For Development Directors ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a repeatable process for synthesizing public prospect research into a structured donor profile in 15–20 minutes instead of 60–90 minutes. You'll also have a standard prospect profile template that makes your cultivation conversations more informed and your major gift asks more targeted.
What you'll need
Before using Claude, spend 10–15 minutes collecting raw public information about the prospect. Open multiple browser tabs:
Copy all relevant text into a single document or your clipboard.
Go to {{tool:Claude.url}}. Start a new conversation. Paste all your raw research text:
"I'm researching a potential major gift donor for our [organization type]. Here is public information I've gathered. Please analyze and synthesize this into a structured donor prospect profile."
[Paste all your raw research text]
After pasting, ask:
Create a structured donor prospect profile with these sections:
1. Capacity Assessment: What indicators suggest their ability to make a major gift? (Estimated range: under $10K / $10-50K / $50-100K / $100K+)
2. Affinity Indicators: What evidence shows interest in causes similar to ours? ([describe your mission area])
3. Connectivity: What existing connections do they have to our organization or to people we know?
4. Philanthropic Priorities: What causes and organizations do they visibly support?
5. Communication Preferences: What can we infer about how they prefer to engage?
6. Suggested Cultivation Approach: Based on this profile, what would be the best first step to cultivate this relationship?
7. Red Flags or Gaps: What's missing from this picture? What additional research would help?
Review the profile for accuracy (you're the expert on your community — the AI synthesizes, you judge). Add your own qualitative observations based on what you know from your community context.
Copy the key sections into your donor CRM contact record:
Ask Claude for help with the next step:
Based on this prospect profile, draft a warm introductory email from our Executive Director to [prospect name]. The goal is to start a conversation, not to ask for anything. Reference their [most relevant affinity indicator] and invite a brief call or coffee meeting. 150 words.
Full prospect synthesis:
Analyze this public information about [prospect name] and create a structured donor prospect profile with capacity, affinity, connectivity, and suggested cultivation approach. Our organization: [describe briefly].
Foundation research:
I'm researching [Foundation Name] as a potential grant funder. Here is their website giving history and published guidelines: [paste]. Summarize: their funding priorities, typical grant size, application process, and fit assessment for a [describe your org type and programs].
Corporate prospect:
Analyze this information about [Company Name] and its leadership for a potential corporate sponsorship. Our organization: [describe]. Identify: CSR priorities, potential alignment with our programs, and the right person to contact.