Library › Productivity AI › Nonprofit staff
Turn board minutes into action items with real dates
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're the coordinator at a food bank and need the action items from Thursday's board meeting for the staff task list. You want exactly 4 numbered lines, each written as Owner - task - due date, with every due date as a calendar date (month and day) rather than 'in two weeks', under 70 words, plain text. Leave out the motion that failed. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Copying relative dates. The AI repeats 'within two weeks' or 'next Friday', which means nothing on a task list a week later. Try: Add: "Turn every deadline into a calendar date, counting from Thursday, Oct 9."
- Not giving the line format. The AI writes full sentences and some lose the owner or the date. Try: Add: "Write each line as Owner - task - due date."
- Treating the motion as a task. The failed motion looks like an action, so the AI may list it. Try: Add: "Skip the motion that failed and items with no action."
- Letting the AI pick the layout. The AI adds headings and bold names that don't paste into a task list. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 4 numbered lines, plain text."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 12 words."
What a strong prompt includes
- Says how many lines
- Gives the line format
- Asks for real dates
- Skips the failed motion
- Sets a word limit
Related exercises
- Announce a hybrid work policy change with clear actions (Writing AI · HR and recruiting)
- Announce a new weekend rotation in three clear rules (Productivity AI · Managers and team leads)
- Announce a promotion with the right date and no pay details (Writing AI · HR and recruiting)
- Announce a team change and answer the first question (Writing AI · Managers and team leads)
- Answer a showing request for a home that's under contract (Writing AI · Real estate agents)