Here are the efforts our judges chose as the best of 2006 in the FS 2007 Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence.

By Abny Santicola and Margaret Battistelli

But holding the package, it’s clear there’s something inside. What the thousands of recipients that responded to this mailing found when they opened it was a letter, reply device, BRE and a plastic bag containing six puzzle pieces.

What’s it all about? The letter explains, beginning with the headline, “Without You This Puzzle Will Never Come Together.” San Antonio Hospital needs a new ER, one that puts all of the pieces vital to serving the community together to form a complete facility. When assembled, the puzzle pieces show an artist’s rendering of the new ER and patient tower the SAHF is raising funds to build, and a headline that repeats the mailing’s theme: “With Your Help We Can Solve The Puzzle.”