December 29, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
A story about how a couple’s dance down the aisle to a Chris Brown song raised money to fight domestic violence drew more viewers than any other Prospecting article this year.
A YouTube video of the dance became an Internet sensation, helping to raise more than $15,000 for Wellstone Action, an antiviolence group in St. Paul, Minn. The newlyweds, Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz, chose the charity after the singer Chris Brown was charged with assaulting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna.
A story published in January about the factors that could shape fund raising in 2009 was the second most-popular story on Prospecting this year. Robert F. Sharpe, a planned-giving consultant in Minneapolis, identified a reduction in estate taxes, low investment returns, and the possibility of inflation as developments that could shape how much people would give this year.
Is it OK for charities to ban certain terms from descriptions of their work? For example, is there something wrong with nixing “kids” in favor of “children”? Jeff Brooks, creative director at the advertising agency Merkle, posed those questions to readers as part of the third most-popular story.
How poorly designed Web sites dissuade donors from giving to charity was the topic of the fourth most-viewed Prospecting item, followed by a post criticizing charities’ tactic of sending “pre-ask” letters and e-mails to potential donors months before they ask them directly for money.
What do you think will produce the hottest fund-raising news in 2010? Let us know by adding a comment to this item.
