{"id":"wri-np-explain-restricted-gift-to-board","audience":"nonprofit","category":"explaining","technique":"audience","title":"Explain to a new board member why a big grant can't pay rent","free":false,"task":"A new board member asked why a $40,000 grant can't cover the rent shortfall. Answer in under 80 words with no nonprofit-finance jargon (no 'restricted', 'unrestricted', 'designated', 'fund accounting' or 'net assets'). Use the actual grant as the example, give the real shortfall amount, and end with the specific way the board can help. Write a prompt that gets that answer.","materialLabel":"The board member's email and your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"EMAIL from Paul Greer (new board member, joined October):\nI saw we just got $40,000 from the Hallman Foundation. Why are we worried about rent? Can't we just use that? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm new to nonprofits.\n\nMY NOTES (Executive Director)\n- Hallman grant: $40,000, awarded Oct 20. The grant agreement says it can only be spent on the Youth Soccer League (coaches, fields, equipment). If we spend it on anything else, we have to pay it back. It's a restricted gift.\n- Rent for the community center: $3,500/month.\n- Rent shortfall for Jan-Mar: I first estimated $12,000. Updated after the Riverside Bank gift came in: shortfall is now $7,500.\n- Rent comes from general donations (no strings attached), which are down this year.\n- How the board can help: each member asks 3 people in their network for a gift to our general fund before the Dec 9 board meeting.\n- Paul is a retired restaurant owner. Very practical, smart, no finance background in nonprofits.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":80}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 80 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part: \"4 sentences, each under 18 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Explaining with jargon","why":"AI says \"restricted versus unrestricted funds\", which is exactly what Paul doesn't know.","fix":"Ban them: \"No 'restricted', 'unrestricted', 'designated' or 'fund accounting'.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Using the first estimate","why":"Your notes list $12,000 before the update. The AI may use it.","fix":"Add: \"The current shortfall is $7,500.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"No clear ask","why":"The AI ends with \"Happy to discuss!\" instead of what the board can do.","fix":"Add: \"End by asking each member to ask 3 people before Dec 9.\"","checks":["r2"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]},{"label":"Bans jargon","patterns":["jargon","restricted","plain (english|language|words)","no (finance|nonprofit) terms"]},{"label":"Uses the real grant","patterns":["hallman","40,?000","soccer"]},{"label":"Uses the current number","patterns":["7,?500","current shortfall","updated"]},{"label":"Ends with the ask","patterns":["end (with|by)","dec(ember)?\\s*9","3 people"]}],"hint":"A smart newcomer needs a concrete example, not vocabulary. Ban the jargon, give the AI the real grant and number, and tell it how to end.","rubricLabels":["Uses none of these words: restricted, unrestricted, designated, fund accounting, net assets","Uses the Hallman example: the $40,000 can only be spent on the Youth Soccer League and would have to be paid back if spent on rent, and gives the current shortfall of $7,500 (not $12,000)","The last sentence asks each board member to ask 3 people for a no-strings gift before the Dec 9 board meeting"]}