What Do Your Donors Want to Hear? Let AI Help You Figure It Out.

If you’ve been fundraising for more than five minutes, you already know: One size does not fit all.

Your most generous donors might have wildly different reasons for giving—and what inspires one person might repel another.

The challenge is knowing what to say to whom—and how. That’s where AI can become your secret weapon.

Because when used well, AI doesn’t just spit out decent sentences.
It helps you understand what your audience cares about.
And more importantly, how to speak to them in a way that actually lands.

Let’s play this out with a spicy example: political fundraising.

The Experiment: One Prompt, Two Donors

I saw this play out in real life when I somehow got put on the RNC’s mailing list. I was really blown away by the differences in the way Trump’s team was talking to donors vs. how the very blue emails I was used to receiving. It really drove home the importance of being able to see from a different perspective. So let’s see how AI could help us…

Let’s say we’re trying to raise $50 for a political candidate.
We want to write an email that will get someone fired up enough to click “Donate.”

We give ChatGPT the same base prompt, and then tweak it slightly to match the audience:

Prompt 1: AOC Supporter

“Write an email asking a supporter of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to donate $50 to help protect progressive values in Congress. Speak to her base with energy, urgency, and inclusive language. Keep it under 150 words.”

Output (summarized):

Starts with: “We’ve come too far to back down now.”
Talks about protecting working families, fighting for climate justice, and standing up to corporate greed.
Uses inclusive, movement-based language: “our people-powered campaign,” “your voice matters,” etc.
Tone is bold, optimistic, collective. Lots of we.

Prompt 2: Trump Supporter

“Write an email asking a supporter of Donald Trump to donate $50 to help defend conservative values in Congress. Speak to his base with strong, confident language. Keep it under 150 words.”

Output (summarized):

Starts with: “America is under attack.”
Talks about defending freedom, protecting the border, standing up to the radical left.
Uses emotionally charged phrases: “We must fight back,” “patriots like you,” etc.
Tone is assertive, individual-focused, urgent. Lots of you.

Here’s the two results side-by-side:

Email to AOC Supporter	Email to Trump Supporter
Subject: Keep pushing for progress	Subject: The radical left won’t stop
Dear [First Name], We’ve come too far to back down now. From protecting working families to fighting for climate justice and reproductive rights, this movement—our movement—has been powered by people like you every step of the way. But the fight is far from over. Corporate interests are spending millions to silence our voices and stall the progress we’ve made. We can’t let that happen. Will you chip in $50 today to help keep our campaign strong, grassroots-driven, and focused on justice for all? We don’t take corporate PAC money. We rely on each other. We rely on you. In solidarity, Alexandria	Dear [First Name], America is under attack from the radical left—and they’re not stopping. They want to open the borders, weaken law enforcement, and take away your freedoms. But we’re fighting back. With your help, we’re taking a stand for faith, family, and freedom. This movement is about patriots like YOU. We need to send a loud message: we will never back down. Can I count on you to donate $50 right now to help us keep the House—and take back the White House? The stakes couldn’t be higher. Let’s win this fight together. America first, Donald J. Trump

👀 So What Just Happened?

Same action: ask for $50.
Same structure: short, urgent, political appeal.
Totally different messaging. Why?

Because AI picked up on the core values and emotional levers of each audience.

One values collective power and equity.
The other values personal freedom and strength.
One says “we rise together.”
The other says “you protect what’s yours.”

The words, tone, metaphors—even the structure of the ask—shifted to match the mindset.

And that’s what makes AI a powerful tool for fundraisers.

Ok, But How Did It Do?

Luckily, we have emails from AOC and Trump, so we can compare them and see if what ChatGPT gave us was close.

Email from AOC	Email from Trump
Subject: We need to be brawlers for the working class.	Subject:
I believe that we need to be a party of brawlers for the working class. And we have turned into a party that caters to people who call themselves “upper middle class,” but they’re actually wealthy. We’ve been chasing this affluent group, making all of these little concessions, and hoping that working people don’t notice. I think the most famous one that comes to mind is Kyrsten Sinema doing her little curtsy when she voted down the $15 minimum wage. But it wasn’t just her. That was the most public expression of it, but there were a bunch of Democrats in the Senate behind her that also voted it down. People are struggling so much right now. $15 an hour is nothing. The day I was assigned to the Energy and Commerce Committee, my staff’s email inboxes blew up with lobbyists, just tons of lobbyists, flooding our emails. I don’t take a dime of lobbyists’ money. And because I am afforded that independence because everyday people support me, I’m under no pressure or obligation to take a single one of these meetings. Not one. And because of your grassroots support, we will stop at nothing to push for real progress for working people these next four years. Help us continue the fight with a grassroots contribution today. [BUTTON] Contribute $50 In solidarity, Alexandria	$10. That’s the small sacrifice I’m asking you to make before the TRUMP END-OF-MONTH DEADLINE! $10 because my Administration is being SUED by several states to halt some of my first TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS, and I need to know that you’re still with me! $10 because Democrats are THREATENING IMPEACHMENT for a third time! $10 because you can win a round of golf at TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF COURSE for FREE! Flight and hotel fully included for two! I hate sending emails like this, but I wouldn’t be doing it if they didn’t make a huge difference. I’m counting on you, [NAME]. Please chip in $10 right now to STAND WITH TRUMP > [COMICALLY LARGE YELLOW BUTTON OUTLINED IN RED] GIVE $10 Thank you and may God bless you, Donald J. Trump

Not 100%, but not bad. In this case, ChatGPT assumed that Trump would be addressing his voters about something other than himself. But, he did come at this email from a fight mentality, so it’s not far off.

When Trump isn’t talking about himself, he’s offering exclusive access and using phrases like “I love you”. He’s offered digital badges, trips to Mar-a-lago, membership in the “Trump Gold Club.”

So, while ChatGPT wasn’t able to create something that resembled Trump’s latest emails, it was pretty close with AOC’s and nailed the audience perspective. And this is where it shines. If you were writing to AOC’s supporters from a personal freedom perspective or to Trump’s supporters from a collective power/equity perspective, you wouldn’t get very far.

What This Means for You

Whether you’re raising money for a hospital, a youth program, or a local animal shelter, your donors are not one monolithic group.

Some give because they believe in the cause.
Some give because they trust you.
Some give because they had a personal experience.
Some give because they feel guilty not to. (It’s fine. We’ve all been there.)

Your job? Speak to them in a way that resonates.
AI’s job? Help you figure out what that is—faster, more clearly, and with less guesswork.

Try this:

“Write a $50 donation email for someone who cares deeply about [insert value here—community safety, education equity, animal welfare, etc.]. Make it warm, urgent, and mission-focused.”

Then try the same prompt for someone else who might give for a different reason.

Compare the results.
Tweak.
Refine.
Repeat.

Better yet, send multiple versions using A/B testing (another helpful robot tool) and see what resonates with your audience.

You’ll start to see not just what you want to say, but what they need to hear.

And when you make your messaging more personal, more aligned, and more donor-centered?

Well. You raise more money. Period.