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Explain new food insecurity data to donors before Giving Tuesday

Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You're writing a short donor email ahead of Giving Tuesday on Dec 1. You want at most 3 sentences in plain text that give the county's current food insecurity rate from the 2026 brief (not the older figure), the group the brief says is most affected, and a line that your Giving Tuesday match runs Dec 1. Use only the research brief and skip jargon like "prevalence".

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using the familiar number. "1 in 10" is the line everyone repeats, and the AI may use it. Try: Say: "Use the 2026 estimate only."
  • Missing the key group. The AI may lead with seniors or prices instead of the group the brief says is hit hardest. Try: Add: "Name the most affected group from the brief."
  • Forgetting the ask. The AI doesn't know about your match unless you mention it. Try: Add: "Mention the Giving Tuesday match on Dec 1."
  • Not capping the length. The AI writes several paragraphs by default, far more than the reader will take in. Try: Say: "at most 3 sentences."
  • Getting markdown back. AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in a donor email. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the current figure
  • Names the most affected group
  • Mentions the match
  • Says who it's for
  • Caps the number of sentences

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