This is the 192nd Fundraising Writing Newsletter. If you find value here, please tell a fundraising friend. (Your fundraising friend can ​subscribe here for free.)​

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Hi Reader,

Slop.

It's everywhere.

Some of it is AI slop.

Some of it is good-old-fashioned human slop.

Either way, it starts off harmless enough.

The first time you read "I hope this email finds you well" you probably think nothing of it. It sounds pretty okay. (Thanks for your concern!)

The 10th time you read "I hope this email finds you well" ... you might experience an involuntary brain spasm. It sounds pretty off. (Why is this email personified and "finding" me?!)

Worse, you might feel like Kelly Kapoor from the office:

You definitely don't want that.

Your donors don't either.

Please don't serve your donors slop (AI or otherwise).

How many wrong notes are in a good symphony?

None.

Every dollop of slop is a wrong note in your donor comms symphony. It will make heads ring (not hearts).

Even the slightest funky stench of slop fouls your stew ... and your open rates, click-thru rates, readability, and revenue.

So maybe:

Don't include the following 11 things in your donor communications.

1. ​"I hope this email finds you well"​
   See above.
   ​
2. [it's not this ... it's that]​
   AI loves this sentence construction. It used to be fine. Now it's potentially triggering.
   ​
   
3. too many em dashes — like these ones —
   ​Before AI took to slapping em dashes everywhere like finger paint, I used to love them. Now I use them very sparingly, as if each one could detonate. I don't want people to get the wrong idea.
   ​
4. too many bullet points​
   • Less is more.
   ​
5. too many emojis, especially in emails and social media marketing copy​
   ​It starts to feel like a circus. 🎪 🤹‍♂️ 🎭 🐘 🎠 🎈 🎟️
   ​
6. too many platitudes​
   For example: "Together, we can make a difference by giving back to our community and changing lives, one donation at a time."​
   ​
7. too smooth, no personality​
   If nothing you're reading makes you slow down and think (or feel), it's basically plastic — disposable.
   ​
8. too general, few specifics​
   For example, "Rhonda is a hard-working single mother" is general. Specific would be something like, "Even after a 12-hour shift at the hospital, Rhonda savors every moment with her little ones. At bedtime, she reads them their favorite stories, on repeat if necessary, until her kiddos drift off into sweet slumber."
   ​
9. too positive / too much virtue signaling​
   ​Idealism sounds noble but it's not balanced and it hits wrong during "real talk" such as donor comms. Realism is easier to trust.
   ​
10. too much copy, often divided by subheadings​
    Have you noticed all the longer social posts lately? AI makes sloppy thinking and sloppy writing cheap and plentiful, like corn syrup. Meanwhile we readers are honing our AI BS detectors. When those alarm bells ring, our coveted attention runs for the hills.
    ​
11. too robotic / corporate / polite; not human​
    People connect best when they're with, listening to, or reading the work of 1 other person, 1 other voice, especially when it's that of someone who's thoughtful and heartful, not slopful.
    ​

​Have I missed anything?

Reply to this email to let me know!

Next week: Tom Ahern case for support webinar

I hope to see you there, where you can enjoy:

• 90 minutes of training by Tom Ahern
  ​
• plenty of examples from different kinds of nonprofits
  ​
• a fully refreshed slideshow (it's really good), with a PDF copy for you to keep
  ​
• our one-of-a-kind all-you-can-eat unlimited Q&A session (keep your questions coming; we won't stop till you do; worth the price of admission by itself)
  ​
• a full recording of everything, no matter how long it lasts, with transcripts; you don't even have to attend live, if you don't want to

This super-helpful webinar only happens once in 2026.

If you're a seasoned pro, you'll learn a lot and laugh and smile in the process!

If you're a beginner, this is an excellent starting point, and you too will smile and laugh as you learn!

When: Thursday, March 26 at 1:00 PM ET

Join me?

Randomly yours

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

• Fundraisingly Informative — Writing for TV and Writing for Fundraising by Connor Owen (a thought-provoking blog post about how we ought to see what resonates with our donors and adjust our messaging to them accordingly, just as Hollywood does with their audiences)
  ​
• Lovingly Crafted — Rivian R2 Easter Egg Maxing (a 1-minute video that highlights the love that was poured into the details of this new vehicle; e.g., a flashlight in the door, a maze on the gas cap, and a smiley face among the little dots on the windshield)
  ​
• Perfectly Chillaxing — Island Style by Iam Tongi and Thunderstorm Artis (a 2-minute video featuring featuring two Hawaiian artists from American Idol singing a lovely song with all the vibes)

Until next time: May you always remember that effort is love and slop is ... not that!

Grateful,

Julie Cooper & Brett Cooper
Fundraising Copywriters​
​FundraisingWriting.com​
​Fundraising Copywriting & Design​​
​100% human, thank you very much.