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

From Steve Froehlich: “In the middle of judging this package, I felt compelled to write a check on the spot.”

GRAND CONTROL OF THE YEAR

Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation’s current control has been in the mail since November 2003. It’s a different offer from the organization’s previous mailings. Make-A-Wish’s other grand control is a rather lifeless mailing, lacking a personal story and relying on an insert for several one-paragraph profiles and photographs. Other efforts have focused on a specific wish a child had and included kids’ art — but they didn’t last very long.