Archive for March 15th, 2008

Last week, I wrote about my experience with DonorsChoose and their thank-you packages. I got a very nice comment from Mike Everett-Lane explaining some of the inner workings at DC. Yesterday I got two more emails of thanks which included links to six more worthy projects, which I thought I’d share here.

Dear David,

Thank you so much for making “Through the eyes of a child…” a reality for Ms. Thompson’s classroom. By now, you should have received your thank-you package in the mail. If you have not received it, please email zach[at]donorschoose.org. We welcome any questions or suggestions.

We hope the feedback illustrates the difference you’ve made for Ms. Thompson’s students. In case you’d like to help another classroom, we’ve selected some projects for you that are similar:

Proposals from Suffolk, Massachusetts

• This…Is…Jeopardy!
• All the World’s a Stage Part 2
• Blending Science and the Real World

Proposals involving Visual Arts

• Picturing Small Moments
• Colorful Self – Portraits
• Centered on Learning

Alternatively, you can see proposals that need less than $200 to come to life.

Thank you again for your generosity.

Sincerely,

Putting on the marketeer hat for a bit, I have to admire the clever customized upsell. Nice work. And remember, you can save everybody some work if you cap your gifts at $99 each. But please make as many gifts as you can.

There it is, proof that my crackpot calculations work. If you are irritated by particulars of the new MetroCard pricing scheme, you can still buy a card with an integral number of rides. But make sure you use plastic or have exact change, lest you end up with a handful of golden dollar coins featuring Paul Giamatti’s John Adams’ bug-eyed visage.

I like the vaguely mystical overtone that you have to know the secret code and apply it in exactly the right way in order to receive the magic number 18, for life. (חי)

In not entirely unrelated news, if you don’t visit New York City often enough, or worse, don’t ride the subway often enough, you might occasionally find that one of your MetroCards has expired while still holding value. Horrors.

If your card is less than a year expired, you can trade it in for a new one using one of the handy machines around the stations. If your card is older than a year, you’ll have to get one of these claim forms and mail in your ancient card. Ask at any friendly former token booth.