Crappy, failing fundraising copy is often the way it is because somebody liked that way. Not that someone wanted it to be crappy, but they wanted certain characteristics -- usually things like a professional tone, a dignified, non-urgent approach, maybe a side goal of lecturing the reader into a better understanding of the cause.
Successful fundraising copy, on the other hand, is almost never the way it is because fundraising professionals like it that way. The good stuff is the result of experience, discipline, and head-to-head testing. All the testing and measurement leads to a factual understanding of what works and what doesn't.
Somebody's personal preference? That's not a fact. It has a snowball-in-hell chance of working. That's not a 0% chance, but darn close to it.
Want to have a fighting chance of doing well? Start with facts and knowledge. Then sprinkle on some instinct and hunches -- but test them.
