Tune in to Ugo Ikokwu’s session from our 2025 Trusts and Major Donors Conference “Grant makers: spotting an AI doozy – and what to do instead”
“Grant makers: spotting an AI doozy and what to do instead” is a practical, myth-busting session designed for fundraisers navigating the new reality of AI-powered bid writing. As more charities turn to tools like ChatGPT to save time, funders are increasingly encountering applications that sound polished but hollow, generic or ethically risky. This session will help you understand what funders are actually looking out for and how you can use AI well without undermining your voice, credibility or case for support.
We’ll cover the essentials: what AI is (in plain English), how it can genuinely support your fundraising, the ethical considerations you must keep in view, and the common “AI doozies” that immediately raise red flags for funders. Drawing on my experience assessing hundreds of applications and using AI in my own grant-making and social investment work at Trust for London, I’ll show you how to use AI to enhance clarity and storytelling while keeping lived experience, accuracy and authenticity front and centre.
You will leave with practical tips, examples, and questions to ask yourself before submitting any AI-supported application, helping you write smarter bids that still sound powerfully you.
Key learnings from this session:
Attendees will learn where AI genuinely adds value, editing, structuring, simplifying, sense-checking without replacing their expertise or diluting their organisation’s voice. Funders increasingly spot tell-tale signs of poorly used AI: generic language, inaccurate claims, mismatched data, and applications that sound professional but say very little. You’ll learn how to avoid these traps. You’ll understand what red flags funders look for, why some AI-written bids get rejected immediately, and how to make sure your application still reflects authenticity, lived experience and clear need.
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Transcript
Jade Cunnah: Welcome to the Fundraising Everywhere podcast, your go-to place for fundraising tips and inspiration. Love what you hear? Get more insights straight to your inbox. Subscribe to our email list for exclusive fundraising resources, early access to training, special discounts, and more. Just head on over to fundraisingeverywhere.com/podcast to subscribe.
Jade Cunnah: Now, on to today’s episode. Enjoy.
Ugo Ikokwu: Hello everyone. Um, and, uh, really glad that you’re, you’re here for this session. Um, interestingly, I think it follows on really nicely from the last one, um, because it does feel right now like the, the fundraising world is going through a very quiet, uh, but real shift. Um, we’re seeing as– I think there was a question asked in the last session, how many, um, something around how many applications are, are currently being written by, um, AI.
Ugo Ikokwu: I would say, as I said, um, anecdotally, um, that we are seeing, um, I would say something like 70% more applications, um, than ever been written with the help, uh, from AI tools like ChatGPT. And I think as one of the other speakers, uh, suggested, I would say some fundraisers are, are using it really well. They’re using it brilliantly.
Ugo Ikokwu: They’re using it to save time, um, improve the, the sort of clarity of proposals. And yes, it reduces stress because, um, I mean, I, I’m, I’ve had the advantage and the benefit of sitting on both sides. So I chair a small charity and, you know, I have to write fundraising applications as well, so I know how stressful that can be.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, but as funders, I would say we are starting to see, um, some AI fingerprints that aren’t always helpful. Um, so hopefully this session is not about scaring you away from, from AI. It’s about helping you use it in a way that’s intentional, in a way that has already been suggested strengthens your voice, your, uh, credibility, and your case for support.
Ugo Ikokwu: As funders, and this is speaking with my funder hat on, we are not anti, um, AI, but we are pro authenticity. Um, we want to hear you, we want to hear your voice, not a generic, um, AI template. So hopefully by the end of today, um, you’ll know exactly what we’re looking for, what we worry about, and what we immediately notice.
Ugo Ikokwu: I think that that’s a big point to make, especially where AI is misused. Um, and then how you can write compelling bids, um, in an AI world without losing the essence of, of your organization. Um, so very quickly, uh, what we’ll cover today. Um, my aim really is to try and help you become not just AI users, but AI literate fundraisers, people who can harness the benefits without necessarily falling into the pitfalls.
Ugo Ikokwu: So we’ll demystify what, what AI actually is. Um, I guess it’s implicit in the name, right? Artificial intelligence. Um- So what is it? It’s, you know, what is it? What, what it isn’t? You know, why does it matter for fundraising? And then from a funder’s perspective, um, I’ll try and share with you some of the things that we notice, um, what raises red flags, what gives us confidence when we’re looking at proposals.
Ugo Ikokwu: I think a key, um, aspect of, um, AI that often isn’t discussed is around ethics. Um, not in an aca- academic way, um, but in a very sort of real world sense. You know, things around data privacy, bias, um, misinformation and, and where things can, can go wrong. Then hopefully we’ll look at some real AI doozies, like what are the kinds of mistakes that instantly tell a funder that AI has basically driven the application and not, um, the organization itself.
