Let’s talk about how to make AI your friend in ministry fundraising. Here’s some practical tips to help you connect with your donors while saving time.
First Things First: AI Is Your Writing Buddy
Think of AI as your enthusiastic assistant who’s read every fundraising book out there but needs your guidance on the heart and soul of your ministry. It’s great at making your writing shine, but you’re still the one leading with God’s vision.
Super Practical AI Prompts You Can Use Today
For Your Next Fundraising Letter
Try this prompt:
Write a warm fundraising letter for our Christian food bank ministry. Include:
- A story about Sarah, a single mom we helped last month with groceries and prayer
- Reference Matthew 25:35 naturally in the text
- Mention that $50 feeds a family for a week
- End with a clear but gentle ask
Tone: Compassionate and hopeful
Length: About 400 words
For Monthly Donor Thank Yous
Here’s a winning prompt:
Write a thank you email to our monthly donors who give $30/month to support our youth ministry. Include:
How their faithful giving helped us take 50 teens to summer camp
- A quick story about one teen who got baptized
- Make it feel personal but not overly emotional
- Keep it short and sweet (150 words)
- Write like you’re sending a grateful note to a friend
For Impact Updates
Try this approach:
- Create a ministry impact update for our email newsletter. Include:
- 3 bullet points of what we did this month (served 200 meals, held 4 Bible studies, helped 15 families with rent)
- A short praise report about answered prayer
- A specific prayer request for next month
- Bible verse that fits naturally
Style: Casual and joyful
Quick Tips to Keep It Real
Do This ✅
- Feed AI specific details about your ministry’s personality
- Give it real stories and numbers to work with
- Let it help with the writing structure, but you add the heart
- Use it to create different versions for different donor groups (first-timers vs. long-time supporters)
Skip This ❌
- Avoid using AI for one-on-one donor conversations
- Don’t use language just because it sounds “spiritual”
- Skip the corporate-speak (nobody wants to read about “optimizing donor engagement”)
Making AI Work Better for You
- Keep It Personal Instead of: “Write a fundraising letter” Try: “Write a fundraising letter like you’re telling a friend about our ministry’s biggest need right now”
- Add Your Flavor Give AI examples of words and phrases you actually use in your ministry. If you say “family” tell AI that!
- Real Stories Work Best Feed AI specific stories:
Quick Fixes When AI Gets Too Formal
If AI writes: “We humbly request your generous contribution to facilitate our ongoing ministry initiatives…”
Ask it to rewrite like this: “Write that again like you’re talking to a friend over coffee.”
Remember This!
- AI is great at organizing your thoughts and making writing flow
- BUT you know your ministry and your people best
- When in doubt, make it sound more like a conversation and less formal.
- Keep stories real and specific
- Let your ministry’s personality shine through
The bottom line? AI is like having a super-helpful volunteer who’s great with words but needs your guidance on the heart of your ministry. Use it to save time on writing so you can spend more time actually ministering to people!
Ron Haas has served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored three books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising, Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving, and Keep on Asking – Bold, Spirit-Led Fundraising. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.
