When I came up with the idea for the Copper Level of giving — for people who’d like to mail in a single penny — I was thinking that if each of the 300 million Americans contributed one cent, I’d have exactly the three million dollars I’d need to buy my Super Bowl spot.  What I didn’t count on was being so moved by the small donors and their stories that I’d want  to acknowledge each with a thank you card which, including the stamp, cost me seventy-two times the amount of the actual donation.

I’m paying for the thank-yous out of my own, non-Super Bowl money — so every penny gifted still goes toward my commercial or to the United Way if I don’t reach my goal — but somehow, the math of spending seventy-two cents (.30 for the card and .42 for the stamp) to thank someone for a one-cent gift makes sense to my heart, though I’m sure my accountant will freak.  That’d be like buying a round-trip ticket to Munich to go thank your friend Dieter for his gift of one iTunes download, or springing for a Harley just so you could ride to Chicago and tell a business contact,  “Bob, I really appreciated that fruitcake.”

But with Thanksgiving almost here — and with no email addresses for the mail-in supporters — how could I not acknowledge pennies so carefully taped to protective pieces of paper and notes such as, “I just lost my husband but will pray for you to find yours,” “This is all I can afford but I wish you luck,” or “I wanted to help even though my own Mr. Right is out of work.”  It’d be hard to be human and not write back to the cheerleaders who scribbled, “You go, girl!” “Can’t wait to see you on the Super Bowl!” or “Best of luck — we’ll be watching for you.”

If you were one of those people, keep an eye on your mailbox because the cards just went out and should be arriving shortly . . .