Claude

Claude + DonorDock: Just Ask Your Donor Data

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 Claude once, and it can read your live DonorDock records and update them when you ask, all in plain language. No exports, no spreadsheets, no copying and pasting between tabs.

What the Claude 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 you to build and no server to run. You are telling Claude where to find your data and proving that you are you.

Once you are connected, Claude 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 Claude

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

That last group matters. The connection does not only answer questions. It can update records in DonorDock for you, and Claude always asks before it changes anything.

Why connect Claude 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 intelligence layer 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 you create in your DonorDock profile settings
• The Claude desktop app for Mac or Windows. The connection works on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans
• Node, a free helper that takes about two minutes to install

Claude on the web and Claude on your phone cannot make this connection yet. It runs on the desktop app. Working with a technical team? Claude Code connects natively, with no helper needed.

How to connect Claude to DonorDock

1. Create your personal API key in DonorDock.
2. Install the Claude desktop app for Mac or Windows.
3. Install Node, the free helper Claude uses to reach the connection.
4. Open Claude's settings file and paste in the DonorDock connection.
5. Restart Claude, then ask your first question.

Plan on about ten minutes. Walk through the full setup guide.

Your data stays yours

• It runs as you. Every request uses your own login, so Claude sees exactly the records you 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 connection or retire the key, and access ends.

Frequently asked questions

Does this work in the Claude web app or on my phone?
Not yet. The connection uses a key rather than a login screen, and those surfaces only accept a login today. Use the Claude desktop app on Mac or Windows. We will update this page when that changes.

Do I need to be technical to use it?
No. If your team can use Claude, they can use this. You connect once and start asking. The one technical-looking step is copying a block of text and changing one word inside it.

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 ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

Get started

• Already using DonorDock and Claude? 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.