Summarize a major donor email thread for your executive director

About this exercise

You're the development associate, and your executive director wants the bottom line on a long thread with a major donor. You want at most 3 sentences, plain text, with the gift amount and what she must do first. Use the donor's final amount, not the first one discussed, and leave out the personal chit-chat. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Using the first amount. $25,000 appears first. Try: Add: "Use Hal's final amount, $40,000."
• Burying the ask. The AI tells the story in order and ends with the deadline. Try: Add: "First sentence: the amount and what she must do by Dec 1."
• Skipping the policy fit. The AI mentions naming but not whether it's allowed. Try: Add: "Say whether the naming fits our policy."
• Including chit-chat. The AI keeps personal details from the thread. Try: Add: "Skip chit-chat. At most 3 sentences, plain text."

What a strong prompt includes

• Uses the final amount
• Puts the ask first
• Checks the policy
• Skips chit-chat
• Limits the sentences

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