Imade an online donation to a local charity recently and received an effusively grateful letter from the executive director, which made me very nervous.

How much did I donate? I was pretty sure it was about $200 — it’s a good organization that does effective work in my area, so I was feeling generous. But I was feeling up-to-$200 generous, and when I read the note from the director, I suddenly felt queasy. “Dear Mr. Long: We cannot thank you enough for your recent very generous gift. Your vote of confidence in the important work we do is gratifying and encouraging, and we thank you for partnering with us in this important mission.” That’s a lot of nice words for a $200 donation, I thought. I wondered if I added an extra zero by mistake.

Recommended Stories

Steven Pinker on the games

See Full Page