AI-Assisted Donor Communications That Still Sound Like You
Scaling Major Gifts. Strategies, action steps, and ideas for scaling major gifts by Tammy Zonker, Major Gift Expert & Keynote Speaker.
Have you ever looked at an AI-generated draft and thought, “That’s not me”? You’re not the only one. With all the tools promising to “save time,” the fear of sending something robotic or off-brand is real. Especially when donors expect warmth, trust, and consistency in every message.
I’ve been hearing from so many fundraisers who want to try AI to lighten the load, but worry about losing their authentic voice. The good news? You don’t have to choose between efficiency and empathy. You can have both.
Let’s talk about how.
What to focus on next week
1. Use AI for the heavy lifting, but keep the heart human. AI shines at getting you started. When I ask it to create three versions of a donor thank-you email, it gives me language options I might not have thought of. But I never hit “send” before reading it out loud. If it doesn’t sound like me, it’s not done.
2. Treat AI as your writing partner, not your replacement. When I’m blocked on a follow-up or proposal, I type my rough notes into an AI prompt. Then I ask it to tighten the message or add warmth. The content becomes clearer and more conversational, but my intent stays front and center.
3. Train AI on your voice and values. Feed it real examples: board announcements, appeals, and your favorite thank-you notes. Add short “voice guidelines,” like “write in a warm tone,” or “sound helpful, not salesy.” The more you show it who you are, the more it reflects you.
4. Create clear guardrails. When we’re dealing with donor names, personal stories, or sensitive gift discussions, keep those messages fully human. Never include any personal or confidential donor data when using AI. Use AI to outline, summarize, or test phrasing, but write the final version yourself. Privacy, empathy, and judgment are still ours to carry.
5. Use approvals to protect consistency. Before you let AI-assisted messages go public, agree as a team on what “good” looks like. Have one trusted editor or peer review everything AI touches until you’re confident your tone feels right every time.
A Quick Story
A few months ago, a development director I coach was buried under stewardship reports. She started testing AI for early drafts of her donor thank-yous. At first, the tone was too formal. After she added her own voice notes in her prompts (“make this personal, sincere, like I’m talking with a friend”), the drafts started sounding like her again.
Now she begins each message by outlining her gratitude in bullet points, then uses AI to smooth it out. Her thank-yous are faster to send, more consistent in tone, and she has more time for phone calls and visits. Two donors even commented that her emails “felt extra personal” lately. She laughed, knowing the secret wasn’t AI writing for her, it was AI helping her write as herself.
Try this next week
1. Pick one recurring message to test. Choose something low-stakes, like your monthly donor thank-you or a follow-up note after an event. Paste your last version into an AI tool and ask it to “make this warmer and more conversational, keeping my tone and gratitude intact.”
2. Run a “voice check.” Read the AI’s version out loud. Does it sound like something you’d say? If not, tell the AI what’s off: “too formal,” “too pushy,” “not enough focus on impact”, and refine until it feels right.
3. Create a short AI prompt guide. Write down your 3–4 go-to phrases for prompts that work for you. For example:
“Write this in a warm, authentic tone.”
“Use first-person language and make it donor-centered.”
“Sound conversational and optimistic.” Keep that list handy for your next test.
Want to take a deeper dive?
On this week’s Intentional Fundraiser Podcast, I’m unpacking “Writing Donor Messages with AI, Not by AI.” I share practical examples from the field, plus a few live prompts you can try immediately to save time while keeping your communication 100% authentic.
If you’ve been hesitant to bring AI into your donor outreach, this conversation will give you a clear path forward, no tech degree required.
I’d love to hear from you
How are you feeling about using AI in your donor communications? Connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me where you’re experimenting, or what you’re still unsure about.
Before I go, I want to remind you: your donors give because of you: your heart, integrity, and consistency. AI can help lighten the administrative load so you can spend more time building those meaningful relationships.
Keep showing up with your authentic voice. That’s what donors respond to most.
Keep scaling,
Tammy Zonker
Author of Calling All Heroes
Founder of Fundraising Transformed
President of Modern Institute for Charitable Giving
ps – Learn more about our upcoming Excellence in Major Gift Fundraising Seminar