ChatGPT

ChatGPT + DonorDock: Your Donor Data, One Question Away

Your donor data lives in DonorDock. Your questions come up everywhere else, in the car before a board meeting, at your desk while drafting an appeal, on a Tuesday when someone asks who lapsed last spring.

The DonorDock MCP closes that gap. Connect ChatGPT once, and it can work with your live DonorDock records in plain language. No exports, no spreadsheets, no copying and pasting between tabs.

What the ChatGPT and DonorDock integration does

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, the standard way an AI assistant connects to the tools you already use. DonorDock hosts the connection on our end, so there is nothing for your team to build and no server to run.

Once you are connected, ChatGPT works with your real records. Not a copy, not last month's export, the live data your team is working in right now.

What you can ask ChatGPT

Ask the way you would ask a teammate who knows your database cold.

Finding people

• Who lapsed since last spring?
• Which donors in Indianapolis should I visit next month?
• Who gave last year but has not given yet this year?

Understanding your giving

• What is our total raised so far this year compared to last year?
• Which campaign brought in the most first-time donors?
• Show me every gift over $1,000 in the last ninety days

Getting things done

• Draft a thank-you to Maria Chen that mentions her last three gifts
• Log a phone call with Maria about the spring appeal
• Tag these gifts as event revenue

The connection does not only answer questions. It can update records in DonorDock for you, and ChatGPT asks before it changes anything.

Why connect ChatGPT to DonorDock

• Get answers in seconds instead of building a report
• Draft appeals, thank-yous, and board updates grounded in a donor's real history
• Keep notes and activities current without leaving the conversation
• Spot lapsed donors, missing emails, and duplicates, then tag them or add them to a list
• Give everyone on your team the same easy-to-use path into your data

Otto and the MCP

Otto is the AI built into DonorDock. The DonorDock MCP brings your DonorDock data into the AI tools you use outside of it. You can use both, and plenty of teams do. Learn more about the DonorDock MCP.

What you will need

• A DonorDock account with permission to view your organization's data
• A personal API key, which each person creates in their DonorDock profile settings
• A ChatGPT Business workspace, and an admin who can add custom apps to it

A personal ChatGPT account cannot add a connection like this one yet, so a Business workspace is the way in for now. If you are not sure which you have, check with whoever set up ChatGPT for your organization. The DonorDock MCP connection is also in beta, and the steps may change as we keep building.

How to connect ChatGPT to DonorDock

Setup happens in two parts, and the first one only happens once for your whole organization.

Your workspace admin does this once

1. Turn on Developer Mode in your ChatGPT workspace settings.
2. Add DonorDock as a custom app, using the DonorDock MCP server address.
3. Scan the tools so ChatGPT knows what DonorDock can do.
4. Share the app with your workspace.

Then each person does this in about a minute

1. Create your own personal API key in DonorDock.
2. Open your ChatGPT settings, find DonorDock, and paste your key in.
3. Ask your first question.

Plan on about fifteen minutes for the first part. Walk through the full setup guide.

Your data stays yours

• Everyone connects as themselves. Each person uses their own key, so ChatGPT sees exactly the records that person would see and nothing more.
• It cannot delete donors or gifts. There is no tool for it, so it is not something that can happen by accident.
• It cannot rewrite a recorded gift. Amounts, funds, and dates stay put. Gifts can only be tagged.
• You can turn it off any time. Remove the app from your workspace or retire a key, and access ends.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this with a personal ChatGPT account?
Not yet. Personal accounts cannot add a custom connection that uses a key. You will need a ChatGPT Business workspace. We will update this page when that changes.

Does every person need their own key?
Yes, and that is a good thing. Your admin adds DonorDock once, then each person connects with their own credentials so everyone sees only what their DonorDock login allows.

Can it change my data, or only read it?
Both, with your say-so. It answers questions from your live data, and when you ask, it can log an activity, tag a donor, or add people to a list. You are always the one directing it.

Is there an extra cost?
No. The DonorDock MCP is included in your DonorDock plan. There is no separate license to buy.

Which other AI tools can I connect?
The same connection works with Claude and Google Gemini.

Get started

• Already using DonorDock and ChatGPT Business? Set up your connection.
• Want the full picture first? See what the DonorDock MCP can do.
• New to DonorDock? Book a short walkthrough and we will show you how it fits your team.