3,2,1 Fundraise No. 43 || Using AI without sounding like a robot

Friends last week at the Get Grants conference, I ran a session on how to use AI in fundraising without losing your authentic voice.

When AI first arrived on the scene, many funders said you weren't allowed to use it for applications. Now, the majority have relaxed their rules - you can use it, just don't use it badly.

But here's the thing.....just kidding! That's complete AI speak. 😄

That's why I'm sharing three ways to keep your content sounding authentic while using AI to improve the quality of the writing.

These are the approaches I use, and I'd love to hear if you use these methods too, or if you've found other approaches that work. Just hit reply and let me know.

Ready? Let's dive into this week's 3,2,1 Fundraise.

3 Ideas

USING AI WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A ROBOT

GIVE IT LOTS OF CONTEXT

I don't just mean a link to your website. AI needs loads of context - past proposals, your annual report, newsletters, case studies, board papers, style guides, anything that will show not just the programmatic areas of your work but the tone and style of your organisation.

Think about it this way: when an organisation brings on a new fundraiser, they don't just send them the website link and expect brilliant proposals. They give them everything. AI is exactly the same.

The more material you provide, the better AI can mirror how the organisation actually talks about its work.

Bonus tip: Don't have a style guide? Ask AI to make one for you.

Upload all the organisation's documents and use this prompt:

"I want to create a style guide for [organisation]. Review all the attached materials and create a guide all employees could use for outward-facing communications."

AI is brilliant at identifying patterns - it can spot that the organisation always uses "communities" instead of "beneficiaries", or that they tend to open with concrete examples rather than statistics. It will analyse everything and create a guide that captures the vocabulary, sentence structure, even punctuation preferences.

The style guide can then be added to any future prompts to help AI write in an authentic way. This is one of the most useful things I've done with AI. It gives organisations clarity on their voice that they never quite managed to articulate before.

ASK SPECIFIC GRAMMATICAL QUESTIONS

Here's where AI really shines - use it as your editor, not your writer.

Anyone who has been on my training knows that I never recommend using AI to write. It's actually terrible at writing (except maybe internal documents). The copy is generic and forgettable.

But for editing? It's brilliant.

When I was working in a small organisation, I had to wait for my manager to read my work and provide edits. That is completely not necessary today. I use AI for all my editing drafts and only ask a human to review the final one. This is honestly my most-used function of AI.

Ask it to:

Make your writing more active instead of passive
Simplify complex words and jargon
Improve the readability score
Spot clichés you've become blind to
Reduce word count whilst keeping the key points
Strengthen weak sentences

These targeted requests improve your writing without stripping away what makes it yours.

For example, I might paste in a paragraph and ask: "Make this more active and reduce by 20 words." Or "Simplify the language to reading age 12." Or "Are there any clichés or overused fundraising phrases I should replace?"

The key is being specific about what you want improved. Don't just say "make this better" - that's when you get generic AI writing. Instead, keep the content yours and use AI to polish it.

KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE LEADER, NOT THE FOLLOWER

This is the bit most people get wrong, and it's critical: AI works best when you give it the content first.

It struggles to maintain an authentic voice when you ask it to create the content whilst keeping your style. That's getting it backwards.

Think about the process of proposal writing. It's not actually just about sitting down and writing, is it? It's about translating programme information, crafting compelling answers to funder questions, aligning with funder values, working out what stories to include, deciding which statistics matter most.

All of that thinking? That's your job. That's where your expertise and understanding of the organisation comes in. That's the bit AI simply cannot do well.

So write your thoughts first. Get the stories down. Explain the impact in your words. Include the programme details that matter. Then bring in AI to polish, tighten and clarify.

You remain the author. AI is simply your very efficient copy editor, catching things like:

That sentence that's too long and winding
The word you've used three times in one paragraph
The jargon that slipped in without you noticing
The passive construction that weakens your point

I've found this approach much more useful.

