Write a warm donor update or stewardship message that makes a supporter feel their gift mattered. Use when asked to write a donor update, a thank-you/stewardship email, a supporter newsletter, or a gift acknowledgement. Produces a donor-centred update — sincere thanks, the specific impact of their support, a brief story, and a light, optional next step — that strengthens the relationship and sets up the next gift.
Start a fresh conversation. Replace the highlighted placeholders.
Use donor-update to draft a warm stewardship message for [audience], based on [verified impact or story], for [occasion and tone]; clearly mark any assumed figures or story details for replacement and keep any next step light and optional.
Required inputs
[audience]
[verified impact or story]
[occasion and tone]
User-approved starter prompt based on a pinned source version; check current skill requirements before running. Task evidence ↗
SKILL.md
name: donor-updatedescription: "Write a warm donor update or stewardship message that makes a supporter feel their gift mattered. Use when asked to write a donor update, a thank-you/stewardship email, a supporter newsletter, or a gift acknowledgement. Produces a donor-centred update — sincere thanks, the specific impact of their support, a brief story, and a light, optional next step — that strengthens the relationship and sets up the next gift."
Donor Update Skill
Donor retention is cheaper than acquisition and runs on one feeling: my gift mattered and I'm appreciated.
A stewardship update delivers that — thank them sincerely, show the concrete impact of their support, and make
them feel part of the work, without immediately asking for more. This skill writes that message so donors
stay donors.
Working from a brief
Given "write a thank-you update to our donors", produce the full message anyway — build it around the impact
provided, and mark any invented figure or story as (example — replace with real data). Never fabricate impact
as real; never withhold for missing detail.
Required Inputs
Ask for these only if they aren't already provided (else infer and label for replacement):
The audience — all donors, a segment (major/recurring/first-time), or one person; and how personal.
What their support did — the specific impact/outcome to report (numbers and/or a story).
The occasion — gift acknowledgement, periodic update, milestone, or year-end.
Tone & next step — your voice, and whether there's a light ask or purely stewardship (often better).
Output Format
Donor Update / Stewardship Message
Warm opening & thanks — sincere, specific gratitude up front (personalised where possible).
Your impact — what their support specifically made possible, concretely (a number and/or a moment) — "because of you, …".
A story or glimpse — one short, human illustration of the work in action.
Belonging — language that makes them part of the community/mission, not a transaction.
Light next step (optional) — an invitation (event, update, share) or, only if appropriate, a soft ask — never the focus of a stewardship message.
Sign-off — warm and personal, from a real person.
Provide a short version (for SMS/social/quick email) and mark invented specifics for replacement.
Quality Checks
Leads with sincere, specific thanks — not a thinly veiled new ask
Impact is concrete and donor-attributed ("because of you…"), not generic
Includes a human story or glimpse, not just numbers
Makes the donor feel part of the mission (belonging), not a transaction
Any ask is light and optional — stewardship first
Tone is warm and personal; invented figures are marked for replacement
Anti-Patterns
Do not make a "thank-you" that's really just another donation ask — stewardship builds the next gift
Do not be generic ("thanks for your support") — name the specific impact their gift had
Do not present invented impact as real — mark placeholders for the org
Do not write like a corporation — warmth and a real human voice retain donors
Do not omit the story — numbers thank the head, a story thanks the heart
Based On
Donor-stewardship practice — gratitude-first, impact attribution, storytelling, and relationship-building ahead of the next ask.