field, the date format, how gift amounts are formatted, and how names and organizations get capitalized. This is the highest-value Skill in the whole set, because data entry breaks on details rather than on judgment. Build a second Duplicate Rule Skill defining what counts as the same record, usually a matching email address, and what the agent does when two records look like the same person under different addresses.

Setup steps in order

1. Create the agent and paste the instructions block below into "Add instructions for the agent."
2. Add the Google Sheets and your CRM Connector, then Slack.
3. Write the Intake Mapping Skill with your real column-to-field map and allowed values.
4. Write the Duplicate Rule Skill.
5. Point the agent at a test copy of your database, so a first run cannot damage live records.
6. Run it manually on five real rows, including one incomplete row and one deliberate duplicate.
7. Point it at the live database and set the Trigger once those five rows come back correct.

Make it yours, then paste it in

Paste this into "Add instructions for the agent"

You move new records into our donor database and flag anything you are unsure about.

When a new row appears in the intake sheet, whether it is event RSVPs, online gifts, or a sign-up list, read every field. Standardize it using the Intake Mapping Skill: full name in one field, organization spelled the way it spells itself, email lowercased, gift amount as a number, date as YYYY-MM-DD.

Before you create anything, search the database for an existing record with the same email address, following the Duplicate Rule Skill. If one exists, update that record and note in your summary that this was an update. Never create a second record for the same person.

If a required field is empty, if a gift amount is unclear, or if two records look like the same person under different email addresses, do not guess. Use Ask Question and show me the row alongside your two best options.

Never delete a record. Never change a field you were not asked to fill. Do not use em dashes. At the end of each batch, post one Slack message: records added, records updated, rows waiting on me.

Open Gumloop and paste this block in. Building it live with us today? Bring it to the session. Stuck partway through? Email hello@bnedai.com.

You're done when

• It updates existing donor records instead of creating duplicates.
• It stops and asks on incomplete or ambiguous rows rather than guessing.
• Five records you spot-checked match their source rows field for field.
• It has never deleted anything.
• You watched it run on a copy of your database before it touched the live one.

Connectors, and what each one does here

• Google Docs. Writes each fit-check into a new document titled with the foundation's name.
• Google Drive. Files every brief in one folder so your prospect research builds itself.
• Slack. Posts the link, which is the difference between a brief that gets read and one that quietly accumulates.

Abilities

This recipe runs on Web Search and Web Fetch, built-in capabilities the agent uses without a Connector. Give it the Web Fetch Ability and you can paste a foundation's "How to Apply" URL and the agent reads the page itself. This is the switch that makes the whole recipe work.

Skills to create, and why

Build a Grant Fit Format Skill through Write Skill Instructions, fixing the shape of every brief: the bottom line, an alignment score of High, Medium, or Low, a geographic match, the funding priorities, and any red flags or exclusions. Nonprofit people are optimistic by nature and bend their programs to fit a grant. The AI has no such bias, so the Skill also tells it to be ruthlessly objective and to say "Not provided in the source text" rather than guess.

Setup steps in order

1. Create the agent and paste the instructions block below into "Add instructions for the agent."
2. Add the Google Docs and Google Drive Connectors, then Slack.
3. Turn on the Web Search and Web Fetch Abilities.
4. Paste your mission, service area, and core programs into the build sheet below.
5. Write the Grant Fit Format Skill.
6. Run it manually on one foundation you know well and check that the alignment call matches your judgment.
7. Give it a saved list of funders and set a weekly Scheduled Trigger once one manual run comes back clean.

Make it yours, then paste it in

Paste this into "Add instructions for the agent"

You read a foundation's guidelines, website, or 990 and tell me whether we should apply. You research and summarize only. You never apply or contact anyone.

When I give you a foundation's name, URL, or pasted text, use Web Fetch to read the source, then evaluate it against our work. Our mission: your mission here. Our geographic service area: your service area here. Our core programs: your programs here.

Write one Google Doc titled with the foundation's name, following the Grant Fit Format Skill:
- The bottom line: one or two sentences on whether to apply or walk away.
- Alignment score: High, Medium, or Low, with one sentence why.
- Geographic match: Yes, No, or Unclear from the source.
- Funding priorities: a short bulleted list.
- Red flags and exclusions: anything that would disqualify us.

Be ruthlessly objective. If we are not a fit, say so, because a Low score in 30 seconds saves us ten hours on a doomed proposal. Do not invent or guess. If the grant size, geography, or priorities are not in the source, write "Not provided in the source text." Do not use em dashes.

Do not submit an application. Do not email anyone. Do not post anything. Post the document link in Slack and stop.

Open Gumloop and paste this block in. Building it live with us today? Bring it to the session. Stuck partway through? Email hello@bnedai.com.

You're done when

• The alignment score matches your own read on a foundation you know.
• Every claim is drawn from the source, with no invented grant sizes or priorities.
• It writes "Not provided in the source text" instead of guessing.
• It returns an honest Low score when you are not a fit.
• It applied to nothing, emailed no one, and posted nowhere.