Ugo Ikokwu: And then practically, how do you actually use AI, uh, wisely in a way that’s strategic, um, and creative without losing your authenticity? Um, so, um, let’s get into it
Ugo Ikokwu: Uh, sorry, um, just reading the chat. Um, so what is AI and how does it work? Um, as I said, I think it’s really important to demystify AI because there’s still a lot of confusion about what it actually is. A lot of people imagine AI to be this, um, super intelligent brain, uh, with deep understanding. But I think the reality is, is a lot more simpler, um, and often more limited.
Ugo Ikokwu: So when you look at some of the AI tools like, um, ChatGPT, for example, um, or even Microsoft Pilot, Copilot, um, a lot of them don’t actually understand anything in the way that we as humans do. Um, they’re basically advanced, uh, pattern spotters. Basically, they’ve been trained on really large, um, amounts of text from the internet, from books, from different articles, and even reports.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, and so when you ask it a question, what AI then does is it looks for patterns, and it starts to predict what the next likely word is going to be, and then the next one after that, and then the next one after that. So it doesn’t really have any deep reasoning. It’s got no lived experience, um, and it’s got no, no real understanding of your community, um, or your work or even the change that you’re trying to create.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um- I mean, without, um, discrediting interns, I think interns are brilliant. But a really good way to think about it is like AI is like an extremely confident intern. Um, you get someone in who they write really quickly, they sound very impressive, but they don’t necessarily always know what they’re talking about ’cause they’re still getting used to the organization.
Ugo Ikokwu: So yes, AI can be incredibly helpful. Um, but without your judgment, without your insight, it can also come across very vague, wrong, and, and actually misleading. Um, and I’ll, I’ll talk about a particular case study where that’s happened. And so that’s why your voice, um, your thinking and your experience is still absolutely central.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, so see AI as a tool rather than as a decision maker. And the reason why this, this matters is because, um, AI is not going away. Um, I do, I talk to a lot of fundraisers, obviously in, in my role as a, a grant maker as well. Um, we’re having lots of conversations about the role of, of AI, and we recognize it’s not going away.
Ugo Ikokwu: It’s already reshaping the way funding applications are written. Um, and I’ve seen, and you know, colleagues I know who are fundraisers as well, they’re using it really quietly as, um, a thought partner. Um, so you can use it to draft, um, a, a, a first draft generator or even just simplify language. Um, and it can be really brilliant when you use it that way.
Ugo Ikokwu: But as funders, a lot of the things that we’re seeing, um, and the conversations that we’re having internally is also another different type of pattern that we’re seeing, where applications, they come across really technically perfect, um, but there’s no emotion behind it. Um, it’s really hollow. You know, beautiful sentences that say absolutely nothing.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, a lot of really good grammar, um, but there’s zero authenticity. Um, and so instead of hearing as an organization, your voice, what we’re reading is paragraphs and paragraphs of stuff that sound like they could have come from anyone. Everything is so polished, but there’s no real sense o- of the people behind the community or the work that, that they serve.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, as an example, so I lead a fund around racial, um, and economic, um, justice And so a lot of the focus of that is, you know, how do we increase incomes and wealth within, you know, Black and, and racialized communities? And so, of course, you know, we get applications to the fund. And so some of the, the, the sorts of things that we see, or certainly I see in the proposals that I read, is things like, you know, “We will empower disadvantaged communities through holistic support that creates pathways to opportunity.”
Ugo Ikokwu: What, what does that mean exactly? Um, it, it sounds impressive, but that doesn’t actually tell us anything. So who are the communities? What is the actual support? What change will happen, and how will it happen? Um, another particular trend that we’re seeing also, um, is sentences that are really beautifully written, um, but again, it doesn’t include any detail like, “Our project will foster resilience and unlock potential.”
Ugo Ikokwu: Again, really nice words, but no clear explanation. And so we then start to ask ourselves, what does this actually mean in real life? Um, and as I said, oftentimes the grammar is really perfect, but the heart just isn’t there. And when you get to the root of it, real community work, um, is full of honesty, it’s full of personality, it’s full of lived experience.