The mindset of you're the leader, not the follower, still applies once you've made these edits. If something doesn't feel right or doesn't feel like 'you', either ask it to try again or ignore it.

On November 5, I'm kicking off another round of my training series "How To Get In Front of Invite-Only Funders."

The morning session has sold out.

There are still spaces available for the afternoon sessions.

If you want to prioritise moving from feeling stuck to getting on funders' radars, then join me for the four-week training series.

More details and reviews on my website.

I want more details

2 things

IFC CONFERENCE GOING FREE ONLINE

A few issues ago, I wrote about my experiences at the IFC pop-up in Cape Town. I also shared some frustrations with the main conference held in the Netherlands each year.

But I want to give credit where credit is due.

Since COVID, the IFC has offered an online version of the conference. They stream selected sessions and allow for live Q&A even from the online audience. This year, they're offering the online version for free!

So whilst they're still not paying speakers (which continues to frustrate me), I really appreciate that they're making the conference available to organisations that can't afford a flight to Amsterdam and the conference fees. That's a significant step towards accessibility.

It kicks off tomorrow, and there's still time to sign up.

I've got my eye on a few sessions: "How Content Creators are Redefining Fundraising" (an area I don't work in, so this will be fun to learn about) and "Maximising Donor Potential" with Robert Osborne. Robert is someone I learnt a lot from when I was starting out in major donor fundraising.

And of course, there's the "Limited Resources, Breakthrough Success" session that 'premiered' at the IFC Cape Town pop-up. It was super practical and very motivating - exactly the kind of session that gives you things you can actually use.

If you've been curious about the IFC but could never justify the cost, this is your chance.

THE TIN CAN PHONE REIMAGINED

I came across this brilliant story about Tin Can - a WiFi "landline" phone designed for kids whose parents want to delay giving them smartphones. It's basically a phone that only calls approved contacts during approved hours.

The company was founded by three dads in Seattle who sat around a kitchen table with soldering irons and an old corded landline phone. They didn't know if they were creating a business or just a cool walkie-talkie. They gave prototypes to their kids and their friends to test.

The result? "Kids used the crap out of the thing. They were so excited when it rang, they would jump over the couch."

They're now backordered until December because, apparently, everyone wants their kids to experience the thrill of an actual "landline" phone ringing.

Calling donors is one of the most important things we can do - to say thank you, to suggest a meeting, to build relationships. Yet so many fundraisers tell me it feels absolutely daunting to pick up the phone.

So would having a Tin Can encourage you to call your donors and re-enact your childhood phone marathons? (Millennials - picture that stretchy cord, lying on the floor, chatting for hours...)

Should we create a Tin Can phone for fundraisers?

1 writing Tip

SPEAK YOUR DONORS' LANGUAGE

Friends I'm curious what you thought of this week's newsletter.

Let me know what you think of the AI techniques or if you have some of your own.

Wishing you much fundraising success.

Michelle Stein
Major Donor Consultant, Trainer and Coach
Handmade Fundraising

P.S. There are only afternoon tickets available for "How to Get In Front of Invite-Only Funders." Bookings close October 24.

When you are ready, here are a few ways I can help you transform lucky breaks into major gift success:

FREE RESOURCES:
Top 20 Donor Questions,
How to Create Donor Reports that Inspire
Find Your Fundraising Flow (NEW!)
HOW TO GET IN FRONT OF INVITE-ONLY FUNDERS
A practical, results-focused 4-session course that transforms how your organisation positions itself to get on funders' radars. Starting 5 November. More details here.
FUNDRAISING TRAINING

90-minute skill-building sessions for your team on everything from crafting compelling cases for support to mastering donor meetings. Or I can create something bespoke. More details here.
MAJOR GIFTS CONSULTANCY

Expert support to design and deliver your major gift strategy, from prospect mapping through to securing six and seven-figure gifts. Book a consultation call here.