Communications and storytelling
Draft a holding statement for a crisis
Prepares a holding statement (a short, careful first public response) ahead of time so you aren't writing under pressure.
Lower risk: public info only — Write it as a general template; don't paste details of a real incident or anyone involved.
Please note: This site is only a guide to help people understand. Consult your IT, security and/or privacy department for clarification.
Before you start, gather
Set [UPDATE TIMING] with your leadership team's realistic response window. Choose [TYPE OF SITUATION] as a general category. Keep real incident details, names and affected people out of the prompt.
Starter prompt
Draft a short holding statement template for [ORGANIZATION NAME] to use if there is a [TYPE OF SITUATION]. It should acknowledge the issue, express care for those affected, say we are looking into it, and say when we will share more: [UPDATE TIMING]. Do not admit fault or speculate. Include fill-in blanks. Use blanks for every fact about the incident, and write MISSING INFO instead of guessing at causes, numbers or who is responsible.
Paste the prompt into your AI tool first, then replace the placeholders with your own details. Don't use real names of clients or donors.
Open an AI tool
You are leaving this guide. Copy the prompt first, then open a tool. The link goes to the website of the company named on each link, in a new tab. That company's terms and privacy policy apply there. Paste the prompt in, then replace the placeholders with your own details. Don't enter real names or confidential details.
- Open Claude (Anthropic) (opens Anthropic's website in a new tab)
Anthropic documents pre-filled links only for the Claude Desktop app, not for the website, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open ChatGPT (OpenAI) (opens OpenAI's website in a new tab)
OpenAI does not document a link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Gemini (Google) (opens Google's website in a new tab)
Google does not document a link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Grok (SpaceXAI) (opens SpaceXAI's website in a new tab)
SpaceXAI (the company behind Grok) does not document a link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Amazon Bedrock (hosts Llama; needs an AWS account) (opens Amazon Web Services' website in a new tab)
Llama has no chat website of its own, and Meta's own assistant (Meta AI) now runs on a different Meta model. One host is Amazon Bedrock: sign in to AWS, open a playground, and paste the prompt.
- Open Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft) (opens Microsoft's website in a new tab)
Microsoft documents no link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in. The Copilot page shows a Sign in button, and you may need to sign in.
- Open Perplexity (Perplexity AI) (opens Perplexity AI's website in a new tab)
Perplexity documents no link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Mistral Le Chat (Mistral AI) (opens Mistral AI's website in a new tab)
Mistral renamed Le Chat to Vibe, at the same web address. Mistral documents no link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Givebutter (Givebutter): no website to open from here. Givebutter Magic works inside a Givebutter account; there is no public chat page.
- Grantable (Grantable): no website to open from here. Grantable's AI works inside a Grantable account; there is no public chat page.
Check the result
Have leadership and counsel review it before you ever need it, especially for data incidents.
What it might get wrong
Calming sentences that quietly admit fault, promise outcomes or say nothing was affected before anyone knows. It can also invent a timeline that [UPDATE TIMING] then contradicts.