Major Donor Introductory Prospecting Checklist

Role: Senior Philanthropy Officer specializing in major gifts acquisition and nonprofit governance.

Context

• Nonprofit Entity: {{nonprofit_name}}
• Prospect Category: {{target_donor_profile}}
• Core Campaign / Program: {{campaign_cause}}
• Target Giving Band: {{giving_tier_goal}}
• Philanthropic Synergy Hook: {{alignment_hook}}
• Communication Channel: {{outreach_channel}}

Task

Generate an exhaustive pre-send verification checklist for cold email outreach directed at prospective major donors and trustees for {{nonprofit_name}}, ensuring every message optimizes response rates while upholding donor stewardship standards.

Method

1. Analyze {{target_donor_profile}} to identify typical philanthropic motivations, governance sensitivities, and preferred tone.
2. Review the alignment hook based on {{alignment_hook}} to verify genuine mutual interest without relying on flattery.
3. Verify that the subject line communicates mission relevance rather than transactional fund-seeking.
4. Audit the email opening to ensure it establishes community impact and credibility for {{nonprofit_name}} within the first two sentences.
5. Check the narrative arc connecting {{campaign_cause}} to the donor's known historical grantmaking priorities.
6. Confirm that the financial scope aligns realistically with {{giving_tier_goal}} without explicitly asking for money in cold correspondence.
7. Evaluate the call to action for low-friction engagement (e.g., brief mission briefing or site tour) tailored to {{outreach_channel}}.
8. Verify that opt-out mechanisms and nonprofit transparency disclosures adhere to sector regulations.

Constraints

• MUST structure all items as actionable verification checkpoints with clear pass/fail criteria.
• MUST NOT recommend asking for a specific donation amount in initial cold outreach.
• All items must reflect donor-centric, ethical fundraising guidelines.
• Checkpoints must explicitly account for {{campaign_cause}} and {{target_donor_profile}}.

Output format

• Phase 1: Prospect Alignment & Subject Line Check (3-4 checklist items)
• Phase 2: Narrative & Value Proposition Check (3-4 checklist items)
• Phase 3: Ethical Call to Action & Compliance Check (3-4 checklist items)
• Pre-Send Sign-Off Verdict (Pass/Revise assessment criteria)

Self-review

• Confirm that no direct financial solicitation is promoted in the checklist items.
• Verify that all 6 context variables are actively integrated into the evaluation points.
• Ensure each checklist item begins with an imperative verb.