Explore AI Tools - Notebooks

One general concern about AI is what data and sources it uses to generate the output from your queries. Notebooks, a feature offered in a host of AI tools like Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Gemini - address  that concern and provide a great starting point for your team to use AI.   Notebooks are free AI tools that operate using the power of large language models grounded in the data you provide, and using documents and facts you have vetted. 

Notebooks live in your environment. They are a walled garden and are not accessible and sharable outside your domain. Typically notebooks do not use the data you share to build them to train models. However, you should double check to be sure.

Notebooks can be stocked with a variety of content sources including websites, documents, videos, and more. They create outputs using AI prompts or may have pre-programmed options like making a video or deck or mapping your data.

Here’s an example of how you might build one for fundraising.

1. Open a notebook and add the following sources and docs. Keep in mind - we all know the old saying quality over quantity. Notebooks turn that a bit on its head because higher amounts of good sources actually increase quality. So be creative and add as many sources as you can and refresh with new information, such as relevant news articles and new research reports on a regular basis. 

• Examples of past successful fundraising letters from previous campaigns or samples you can find from elsewhere.
• Non-copyrighted content on writing excellent fund raising appeals.
• Add data about your district or community from highly vetted and approved sources like the census or other public data on issues important to your candidate's district or state. For example employment data, demographic information, or educational achievement. 
• Any position papers or other documents that contain approved messaging from the campaign. This could also include Op-Eds written by the candidate and TV or podcast appearances.
• Make a doc of quotes by the candidate in written newspaper articles ( add new quotes as articles appear or write new quotes) that address the issues the candidate wants to highlight or why someone should support the candidate.
• Add the candidate’s official bio.
• If you need output to be written in the candidate's voice and tone, add other docs they have authored. 
• Scripts used when door knocking or calling.
• Add other research like public opinion polling on topics of interest or other research related to major campaign issues.
• Add social media posts and content that get high engagement and positive feedback.

2. Query your notebook

• Use a prompt like “draft a short fundraising letter that sounds like the candidate talking about the challenges of young people in our community and how NAME OF CANDIDATE will address these issues and why you should support the candidate, including asking for a donation.”
• Play around and ask for a shorter version or correct the output by letting the tool know what was wrong with it. Ask for more focus on a specific issue like graduation rates in the community and what the candidate will do to address it.
• Ask AI to develop social posts based on the appeal for X, Facebook, and Instagram that can reinforce the messaging of the appeal. 

You can create notebooks that can be used for a variety or purposes, such as:

• Drafting speeches
• Drafting comms docs like press releases or social posts
• Posing questions that might be asked of the candidate during an interview
• Drafting scripts for door knocking or calling
• Storing meeting notes or transcripts including vetting videos and creating meeting follow up tasks and assignments or minutes