of 5— Create your Instrumentl account and organization profile

What you'll accomplish

By the end of this guide, you'll have Instrumentl set up with your organization's profile and be using its AI Prospecting Assistant to find funders that genuinely match your programs — with AI-generated explanations of why each funder fits and what gaps might exist between your org and their priorities, so you can make smarter go/no-go decisions in minutes instead of hours.

What you'll need

Instrumentl account (instrumentl.com — Standard plan ~$299/month; explore trial options)
Your organization's mission, programs, geographic focus, and population details ready
Your Form 990 or a summary of recent grant income (helps calibrate recommendations)
Time needed: 45 minutes to set up your profile; significant time savings weekly thereafter
Cost: ~$299/month for Standard; ~$499/month for AI features — check for nonprofit pricing

How-To Guide: Use Instrumentl's AI to Find Better-Fit Funders Faster

Step 1: Create your Instrumentl account and organization profile

Go to instrumentl.com and start a free trial or purchase a plan. The onboarding wizard will guide you through your organization profile.

Fill in carefully:

Mission statement (use your exact language)
Programs — add each program separately with its focus area, population, and geography
Funding history — which types of foundations have funded you in the past (community, family, corporate, government)
Geographic reach — where your programs actually operate (city, county, state, national)
Budget range — your organization's total annual revenue range (used to match you to appropriately sized funders)

What you should see: A completed profile with a "match score" or relevance indicator. Instrumentl will immediately start generating funder recommendations based on your profile.

Troubleshooting: The more specific your program descriptions, the better the AI matching. If you're getting irrelevant recommendations, go back to your program descriptions and add more specific language about your approach and population.