on the ball-
There are a few reasons why we decided to donate anonymously (although it’s not set in stone).
#1. When I was in Kollel I was asked to put in a full page ad for a family member being honored. I explained that I was in Kollel and couldn’t afford a full page ad. The dinner chairman told me to give what I want and he’ll give me a full page ad. (Thinking back, I don’t think it was fair that someone who paid full price should only get the same recognition as someone who paid a small fraction.)
#2. A Rebbe I was close with was being honored and I had lots of Hakaras Hatov for the special attention he gave me as well as the kesher he kept up for 20+ years. I decided to put in a full page “thank you” at $500. I later found out that a younger grade was having a hard time scraping together $25 a piece from the 20 classmates and I felt it was arrogant to have a full page ad next to theirs and I asked the journal committee not to publish it. (They sent the Rebbe a copy of the ad and an explanation as to why I requested that it not be published.)
#3. A shy neighbor (who has helped us with the kids in the past) asked us to put in an ad for her yearbook. The school warned that anyone who didn’t raise a few hundred dollars for the yearbook cost would have a picture of an elephant in the yearbook instead of theirs and she thought it may hurt her shidduch prospects. I was willing to put in an ad but my wife said it will be offensive to her parents if someone else places a larger ad than they were able to afford. My wife gave her the full amount (so that she wouldn’t have to ask others who may insist on placing an ad).