If you have tried an AI tool and found the answers generic, the cause is usually simple: it knows nothing about you. Each new chat starts from scratch, so you spend the first five minutes explaining who you are, who you help and how you like to sound.
A Claude Project fixes that. It is a workspace where you store instructions and documents once, and Claude reads them at the start of every chat inside it. Other AI tools offer similar features, so the idea works wherever you are.
Set one up in 20 minutes
- Name it for a job, not a tool. "Funding applications" or "Volunteer emails" works better than "AI".
- Write the instructions. Say who you are, who you serve, how you want to sound, and what to avoid. Plain English is fine.
- Add your documents. A mission statement, your latest annual report, a past application that worked, and any brand or style guide.
Once it is set up, a request as short as "Draft a thank-you to a first-time donor" comes back in your voice, using your facts.
How we use one at TheGivingMachine
We keep a Project for our day-to-day operations. It holds a running log of the decisions we have made and the way we like to work, so every new chat starts already knowing what we have agreed. We do not have to re-explain, and we are not reopening decisions that were settled weeks ago.
Make the answers better: TIPTOE
A Project gives the AI your background. TIPTOE helps you ask well. Run through it each time you write a request:
- Task: say exactly what you want done.
- Information: paste in what it should work from.
- Persona: tell it who to be, for example an experienced charity fundraiser.
- Tone: professional, warm, plain English.
- Output: the format and length, and whether you want it in chat first.
- Enhancement: ask it to rate its work out of 10 and say what would make it a 10.
Here is the difference it makes. This is an illustrative example: the organisation, names and figures are made up, and a real AI tool's wording will vary.
| Before TIPTOE | After TIPTOE | |
|---|---|---|
| What you type | Write a thank you email to a donor. | Task: write a thank-you email to someone who has just made their first £25 donation. Information: we run a community food pantry called Riverside Community Pantry, and £25 packs five food parcels. Persona: you are an experienced charity fundraiser. Tone: warm, personal, plain English, no clichés. Output: under 120 words, with a subject line. Enhancement: then rate your draft out of 10 and say what would make it a 10. |
| What you get | Dear Donor, thank you so much for your generous donation. Your support makes a real difference and we are truly grateful. Without people like you, we could not continue our work. Kind regards, The Team | Subject: Your £25 is already on the shelves. Dear Sam, thank you for your first gift to Riverside Community Pantry. This week it helped us pack five food parcels for families nearby, and our volunteers hand them out every Thursday. You are very welcome to pop in and see it for yourself. With thanks, the Riverside team. Rating: 8 out of 10. A line from a volunteer or a family would make it a 10. |
The first reply could have come from any organisation in the country. The second sounds like yours, says something specific, and tells you how to improve it.
Two rules we follow
- The AI drafts and you decide. Read everything, check every fact and figure, and own what goes out in your organisation's name.
- Keep personal information out. Do not put details about the people you help into a Project, and check your own organisation's policy on AI before you start.
Know a not-for-profit that would find this useful?
Forward it on. Next month: how to find grants without starting from scratch every time.
About the author
Luisa Gatward
Our Chief Executive, Luisa is responsible for leading the charity and plays a key part in strategy and business development to help the charity thrive. Since joining TheGivingMachine in 2010, Luisa has been part of the charity’s growth and continued development, holding a number of roles before becoming Chief Executive.