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Work out how much sponsors still owe after a withdrawal
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're updating the board on gala sponsorships. Hartley Dental called Monday to withdraw, so they owe nothing (not in the tracker yet). Write exactly 5 numbered lines, one per sponsor, each as Sponsor: pledged − paid = owed (or withdrawn, $0), then one unnumbered last line: Still owed: $X. Plain text, under 70 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not mentioning the withdrawal. The tracker still lists Hartley, so the AI counts $1,000 more owed. Try: Add: "Hartley Dental withdrew; they owe $0."
- Not asking to see the work. The board will check each sponsor. Try: Add a line to copy: "3. Kettle & Co: $2,500 − $1,000 = $1,500"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 10 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in a board update. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Mentions the withdrawal
- Asks to show the math
- Asks for a total
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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