This is the 124th Fundraising Writing Newsletter.
If you find value here, please tell your fundraising friends.
​(Your fundraising friends can ​subscribe here for free.)​

In this issue:

✅ AI vs Fundraising Writing — a head-to-head comparison

✅ Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

​

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

​

Hi Reader,

My dad is now trying to sell a property, and the promotion he created is kind of hilarious and all kinds of awesome.

Here's 1 of 38 slides he created and embedded in a website sales page:

As you can see, my dad took a map image and added about 50 text box captions.

It's so homemade, so human.

Here's another promo slide my dad created:

Notice that my dad is promoting the property he's selling by advertising the fact that one new neighbor in the area will be a tech park campus housing an AI titan. Therefore:

What I love most about this is that it nicely captures the appeal of the human touch in the context of the AI age.

In other words, AI is clearly poised to be terribly important for our collective future, yet what really jumps out here is not the AI promise but the homemade feel of the promo. The human X factor is what's so persuasive.

And Brett and I remain convinced this principle is key for today's fundraising. So we've got an example for you...

AI vs Fundraising Writing — a head-to-head comparison

The following example is from a donor newsletter we recently wrote for a client.

I'm going to share the 3 things with you:

1. the story notes we received from our client
2. what AI (GPT-4) wrote based on the notes
3. and what Brett wrote based on our client's notes

It's a head-to-head showdown!
​

First, the notes:

These are the good bones of a powerful story of impact!

Now let's see what the AI did with this...
​

Second, a draft of the donor newsletter impact piece as written by ChatGPT-4:

👉 Notice that this AI draft is too wordy, does not sound very conversationally human (e.g., "Clyburn, a spirited cat with an indomitable will, found himself in a dire plight," and fails to properly highlight details that would bring the story to life. 😟

That's because AIs think like committees. When a committee writes something, it usually collects everyone's opinion and then takes a safe path straight down the yawning boring middle.

AI is the same. It collects a multitude of "opinions" from its training data and then it predicts a safe path straight down the yawning boring middle. Its output represents an average of all the similar ideas it's ever heard on a topic.

Hence, the AI output is at best mediocre.

​

​

And now for something completely human...
​

The Fundraising Writing draft that Brett wrote:

(The highlights show human-relevant details that were not in the notes nor in the AI draft.)
​

Title: Your love brought Clyburn from brink of death to forever home​
​

If you’d been there, you would not believe your ears. The cat lying hurt on the sidewalk was not crying, was not shrieking — he was screaming. The sound would send chills down your spine. It would keep you up at night, echoing in your worried heart.

I bet you’d have done what the Good Samaritan who found poor Clyburn did. You’d have picked up the injured cat and rushed him to us for treatment.

In a way, that’s exactly what you did. First, you were generous without even having met Clyburn or any of the other animals in need at Fayette Regional Humane Society. Then, as a crisis began to unfold, your kindness was already there waiting with open arms to help this little furry one in need.

Your care brought Clyburn to the examining table. That’s where I saw he had a seriously injured front leg — a wound that appeared infected and felt like a fracture. “It looks like a bite from a larger animal,” I thought, and sighed.

Your goodness brought Clyburn to the X-ray machine. That’s where Dr. VanZant confirmed a fracture in Clyburn’s wrist, a tough place to repair. The infection made it even worse.

Your love brought Clyburn to the operating table. That’s where orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steve Schrader joined the ends of the fractured bones with a tiny pin. It worked!

Through it all, Clyburn was such a good boy. When one of us tried to pet him, you could tell it hurt. You could also tell that he did his best to ignore the pain and welcome the attention. He purred constantly.

With his surgery a success, now the challenge was to keep Clyburn quiet so the fracture could heal. He did not understand doctor’s orders, and made it known he wanted out of his cage! Whenever we fed or treated him, a battle of wills ensued. Clyburn insisted he should be allowed out so as to visit everyone.

After weeks of antibiotics, bandage changes, yummy healthy food, and warm cuddles at every turn, finally Clyburn was ready for adoption.

So was his forever family. On Day Two of Clyburn’s availability, they met him, fell for him tail over paws, and brought his happy self home for good.
​
Without you being there from the beginning, such a severe injury could easily have been a death sentence for Clyburn (especially in a shelter). Your big heart gave our good boy all the time and care he needed to heal. Today, that haunting scream on the sidewalk is a distant memory for Clyburn. He’s all meows now.​
​

I trust you'll agree that this version feels human.

Which can make all the difference.

Your donors don't want to listen to (or arm wrestle) a robot. 🤖

Because: As more people opt for the safe and easy AI path straight down the yawning boring middle, your human touch is what will stand out and feel real. And most donors are not moved to action unless and until they feel it.

Do you need help with your digital and print donor communications? Let's talk about it.

We have an opening for a one new client. If that might be you, please schedule a free call to chat about how we might work together.

"Wait. Remind me. Who are you?" you say.

We're Julie and Brett.

We help nonprofit professionals like you get to the next level of revenue and impact with expert fundraising communications.

We prioritize: taking things off your plate, giving you options, providing you with flexibility, and responding quickly to your needs, communications, and timelines.

You can do more of the work you love, with more money for your mission — and transform more lives every day of the year.

When you're ready, let's talk about your fundraising needs. The first call is always free. Book your call now.

You and your donors heal the world every day.
We help you keep it that way. 💛

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

For your brain, heart, and funny bone...

• Fundraisingly Informative — Why is clear writing so hard? by Jeff Brooks (a blog post about how writing clearly is the ethical thing to do, and how ironic it is that academia tends to struggle in this department)
  ​
• Meaningfully Hearty — Math or Magic? via This American Life (a 56-minute podcast episode featuring stories of people who believe finding love is a numbers game, of others who believe it's magic, and of questions as to whether it might be both)​
  ​
• Philanthropically Smiley — 100 Kids Smile for the First Time via Beast Philanthropy (the newest MrBeast video where they give children suffering from cleft conditions new smiles and hope for a brighter future)

Until next time: May you always stay golden by staying human!

Grateful,

PS: Join us March 21st?​
​
March 21st is the big day when legendary fundraising copywriter and author Tom Ahern will be hosting his once-only-in-2024 webinar "How to Write a Fabulous Case."

After the first 90 minutes of training, you'll enjoy an All-You-Can-Eat unlimited Q&A session featuring Tom, special guest Harvey McKinnon — one of North America's leading fundraising giants, expert case-writer, and author of 5 acclaimed books — and moderator Julie Cooper.

(In Tom's last webinar, the Q&A lasted 4 hours, a new record. In other words, you can literally get all your questions answered. Priceless.)

​See you then?

We hope so!