Ugo Ikokwu: But when you have applications written by AI, all of that texture disappears. It becomes too smooth, too generic, um, too corporate. Um, but if you flip it on the other side, so if… imagine we were having a conversation, um, and you were trying to share with me the work that you, you do. It could, you know, you would probably say something like, “Look, you know, the young people that we work with told us that they feel judged.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, they don’t know where to turn. So we’ve designed this program with them in mind, uh, and with them to fix what, what was not working.” It’s not perfect in terms of the writing or the articulation, but it’s authentic. And what you then start to feel is the organization behind it. And that’s the difference that as funders that we are, um, we’re picking up on Um, AI-generated text sounds good, but it doesn’t help us understand what you actually do, why it matters, what’s unique about your organization, uh, what will ch- what change will happen, why your community trusts you.
Ugo Ikokwu: And so when that detail, um, disappears, it’s really, really difficult to get a sense of, um, a picture of, of the work that you do, and that makes it harder. And, you know, I would, I would say this, that, you know, fundraising isn’t about writing, um, pretty sentences. Um, it’s about communicating truth, um, urgency, lived experience, and purpose.
Ugo Ikokwu: AI can help you write a lot faster, but it, it cannot feel what you feel. Um, it cannot understand what your community needs. Um, and for me, that’s why this, this subject is, is really, really important. And even as we, we, we move on, um, I think another really, um, important thing to flag is around ethical, uh, considerations, and that’s something I really want to spend time doing.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, not in a scary sort of legal way, uh, but you know, very down to earth, very practical. Um, because what you find is a, a lot of funders might not talk about it openly, um, but we do think about ethics every single time we read an application. Um, I’m, you know, sharing that with you for free. And obviously with, with AI entering this fundraising space, um, there are a number of areas where I’ve seen where things can easily go wrong.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, as I mentioned before, bias is, is number one. A lot of AI tools, um, they learn from huge amounts of information taken from the internet. So every time you use AI and you put information in there, it stores it basically. It’s like a cloud, and it regurgitates that information. And because the internet is full of stereotypes, it’s full of assumptions, it’s full of inequalities, when you then ask AI to write something, say, for example, about poverty, about migrants, about, you know, young Black men or disabled people even, or single mothers, or people seeking asylum, what it can do is it can unintentionally slip into harmful or over-simplistic language.
Ugo Ikokwu: It’s not because you believe those things, but because the tool itself has soaked them up from elsewhere, from different places. And so we notice this when we read applications. And in my case, you know, for organizations w- working on, say, racial justice, um, or working with vulnerable gr- groups, this matters even more because, uh, poor wording can undermine your credibility.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, so as an example, I’ve read applications where, um, I’ve seen, and I know it’s an, an AI-generated bit that describes say Black boys as high-risk populations or migrants as a burden on systems. Um, and clearly no one at the charity thinks that. What AI does because of its training data, um- The other thing is around, um, in a way just like in hallucinations, if I can say that, you know, AI does make things up.
Ugo Ikokwu: It’s very, very confident even when it’s wrong. Um, AI will happily invent stuff, and that’s something that you need to be really mindful of. It will happily event, um, invent statistics that don’t exist. It would quote, you know, happily invent quotes that no one has ever said. Um, it can even invent charities that are not real or even case studies that sound true but they’re not.
Ugo Ikokwu: And if that ends up in your application, it becomes a serious problem because as funders we rely on accuracy and we rely on honesty. And so if anything feels off, we, we then start questioning the whole proposal. Um, there was a, a recent case, I don’t know if anyone, um, was– came across it. I think it was sometime, uh, at the start of this year, and there’s since been a number of, um, those similar cases where, um, a, a high court– it was a high court case, um, and the barrister had submitted, um, written arguments that included five legal case citations.
Ugo Ikokwu: And on the surface everything looked polished, it looked, you know, authoritative. But when the other, um, uh, the other team, um, reviewed the, the actual documents, um, they then discovered that none of the cases that were cited actually existed. And so they challenged, um, the solicitor that was involved who then suggested that, “Oh, these were just sort of cosmetic errors that didn’t necessarily need explaining.”
Ugo Ikokwu: But the judge in this case was, was shocked. Um, and you know, he, he classed it as, you know, unprofessional, um, unacceptable, especially given the fact that the citations were the foundation of, of legal arguments being put before the court. And so it was then I think the It ended up being, um, uh, uh, professional misbehavior.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, and the solicitor was, um, referred to the, um, SRA, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and the bar standards as well, so they could consider disciplinary action. Um, and for me, what is important here is that the judge didn’t necessarily need to determine whether AI was used or not. The s- the issue was simpler and more serious that basically professionals submitted information that they clearly had not checked, and then they tried to then dismiss the concerns that, that were raised, you know.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, and so the judge then kind of set out some key responsibilities, like going forward, and there’s been subsequently two other cases that have come up where individuals must verify any information they use from AI. Um, you can’t rely blindly on tools. Um, as leaders, um, you, you’ve got to know and to make sure staff know how to use AI responsibly.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, make sure there’s training safeguards, um, in, in, in place. You know, these are no longer optional. Um- And now even regulators have to ensure that there are standard standards for AI use. And so what this case study then showed is how easily well-presented, confident writing can mask inaccurate or completely fabricated information.
