Getting started with AI is easy and free tools are available. Look through our guide to taking the first steps with AI and our tips for easy prompt engineering to begin. The tools themselves are intuitive, easy to learn, and free. Yet we often see that while the tools are simple, the more difficult part of adopting AI can be shifting your work habits to pull Copilot into daily workstreams.

Try this easy way to start using Copilot to immediately change your workload and habits: Delegate your to-do list to Copilot.

In the words of our prompt tips sheet, “When creating a prompt, think of it as if you were talking to a helpful coworker – no need to stress over order, formatting, or structure; just keep it conversational.” So, start by looking at your morning to-do list and identify what you can delegate to Copilot for quick, easy time savings.

What’s on your list today?

A fundraiser might have the following list of tasks – and these tasks are already very close to prompts:

Write thank you emails to Miguel, Amanda, and Robert.
Send a follow-up email to everyone who attended our legacy gifts webinars.
Social post for the upcoming auction.
Write the thank you auto response to everyone who purchases an auction ticket.

By giving Copilot a little more context and details, you can turn your to-do list into prompts. You can learn more about effective prompts here – or simply start playing with Copilot and see what results you get from your to-do list.

Try going to copilot.microsoft.com to enter these prompts. Remember: Copilot is conversational and iterative. Once you’ve entered details in the first prompt, Copilot will remember context and offer new iterations for each task on your list:

Write a save the date email for our Annual Masquerade Gala and auction on October 4, 2024, at Kiana Lodge. Tickets will be $100 each and our goal is to raise $200,000 for the food bank. Tickets will be available for sale on June 15. Make the tone fun and engaging.
Write a social post for the event.
Write a thank you note for everyone who purchases a ticket with a reminder of the event details.
Write an email for the auction asking for volunteers.

Small habit changes, huge impact

We recently talked to a nonprofit executive director who mentioned that she writes a personal thank you to every donor supporting her organization – to the tune of 1,000 thank you notes per year. We know from research that this kind of personalized outreach is key to donor engagement and retention – and we also know that nonprofit staff are overwhelmed by this kind of daily volume.

Copilot is the perfect assistant for personalizing communication at scale for donor communications. By delegating this work to Copilot, saving just 10 minutes per email, at a scale of 1,000 emails per year, means saving 20 workdays per year. Returning 20 workdays per year to your staff can have a huge impact to work-life balance, retention, and effectiveness.

Try these prompts to quickly check off thank-you notes:

Write a thank you note to Miguel, who donated $10,000 to our housing assistance program. He has been a supporter for over 10 years, and he is a retired teacher. Emphasize impact and gratitude with a note on his continued dedication to our program.
Write a thank note to Amanda who donated $50,000 to our food bank and has supported us for the last five years. Emphasize gratitude and make the tone formal.
Write another thank you note to Robert who donated $1,000 and also volunteers at the food bank every Saturday.

Learning together

AI is a big organizational change and a big workflow change, even when it happens in small steps. We know there’s a lot to learn and a lot to consider. But you don’t have to do it alone – you can learn together. Try the prompts we shared today – and add your own ideas and what you’re learning. Post your results here and let us know how you are bringing AI into your daily work to save time.

Helpful resources

Find easy tips for using Copilot and prompts here: aka.ms/5TipsforMakingMostCopilot.
Explore A year with Copilot: What Microsoft learned about AI at work to develop an easy framework that can accelerate how you use AI every day and scale across your teams.
Read the 11×11 Tipping Point research.

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