Nonprofit Board-Update Memo Builder

Goal

Create a 500–700-word board-update memo that summarizes key metrics, grants, deadlines, and 1-2 board decisions needing approval, then route a draft to a specified human reviewer before any distribution.

Inputs to gather

• Board meeting date and memo due-by date (sets timeline and urgency).
• Intended audience and length, if different from default (tailors tone and depth).
• Organization’s current top three priorities or OKRs (anchors the summary).
• Links or paths to KPI spreadsheets for program, fundraising, finance, and operations (primary data sources).
• Grant pipeline or status notes document (fundraising context).
• Calendar source or event list covering critical deadlines in the next 30–60 days (time-sensitive items).
• Previous board memo and/or minutes with action items (continuity and decision history).
• Reviewer name(s) and email address(es) plus approval protocol (routing instructions).
• Any style guide, template preference, or confidentiality constraints (formatting and compliance).

Before doing any work, ask the user for these inputs in ONE message. Skip anything they already provided. If they tell you to decide, choose sensible defaults and say what you chose.

Workflow

1. Confirm scope
   a. Restate deadlines, length, audience, and top priorities to the user for agreement.
2. Collect sources
   a. Use Sheets or Read to open each KPI spreadsheet; note file name, tab, and last updated date.
   b. Use Read to pull grant pipeline/status notes.
   c. Use Calendar to extract upcoming deadlines and milestones.
   d. Retrieve the previous board memo and any minutes or action items.
3. Validate data freshness and coverage
   a. Flag any spreadsheet older than the reporting window or missing tabs.
   b. Align reporting periods; label any mismatches clearly.
4. Normalize and analyze metrics
   a. Build a metric map: metric, definition, source, current value, plan/target, prior period, delta, and RAG status.
   b. Highlight three to five key insights: biggest win, biggest risk, major variance, cash/runway status, looming compliance items.
5. Synthesize grants and deadlines
   a. Summarize awarded, pending, and reporting-due grants with amounts, probabilities, and dates.
   b. Merge Calendar data to list critical dates within 30–60 days.
6. Identify board decisions
   a. List all potential decisions; narrow to at most two that truly require board action now.
   b. For each, prepare context, 2–3 options, implications, recommended option, and motion wording.
7. Draft the memo using Edit
   Structure:
   • Title: Organization — Board Update — [Date] (Version vX)
   • Executive Summary (4–6 bullets linked to priorities)
   • KPI Snapshot (metric, current vs. plan, trend, inline source links)
   • Grants & Fundraising Status
   • Upcoming Deadlines
   • Decisions Needed (max two, with context, options, recommendation, motion)
   • Links & Appendices
   Keep prose crisp; convert tables to bullets unless essential.
8. Quality check
   a. Cross-verify at least three figures against their source cells.
   b. Ensure length fits target; overflow goes to appendices.
   c. Confirm confidentiality notes and that no more than two decisions appear.
9. Prepare reviewer packet
   a. Draft a cover note listing open questions, assumptions, stale or missing data.
   b. Use Mail to send the memo and cover note to the reviewer with a clear approve-by deadline.
10. Incorporate feedback
    a. Apply edits, update version numbers and date stamps.
    b. If approved, create a distribution copy (PDF or locked document) and send per instructions. Otherwise, summarize unresolved items to the user.
11. Archive and hand off
    a. Save the final memo, metric map, and source links in the designated folder.
    b. Log any data-quality issues for the next reporting cycle.
    Throughout, pause to confirm with the user if major data gaps or decision conflicts arise rather than proceeding on assumptions.

Output

• Final board-update memo (500–700 words) in the specified format, ready for distribution.
• Metric map appendix linking every reported figure to its source.
• Cover note to reviewer summarizing assumptions, open items, and requested feedback.
• Status summary noting version history, reviewer routing, and distribution actions.