Ugo Ikokwu: And this is something that happens a lot with AI tools. And for us as fundraisers, it’s, I mean, it’s incredibly, um, helpful, um, to know that, look, when you use AI to help with writing, you still need to check every fact, check every statistic, and check every claim. Even a well-written, beautiful application that contains small errors, it can damage your credibility with funders, um, in, in just as it did in this case of the lawyers.
Ugo Ikokwu: And I, I tell you, I’ve, I’ve seen that, um, uh, in a lot of cases. Um, and I wanna answer a question, um, it may well come up, but actually in, in the process of, of talking about this, um, there was a question around, um, do, do funders use AI, um, to assess or to score applications? No, we don’t. We don’t do that.
Ugo Ikokwu: Absolutely not. Um, every assessment is based on human judgment, um, conversation, uh, relationship, understanding. Um, AI doesn’t influence that in, in any way, shape, or form. Um, so very, very important. Again, you know, a- around authenticity. You know, AI can help you polish your writing, it can make things clearer, or it can speed up the admin, um, side of fundraising, but it, it can’t speak with the unique voice of your organization.
Ugo Ikokwu: It can’t feel your history, your values, your lived experience, your community, all of the things that make your work real. And so when we’re reading an application, what we’re trying to understand is you. What drives you? Who are you accountable to? Why does your approach matter in this context and with the communities that you’re working with right now?
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, and sometimes we receive applications that are perfectly structured, they’re beautifully worded, but they’re completely empty. Um, they could have come from any organization anywhere. They read like, in a lot of cases on, yeah, that I’ve seen like a glossy brochure. Um, very smooth, um, but soulless, you know.
Ugo Ikokwu: And as I said, we don’t reject applications because AI was used. We honestly do not mind if you use tools that help you work more efficiently. I think what worries us as funders is when the thinking is missing, when the story just doesn’t sound lived, when the responses, they feel copied and pasted, when we can’t hear real people behind the actual words, when everything itself is technically correct, but emotionally flat.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um- Um, as an example, you know, if you’re a, you, you say, look, you’re a migrant organization that works with women and you submit an application, but you never mention once within that application a single moment or challenge or insight from your experience. Um, or, you know, you’re a charity that describes your work in a way that sounds identical to 10 other bids.
Ugo Ikokwu: There’s no detail about the people you work with, the place, um, or what, what makes your, your approach trusted. Um- And why does this matter? Um, from a… I have to rush through ’cause my time is fast spent. Um, from a funder side, we’re seeing some really clear patterns, um, as AI is becoming obviously more, more common in fundraising.
Ugo Ikokwu: More and more applications now sound exactly the same, even when they’re coming from different organizations. Um, you could be a tiny grassroots organization in somewhere in Lewisham or a national charity or, you know, a startup somewhere in, in inner-city London. Um, but, you know, we will read bids that feel like they were all written by the same person.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, we see the same phrases appearing again and again because, again, AI is drawing, uses tools drawn from a shared pool of generic language. So things like, “We aim to empower marginalized communiti- co- communities to reach their full potential. We take a holistic, trauma-informed, person-centered approach to supporting vulnerable individuals.
Ugo Ikokwu: We will deliver impactful outcomes that create sustainable change.” Um, and we’re also seeing cases where the description of the problem or the proposed outcome simply don’t match what we know about the organization’s real work. Um, for example, you know, I’ve had applications where a small charity, you know, claims it would deliver systemic change across Lond- London because, again, what AI does is it inflates the language.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, a small youth club describes itself as a national center of excellence in leadership and development. It’s exactly the same sentence from two completely unrelated organizations. And when that happens, it raises questions, not about integrity necessarily, but about whether as an applicant you really understand your own strategy or whether the tools you’re using have taken up too much of the thinking.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, and this is where for us as funders, doubt starts to creep in. Because for us, the strength of an application isn’t the grammar or the structure, it’s the clarity of thought. It’s the, your, as an organization, your ability to explain in your own voice what’s happening in your community and why your work matters.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, and as I said, th- this matters because when used well, we can feel that too. Um, if AI helps you to organize your ideas, to write more clearly, to draft faster so you can spend more time thinking or even to help you refine, you know, your narrative. Um, we’re not looking for perfection, but we are looking for real human insight.
