Automation Isn’t Cold: It’s a Love Letter to Your Future Self

Let’s get productive — but let’s do it with heart.

I'll be honest... I’ve always had a system.

Before Salesforce, I used Outlook rules and folders. Before that, I had Word templates saved under mysterious file names like “event follow-up 3.” And before that, I had handwritten thank you scripts, colour-coded in highlighters, stuck to the edge of my monitor with blue-tac.

Because even in my earliest roles, I realised something many of us still ignore:

If you’re repeating a task, you’re not being thorough. You’re wasting time. And more importantly, you’re draining your own energy.

Capacity is thin and impact is urgent, we can’t afford to wear “busyness” as a badge of honour. We need systems. We need flow. We need energy management as much as time management.

And that’s where automation comes in.

But here’s the twist:

Automation isn’t cold. It’s not robotic. It’s not the enemy of human connection. When done right, automation is an act of care. A love letter written today by you, for tomorrow’s you.

Let me explain.

“I Can’t Wait to Hear All About It.”

One of my earliest automation wins wasn’t anything fancy. No CRM. No integration. No AI.

It was an Outlook email, scheduled for 9:01am on a Monday morning.

A community fundraiser had just completed an event over the weekend. They’d poured hours, possibly weeks, of effort into raising money for our cause. They’d rallied friends. Made posters. Maybe even wore something ridiculous in the name of charity.

At 9:01am, they received a message from me:

“I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

It wasn’t a generic “thanks for fundraising.” It was a message that anticipated their experience. It spoke with warmth, with intention, and with care. It was exactly what I would have said.

And yes, I’d written it in advance. Because I knew Monday mornings were chaos. I knew I wouldn’t have time to check the participant list and write a custom note to every person by 9am. But I also knew how important that moment was for the donor and I wanted them to feel seen first thing Monday morning, because they deserved it.

So I designed for it.

And when we spoke later that day or even week, the fundraiser said:

“Your email meant a lot. It felt like you were right there with me.”

In a way, I was. But I also realised too late that I couldn't burn myself being at every single thing, I needed to maximise my time, my energy!

Templates Aren’t the Problem. Tone Is.

Let’s face it, automation has a bad reputation. And in some cases, it’s deserved.

We’ve all received those “Dear <Insert Name>” emails. We’ve all been part of clunky, lifeless campaigns that feel like being fed into a machine. We’ve all clicked “unsubscribe” after the second message.

But that’s not the automation’s fault. That’s the designer's fault.

Too many people think automation means stripping out personality. Replacing heart with efficiency. Removing the nuance that makes connection real.

But that’s not how I work.

When I build templates, whether it’s an onboarding journey for volunteers, an SMS check-in for peer support groups, or a thank you sequence after a community event, I write like I would any other day. I write like me. And I write for the person on the other end who deserves to feel seen, not sorted.

“Set and Forget” Isn’t Laziness, It’s Sustainability.

I don’t build systems because I’m lazy. I build systems because I care too much to wing it.

Let’s talk energy. Every message you write from scratch... every reminder you send manually... every time you think, “Oh, I forgot to follow up” you’re spending energy that could be used elsewhere.

When you automate the essentials and do it with warmth and clarity, you create margin. You create space to be present in real time.

• You get to spend 20 minutes writing a heartfelt response to a complex supporter email, because you’re not buried in admin.

• You get to go home on time without guilt, because your stewardship system is ticking along in the background.

• You get to lead, not just chase.

That’s not cold. That’s generous. That’s regenerative. And you might even be surprised at how often it pays you back in gold!

Automation as an Act of Leadership

Too often, leaders wear their overwhelm like a medal of honour. They say yes to everything, answer emails at midnight, and believe the busier they are, the more good they must be doing.

I believed that once too.

But what I’ve learned, painfully, at times, is that true leadership isn’t about doing everything. It’s about creating systems that allow you and your team, to show up for what really matters.

When you build emotionally intelligent systems, you:

• Protect your energy

• Model boundaries

• Honour consistency

• Scale trust

• Reduce burnout

• Achieve some pretty amazing things and still have gas in the tank

You lead with intention, not just urgency.

And isn’t that what we’re here to do?

Why NFPs Need This More Than Ever

In community organisations, we are often:

• Under-resourced

• Overstretched

• Deeply values-led

And that’s a powerful mix, but also a dangerous one if we don’t protect ourselves from burnout.

We spend so much time caring for others, we often forget to care for our future selves.

Automation, done well, is how we care for ourselves, our colleagues, and our cause.

Because when the reminder goes out on time… When the thank you note lands on the right day… When the person feels held, not forgotten…

That’s impact. That’s presence. That’s strategy.

So, How Do You Start?

Start here:

1. Map your repeated tasks

What do you do, or wish you did, more than once a week that could be systematised?

• Welcoming new volunteers?

• Sending weekly reminders?

• Following up after an event?

2. Write it once, write it right

Create templates in your own voice. Add warmth. Add whitespace. Add emojis if that’s you. Don’t let a “template” mean boring.

3. Schedule and test

Use your existing tools, Outlook, Mailchimp, Canva, Trello, to schedule ahead. Test how it feels to receive the message.

4. Keep asking: “What’s the emotional moment here?”

Automation isn’t about the process. It’s about the person. Build from that place.

Dear Future Me…

When I build a system, I’m not just building it for efficiency. I’m building it for the Heidi who’s tired. The Heidi who has five competing priorities. The Heidi who wants to show up fully, but sometimes just can’t.

Automation isn’t cold. It’s a love letter. To myself. To my team. To the people we serve.

And in a world that’s constantly demanding more, that’s a gift worth giving.

Curious about how to build emotionally intelligent systems for your team?

Drop a comment, send me a message or dive right in a book a session with me. I’d love to hear how you care for your future self.

[https://www.heidiprowse.com.au/booknow]

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