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

E-PHILANTHROPY

AUDUBON NATURE INSTITUTE
“Bring Back Our Fish” Campaign
Submitted by Convio

Numbers:
Number of Recipients: 22,092
Total Income Generated: $15,487
Average Gift: $50
Total Out-of-Pocket Costs: $9,000
Response Rate: Just under 10 percent
Cost to Raise a Dollar: $0.58

As we wrote in our November 2006 cover story, Hurricane Katrina not only devastated New Orleans-based Audubon Nature Institute’s facilities, but it also spread its staff, volunteers, board members and donors far and wide. And it wreaked havoc with everyone’s finances. With its administrative offices temporarily moved to Baton Rouge, the organization became dependent on the Web for its emergency fundraising.