Ugo Ikokwu: We’re looking for specificity. Someone talked about storytelling previously. We’re, we’re looking for a story that could only come from your organization Um, and so when we read applications, um, we’re not trying to spot the AI, but we are noticing patterns that tell us when AI may have been used in a way that weakens your application.
Ugo Ikokwu: And one of the biggest things, as I said, we see is language that sounds polished but doesn’t actually say much. Um, um, and another one, as I said, is applications start sounding exactly the same even when, you know, you are different sizes, different mission, um, it’s written in the same tone, a smooth, generic AI voice.
Ugo Ikokwu: You can almost recognize it. It’s so well-structured, very formal, and, um, it can belong to, to anyone. Um, I want to leave some time for, for questions. Um, so I’ll, I’ll just talk through very quickly the, the sort of AI doozies. Um, some of the most common ones that we see coming up in, in applications. Um, it, it’s the little giveaways, the little things that instantly makes us think, “Hold on a second, um, is– has this been written by someone or is this AI?”
Ugo Ikokwu: You know, there’s a sense of fake urgency. The AI tends to ramp up the language, um, so everything is at crisis level. Even when the, the actual project itself is steady, it’s preventative work, AI will exaggerate because it’s trying to sound compelling, but it ends up actually making the application feel less worthy.
Ugo Ikokwu: Then there’s this overly corporate tone, you know, the, the, where, you know, like sentences like, “We leverage, uh, multi-sectorial partnerships to optimize stakeholder engagement.” Like, what is that? That is a load of jargon. No grassroots organizations talk like that. And it’s a l- it’s a huge clue that AI has been used and been left to basically run wild.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, and then there’s this also inspirational, um, poster effect, um, that AI tends to use. Um, it b- sounds like it belongs on a motivational quote rather than an actual funding, um, application. So-
Ugo Ikokwu: Am I being too parent? So what to do instead? Use AI for structure. Use it to help you structure your thoughts. Um, start with your own ideas. Put down your bullet points, the real insights from your team, the things you know in terms of working within your community. And then once you shaped all of those important points, A- what AI can then do is it can then help you to turn them into much clearer sentences or just even an organized structure.
Ugo Ikokwu: But the thinking has to come from you, you know. So you have to keep control of the content. AI shouldn’t be inventing goals, outcomes, or methods that you don’t actually deliver. You set the direction. AI just helps you tidy up the language. Just think of it as a sort of a writing assistant, not a strategist.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, AI will give you a draft, but then it’s up to you to bring your voice back in. Rewrite the sentences so that it doesn’t feel too smooth, it doesn’t feel too generic. Add small details that only your organization will know, you know. Include like brief examples that reflects your lived reality. Um, these are the little, little things, you know.
Ugo Ikokwu: AI should help you save time, not replace your judgment. Um, if it can help you free up an hour so you can spend time thinking more deeply about your strategy or gathering stronger evidence, then, then that’s a win. And from experience, the best applications that we read are ones where your expertise and AI’s efficiency come together.
Ugo Ikokwu: So it’s clear, it’s thoughtful, but it’s unmistakably you. Um- So key takeaways. AI is a tool, um, not a shortcut. Uh, we as funders, we value authenticity over polished language, and, and use AI to enhance clarity and, and not to replace your voice. Um, I will stop there, um, and I will take questions in the brevity of time that I have.
Host: Hello. I was just gonna say that was so, so good, and the comments, um, I think everyone’s really enjoying that and finding it super helpful, myself included. Uh, I think we probably have one c- uh, one or two questions. So one question from Sue is, “I have concerns about losing my strategic edge and creativity if I start bypassing the thought and creative process.
Host: Am I being too paranoid?”
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, no, you’re not. I wouldn’t say you’re being, um, too, too paranoid. So when you, you say you have thought, um, concerns about losing your strategic edge, um, and creativity if you bypass the thought and creative … No. As I said, um, AI should just help you structure your thoughts. Um, but it absolutely has to be your thoughts.
Ugo Ikokwu: Um, it’s your words that have to go into it. Um, your creativity, your strategic edge, but AI just helps you to pull all of that together. So no, in a way you’re not being paranoid. Um, it’s just thinking about how you use it in a way that doesn’t, uh, lose your authentic voice.
Jade Cunnah: Thank you for listening to the Fundraising Everywhere podcast. If you’re enjoying this podcast, why not share it with a fundraising friend? And if you’d like to give us a little like or subscribe, it really helps fundraisers like you find us.
Jade Cunnah: Thank you so much. See you next time. Bye