AI for your role

AI for Executive Directors

Lead the mission, not the paperwork.

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The shift

How AI is changing the Executive Director role

In 2026, AI is taking on much of the writing and research load that fills an Executive Director's week, from first drafts of grant proposals and board reports to donor research and annual report summaries. It also speeds up data work like analyzing program outcomes and pulling numbers from financial statements. The result is more time for fundraising conversations, staff coaching, and board relationships that only a leader can handle.

What AI can take off your plate

  • First drafts of board reports, grant proposals, and donor letters
  • Transcribing and summarizing board and staff meetings
  • Researching prospective funders and pulling their priorities and deadlines
  • Summarizing long documents like financial statements and program reports
  • Drafting newsletters, social posts, and routine email replies

What stays distinctly human

  • Building trust with major donors and closing significant gifts
  • Coaching staff and handling sensitive personnel matters
  • Setting mission direction and making final strategic calls
  • Reading the room in board meetings and managing relationships
  • Representing the organization's values in public and in crises
Tools

Five AI tools for Executive Directors

ChatGPT
Drafts board updates, donor thank-you letters, and grant narratives that an Executive Director then edits for accuracy and voice.
Try it →
Microsoft Copilot
Summarizes long email threads, drafts replies in Outlook, and builds first-pass slides in PowerPoint for board meetings.
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Claude
Reviews long documents like bylaws, funder reports, or strategic plans and answers specific questions about their contents.
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Otter.ai
Records and transcribes board and staff meetings, then produces searchable notes and action items the director can circulate.
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Grammarly
Polishes tone and clarity in donor appeals, newsletters, and public statements before they go out under the organization's name.
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Prompts

Five prompts to try today

Paste these into Claude or ChatGPT and replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

1. Board report draft
Draft a one-page board report for our [month] meeting covering these updates: [program highlights], [financial summary], [staffing changes], [upcoming decisions needed]. Use a clear, professional tone and bullet the items that need a board vote.
2. Grant narrative starter
Write a 500-word program narrative for a grant to [funder name] supporting our [program name]. We serve [population] in [location]. Our goals are [goals] and last year we achieved [outcomes]. Match the priorities listed here: [funder priorities].
3. Donor thank-you
Write a warm, specific thank-you letter to [donor name] who gave [amount] to support [program or fund]. Mention the concrete impact of their gift and invite them to [event or visit]. Keep it under 200 words and avoid generic language.
4. Strategic question framing
We are deciding whether to [decision, for example expand to a new region]. List the key questions our board should consider, the data we would need to answer each one, and the main risks and benefits in plain language.
5. Meeting notes to actions
Here are my raw notes from today's staff meeting: [paste notes]. Turn these into a clean summary with decisions made, action items with owners, and open questions to revisit.
The playbook

Every AI play for Executive Directors

Your full AI playbook for your role — updated every week. Tap any card for a step-by-step walkthrough and examples.

✦  New AI plays are added every week — and go straight to subscribers in their morning brief. Skip the scrolling and get yours delivered free. Get my free brief →
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A day in your inbox

This is the kind of brief a Executive Director gets, every weekday morning.
Monday morning
✦ Personalized for: Executive Director
Your PlaybookFirst drafts
Turn a blank page into a solid first draft

The move that gets you past the hardest part of any task — starting. Works for an email, a plan, a report, a tricky reply. Free, no login.

ChatGPT  FREE  a free AI assistant that drafts, rewrites, and thinks through problems with you

1

Go to chatgpt.com (the free tier is fine) and describe what you need in plain words. Give it the goal, the audience, and any facts it should use:

I need to write [what]. It's for [who], and the goal is [what you want them to do or understand]. Here are the key points: [paste your rough notes]. Draft it in a clear, direct tone. Ask me anything that's missing first.
2

It drafts. Now make it yours — push back in the same chat:

Make it shorter and less formal. Cut anything that sounds generic. Keep the part about [X].

You go from staring at nothing to editing a real draft in two minutes. Editing is always easier than starting.

Your role, all in one place
  
Tools, prompts & tricks
Your full library, one tap away.
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Your playbook
Every entry, building each week.
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How AI is changing your role
Where your work is heading.
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