Easier Said Than Done: 25 Tips for Better Fundraising Copy

7. Use your data. You know quite a bit about the people you're writing to — their names, their cities, what and when they've given, and more. Use these facts to make your copy more personal and relevant. Just make sure you don't sound awkward and robotic.

8. Flunk your English teachers. They meant well and taught you many useful things, but not everything they taught was useful. Paragraphs don't have to start with topic sentences. Passive voice is not all that bad. Neither are sentence fragments.